A Brief History
On September 7, 1812, The Battle of Borodino was fought as part of the Napoleonic Wars during the French invasion of Russia. As a result of France’s tactical victory, Emperor Napoleon I the Great (r. 1804-1814, 1815), one of history’s “great captains”, captured Moscow. In commemoration of Napoleon’s victory, this article lists those particularly illustrious military commanders considered the “great captains” of history. The notes for each entry are to sources that explicitly refer to the individuals as “great captains”.
Digging Deeper
Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600 – 530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great , was a king (basileus) of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty.
Hannibal Barca (247 – between 183 and 181 BC), was a Carthaginian general, considered one of the greatest military commanders in history.
Gaius Julius Caesar (13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), known as Julius Caesar, was a Roman politician, general, and notable author of Latin prose.
Heraclius (c. 575 – February 11, 641) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 610 to 641.
Gustav II Adolf (9 December 1594 – 6 November 1632, O.S.); widely known in English by his Latinised name Gustavus Adolphus or as Gustav II Adolph, or as Gustavus Adolphus the Great; was the King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632 and is credited as the founder of Sweden as a Great Power.
Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, often called simply Turenne (11 September 1611 – 27 July 1675) was the most illustrious member of the La Tour d’Auvergne family.
Prince Eugene of Savoy (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) was a general of the Imperial Army and statesman of the Holy Roman Empire and the Archduchy of Austria and one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna.
Frederick II (24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786) was King of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, the longest reign of any Hohenzollern king.
André Masséna, 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d’Essling (6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.1
Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Louis-Gabriel Suchet (2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), Duke of Albufera, was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon’s most brilliant generals.2
Louis-Nicolas d’Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a French general who was Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic era.3
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Historical Evidence
Notes
1 Ed. David G. Chandler, Napoleon’s Marshals (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987), XLVI.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
For more information, please see…
Hart, B. H. Liddell. Great Captains Unveiled. Da Capo Press, 1996.