Top 4 legendary war horses recorded in history books

War horses were indispensable companions of ancient emperors and generals .

When next to their owners, they are not only mounts, but also means to help them achieve glorious feats, even contributing to shaping the world. Below are 4 horses that were recognized by the ancients.

Alexander's Bucephalus

Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC, Kingdom of Macedonia) was one of the greatest conquerors in human history. His career as a warrior began in his teens, lasted until his death, and resulted in him conquering almost the entire world at that time. Thanks to him, Greek borders expanded all the way to Punjab, India.

Alexander and Bucephalus, painting by Domenico Maria Canuti (1645 - 1684). (Photo: Thecollector.com).

Accompanying Alexander the Great was Bucephalus , the horse that historian Plutarch (46 - 119 AD) likened to 'the reflection of the Great'. It was born on the same day as Alexander and the moment it met its owner was also the moment the flow of history changed.

Initially, Bucephalus was purchased by Philip II, Alexander's father. Even though he was a young horse, Bucephalus was extremely stubborn and did not allow anyone to ride him.

After many failed attempts, Philip II angrily demanded that the horse be thrown away. Alexander regretted its beautiful appearance and asked his father to allow him to tame it himself. Although he had no experience observing horses, Alexander saw immediately,

Bucephalus was frightened by its shadow and was successfully comforted. Since then, Bucephalus and Alexander have always been inseparable. When Alexander began his campaign to invade Persia, Bucephalus was chosen as a cavalryman.

In the cavalry role of general and then emperor Alexander, Bucephalus was present on every battlefield. It is brave and resilient just like its owner, even if injured, it does not falter. Having gone through many battles, both Bucephalus and Alexander were scarred but reached what was then called 'the end of the world ' - India.

In 326 BC, after the Battle of the Hydaspes, Bucephalus died at the age of 30. Losing Bucephalus, Alexander was extremely heartbroken. The Great Emperor built a city on the banks of the Hydaspes River, named Alexandria Bucephala. Three years later, he also died in Babylon, leaving behind a vast empire.

Caesar's deformed horse

Julius Caesar riding horseback across the Rubicon River, painting by Adolphe Yvon (1817 - 1893). (Photo: Thecollector.com).

Julius Caesar (100 - 44 BC) was a famous general, statesman and dictator. His cavalry was unnamed but was as famous as Bucephalus.

According to historian Suetonius (69 - 122 AD), this horse had a very strange birth defect: the hooves were divided into many fingers , looking 'almost like a human foot '. Since this horse was born, fortune tellers have predicted that whoever sits on its back will become the ruler of the world.

Caesar loved the 'many-toed horse' for two reasons: its special hooves and its sole owner. On its back, Caesar crossed the Rubicon to extinguish the flames of civil war.

Every time he faced an uncertain victory rate, he urged his "many-fingered horse" to pioneer the attack to raise the fighting spirit of his soldiers. When the 'many-toed horse' passed away, Caesar had a statue cast to honor him and placed it in front of the Temple of Venus Genetrix, the mythical mother of his family.

Caligula's Incitatus

Emperor Caligula and his horse Incitatus were almost made officials. (Photo: Thecollector.com).

Caligula (12 - 41 AD, Roman) was the third emperor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, the first Roman dynasty. His reign was quite short and was associated with the name of the horse that was almost made consul - Incitatus.

Unlike the two steeds of Alexander and Caesar, who spent most of their lives on the battlefield, Incitatus rarely had to go into battle. It was treated as a pet by Emperor Caligula, who built a splendid cage like the most beautiful house with marble walls and an ivory feeding trough. According to historian Cassius Dio (155 - 235 AD), every day, Caligula's servant brought oats mixed with gold flakes to feed Incitatus.

One day, Emperor Caligula suddenly demanded that Incitatus be consul, the highest official in the Julio - Claudian court. Of course, this made the officials surprised and fiercely opposed. For that reason, Incitatus could not successfully become a mandarin.

However, after his death, he still became an indispensable character in stories about Caligula. People who love the emperor believe that he deliberately proposed to assign the position of official to Incitatus to deter the hundred mandarins. People who are disgusted think that the emperor was originally a tyrant, who is so crazy that he uses horses to become consuls.

Borysthenes from Hadrian's Alan

Surviving fragment of Borysthenes' memorial epitaph from Alan. (Photo: Thecollector.com)

Emperor Hadrian (76 - 138 AD, Roman) went on inspections almost all his life. Most of his time was spent visiting the lands under his rule, eating, sleeping with soldiers, and staying with the warriors. Of course, the emperor must have a suitable vehicle to move continuously and that is the horse named Borysthenes from Alan.

Borysthenes was of Alanian origin, a gift from King Rasparaganus of neighboring Roxolani to express his gratitude for Emperor Hadrian's kindness. True to the name Borysthenes (agile) , it is extremely active and resilient.

In addition to official duties, the emperor often rode Borysthenes from Alan to hunt. During a hunt, it unfortunately died. Because he was so sorry, the emperor held a very solemn funeral for him, then built him an extremely luxurious tomb.

On the tombstone of Borysthenes from Alan, Emperor Hadrian literally engraved the horse's name forever: 'This is Borysthenes from Alan, the fastest horse that ever galloped across water, across swamps and hills. Tuscan - no wild boar that it chased would dare to bite back with its white teeth - spitting out saliva as far as the tip of its tail, youth, limbs intact, now lying in this field' .