alexander

Leadership Process Two: Building Alliances 61
13: Royal Hostages
How to handle acquisitions is a critical question, debated by
the likes of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. Do you crush or nurture?
Do you adopt or banish? Sometimes distinctive or distinguished
acquisitions come our way in the form of human resources.
Alexander routed the Persian army at Issus, his second great
battle, on the coast where the Anatolian highlands meet
Phoenicia. After the battle at Issus, the army captured the
Persian baggage train carrying all the royal possessions and
Darius’s family. The hostages included the king’s wife,
mother, harem, numerous slaves, and household items. The
options available to Alexander included, at least, the following.
He could have treated the family as property, turning
them over to the army for its use, or sold them. He could
have returned them to Darius, making an extremely magnanimous
gesture that we would wonder at even today. He
could have had them killed immediately. He could have
ransomed them. What did he do? He retained them, befriended
them, and allowed them to retain their royal
status. Eventually, he became a close friend to Sisygambis
(Darius’s mother). Later he married Darius’s oldest daughter
Barsine (subsequently renamed Stateira after her
mother), which further helped cement Alexander’s identity
as the Persian king.
Inferences and Allegations
Why was this action a virtuoso deed? Was it because the
queen was an exceptional hostage? Was it because with such