Alexander the Great became King of Macedonia after his father, Philip II, was assassinated in 336 BCE. He conquered the Persian empire, spanning from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan, thus earning his reputation as one of the most successful military commanders in world history.
Although he was in control of Persia by 330 BCE, the battle was far from over. He stripped royal treasuries as he went, and captured the Persian capital, Persepolis – burning it to the ground in a final act of revenge against the Persia. Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Army pillaged the city, destroyed the palace complex, killed civilians, and enslaved the women.
On 26 October 2022, Alexander the Great stands trial for war crimes at the UK Supreme Court. He is charged with four counts of violation of the laws and customs of war during the razing and conquest of Persepolis. Read the indictment here.
Presided over by Lord Leggatt (Justice of the Supreme Court) with Philippe Sands QC counsel for the prosecution, and Patrick Gibbs QC counsel for the defence.
The prosecution will argue that Alexander was a war criminal, who committed atrocities at Persepolis as a deliberate political act. The defence will argue that the burning of Persepolis was not politically motivated, rather it was merely the tragic consequence of drunken behaviour. War hero or war criminal? The jury will decide.
Moot trials hosted at the Supreme Court are a tradition of the Classics for All Lawyers Group. Since 2015, Lawyers Group members have gathered at the court to witness the trials of Boudica, Socrates, Brutus, Antigone, Verres and Lysistrata. (You can watch our previous moot trials here.)
This year Classics for All’s annual moot trial will be livestreamed from the Supreme Court, giving you the opportunity to watch the proceedings and discover the man behind the legend, whose ‘greatness’ is under review…
This event is hosted at the UK Supreme Court and will be available to watch live online via YouTube. After you have purchased your ticket, you will receive an email containing the link to the livestream. Please use this link to watch the livestream on the day.
Tickets (£10 standard and £5 concession*) are available via the link below. You may also choose to give an additional donation toward Classics for All’s work supporting classics teaching in state schools.
Book Tickets here.
Please note: if you purchase a ticket but miss the event, we will provide you with a link to the recording afterwards.
*Concessionary tickets are available to anyone who is a pensioner, unemployed or still in full-time education.
Free tickets are available to state school teachers, pupils and regional network personnel working with Classics for All’s programme. If you are in one of these groups, please email events@classicsforall.org.uk to apply.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact events@classicsforall.org.uk.