Alexander III, known as “The Great,” beat king Darius11 in the battle of issues in 334 BC. By doing this Alexander ended the Persian Empire which was started by Cyrus II. Darius thought that by retreating to the plain of Gaugamela with his massive army he could win this war. But Alexander using his 7000 cavalrymen and more than 30,000 infantrymen outwitted Darius. Attacking from behind his army causes them confusion and ultimately death with Darius fleeing bringing on a full retreat.