Booty

Soldiers retained booty, while Alexander distributed gifts of money and land. Other benefits included gold crowns and leave for newly married soldiers. Support for soldiers’ families also mattered: provisions included rations for women and children travelling with the army and help with financial obligations left by dead soldiers.

Some participants hoped to gain booty, land or a title. Others were attracted by adventure and the possibility of gaining honour far from home. These ambitions could exist alongside religious conviction: seeking spiritual reward did not prevent someone from also hoping for worldly success.