Why did Alexander the Great brutally murder the only man who saved his life in battle?

In the spring of 334 BCE, as the Macedonian army crossed into Asia Minor, Alexander led his forces into battle at the Granicus River.

The Persians had taken up a defensive position on the far bank, and their cavalry waited to strike at the Macedonian phalanx as it developed from the water.

Alexander charged with his elite Companion cavalry, aiming to break the enemy line and seize momentum in his first major battle with Persian forces. 

During the chaos of the fighting, a Persian named Rhoesaces attacked Alexander directly and struck a blow that shattered the king’s helmet.

As Alexander was momentarily exposed to a killing stroke, another nobleman, Spithridates, raised his weapon to finish the attack.

However, before he could strike, Cleitus the Black rode in and thrust his spear through Spithridates' body.

By killing Spithridates in that moment, Cleitus saved the life of the young king and ensured that the Macedonian advance would not collapse into confusion. 

Cleitus’ actions became legendary almost immediately, since they had protected the leader who led the entire campaign.

Macedonian soldiers hailed him as a hero, and Alexander himself publicly thanked him.

Historians such as Arrian and Curtius Rufus later recorded the event in detail, which ensured that Cleitus’ bravery was still one of the most noteworthy acts of personal loyalty in the early stages of the conquest of Asia. 

Cleitus belonged to the older generation of Macedonian commanders who had served under Philip II.

His long experience in military leadership placed him in a important role among Alexander’s officers.

As a result of his reputation and battlefield achievements, Alexander entrusted him with important commands throughout the early campaigns, which included some command over the Companion cavalry, as well as a senior military post in Bactria after the defeat of Darius III. 

His sister, Lanike, had served as Alexander’s nurse during childhood, which meant Cleitus had enjoyed privileged access to the royal household for decades.

His closeness to the king, combined with his battlefield record made him one of the most powerful Macedonian officers during the first half of Alexander’s reign. 

In the years following the Granicus, Cleitus remained loyal, doing both military and administrative roles.

When other commanders, such as Philotas and Parmenion, fell out of favour and met violent ends, Cleitus appeared to survive the internal politics of the group of advisers.

His posting to a senior job in Bactria in 328 BCE appeared to be a reward for years of service, but Cleitus disliked the new post, because he believed it distanced him from the king’s inner circle and took away his influence over the future direction of the empire.

His successor in commanding the Companion cavalry, a younger officer more aligned with Alexander's easternised group of advisers, made his concerns about being left out worse. 

As the campaign pushed further into Asia, Alexander began to adopt Persian customs, including wearing local dress and demanding ritual prostration from his group of advisers, which Macedonians knew as proskynesis.

This act of bowing or kneeling was understood as a form of worship, which they considered appropriate only for gods.

Macedonian officers, who saw themselves as free-born warriors and closest friends of the king, grew resentful, as they believed these changes undermined the traditions they had upheld during Philip’s reign and threatened their place in the hierarchy. 

Cleitus became one of the leading voices of this dissatisfaction. He viewed the easternising of the group of advisers as a abandonment of Macedonian customs, especially when younger men who had trained in Persia started to get important jobs in the administration.

Veterans of Philip’s wars, many of whom had grown up with Alexander, watched as they were left out of important jobs. 

Tensions worsened after the executions of Philotas and Parmenion. It sent a message that disapproval of the king could carry deadly results, regardless of past service.

In fact, Callisthenes of Olynthus, the court historian and a relative of Aristotle, also fell victim to Alexander’s wrath after criticising proskynesis.

Cleitus was already anxious about the direction of the campaign and only became more vocal in his discontent.

When he learned that Alexander intended to transfer him away from the main army, he took it as evidence that the king wanted to silence dissent. 

In the autumn of 328 BCE, Alexander held a banquet in Maracanda, where wine flowed freely and conversation turned to matters of ancestry and the pursuit of glory.

Courtiers praised Alexander as a god and dismissed the achievements of Philip II.

Cleitus, who had drunk heavily, took took it as an insult at what he saw as slander against Philip and a deliberate rewriting of the past. 

He stood and began to speak openly, declaring that Alexander owed his victories to the foundations laid by his father and the loyalty of the Macedonian army.

He reminded the people in the room that he had once saved the king’s life, and he made fun of the claim that Alexander had surpassed all who came before him.

The room fell into silence as Cleitus continued to insult both the king’s policies and his personal choices. 

Alexander, who was also heavily intoxicated, initially tried to deflect the insults. As the argument escalated, however, Cleitus' anger grew.

Courtiers attempted to restrain him, and Cleitus was led away from the hall, but he broek free and returned to the hall to resume his criticism.

The situation got worse as Alexander shouted insults in return and grabbed a weapon from a nearby guard.

What followed occurred in a rush of anger and hurt pride. 

In a violent burst of rage, Alexander hurled a spear across the room and struck Cleitus in the chest.

The weapon went through his heart, and he collapsed on the floor, dead before anyone could help.

The room, which was filled with officers and group of advisersiers, fell silent in shock, as none had expected the king to murder one of his most loyal closest friends in such a open and violent way. 

According to ancient sources, even though the killing was the result of drunken rage, it was symptomatic of much deeper concerns.

Alexander had become increasingly cut off, surrounded by flatterers and group of advisersiers who fed his belief in his own divinity.

Those who had once fought beside him now questioned his behaviour, and he responded to their criticism with fear and anger. 

Cleitus died as a soldier who had spoken too honestly. He was neither a rebel nor a traitor.

However, his death exposed the dangerous situation that had developed around the king, where truth no longer held value and loyalty offered no protection.

The man who had saved Alexander’s life now lay dead by his hand, and the memory of that betrayal haunted those who witnessed it.

Other senior officers in Alexander’s army, such as Meleager, would later have doubts about Alexander's leadership. 

According to Plutarch, Alexander broke down in sadness once the effects of the alcohol wore off.

He refused food, cut off himself from his group of advisers, and spoke of taking his own life.

His closest friends, fearing the loss of their leader, in the end convinced him to return to his duties.

However, the he kept feeling regret, and he later held ceremonies in Cleitus’ memory to try to make up for killing him. 

Alexander’s regret did not bring Cleitus back, nor did it erase the fear it created among the Macedonian officers.

The message became clear: anyone who challenged the king’s authority, no matter how senior or respected, could be killed without warning.

The emotional effects of Cleitus’ death could still be seen in Alexander’s actions for some time, but they did not prevent him from doing more violent things in later years. 

The incident showed how far Alexander had drifted from the man who once led his troops across the Granicus.

By the time he killed Cleitus, he had become a ruler full of pride, worried about his power, and surrounded by men who were too scared to tell him the truth.

The murder of Cleitus the Black was a terrible outcome for him. It showed a key change in the mental state of one of history’s most famous conquerors.

Today, the site of Maracanda is identified with modern-day Samarkand in Uzbekistan, a reminder of how much Alexander's empire grew and how far he moved away from the values of the men who helped him build it.