The Battle of the Hydaspes River was the fourth and final major battle that Alexander fought during his eastern expedition. His opponent was an Indian king named Porus.
In all three of Alexander's previous battles, the Macedonian king had had little difficulty in marshalling his forces. He arrived and either on the same day, or the day after, formed his men up and engaged the enemy.
At the Hydaspes, however, several days passed before he was able to confront Porus. Two factors caused this. Firstly, the Hydaspes was too broad to cross in one easy manoeuvre - as had happened at the Granicus. And secondly, Porus knew the invader was coming and held the opposite bank too firmly for Alexander to cross there. He needed time to find another crossing point.
Over the next few days, I'll be looking at the five phases of the battle, from Alexander's arrival through to his victory and 'reconciliation' with Porus.
The Battle of the Hydaspes River
Arrian V.8-19
Curtius VIII.13.6-46
Diodorus Siculus XVII.87-90
Justin XII.8
Plutarch Life of Alexander 60
Pictures:
A scene from the battle by Angus McBride (Pinterest)
Google Earth. The Jhelum river is the Hydaspes
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