Battle of the Granicus

The Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC was Alexander the Great’s first major battle against the Achaemenid Persian Empire after crossing into Asia Minor. Macedonian cavalry forced the river crossing and broke the Persian line, opening western Anatolia to Alexander’s campaign.

The victory mattered because it gave the invasion immediate momentum and demonstrated the aggressive command style that would characterise Alexander’s early conquest. It also exposed the vulnerability of Persian regional forces before Darius III concentrated a larger royal army.

Books dealing directly with the subject include The Shadow King, which follows Alexander of Lyncestis through the Persian campaign, and historical sources such as The Campaigns of Alexander, The Age of Alexander and Alexander. Mary Renault’s Fire from Heaven ends around Alexander’s accession, while The Persian Boy begins later in the conquest, so neither is a direct Granicus example.