Napoleon Picks the Top Generals I
Monday, May 11, 2020
No one doubts that Napoleon Bonaparte--the French general who by 1812 had conquered most of western Europe, or controlled it through alliance with other rulers--is one of the greatest generals of all time. But whom did HE admire?
Napoleon, like many generals, was a student of military history, and instructed his subordinates to do the same, telling them, "Your own genius will be enlightened and improved by this study, and you will learn to reject all maxims foreign to the principles of these great commanders."
Later historians have pored over Napoleon's words to try to determine whom he admired the most. One list comprises seven names--some of whom I've never heard, but most of whom I've written about before.
In reverse order, they are:
7. Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). His cavalry charge against the Ottoman Turks helped turn the tide at the Siege of Belgrade in 1717, winning the day for the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon praised Eugene's ability to "[give] accident exactly, almost mathematically, its place in one's calculations."
6. Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632), King of Sweden. He helped lead Sweden to prominence in such victories as the 1631 Battle of Breitenfeld, which he won against the Holy Roman Empire.
5. Frederick the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia. He expanded Prussia's territory during the Seven Years War, in such battles as Rossbach and Leuthen (both 1757).
4. Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (1611-1675). A field marshal under French King Louis XIV, Turenne was at his best during the Franco-Dutch War, in the winter of 1674 and 1675. He outmaneuvered the German army, surprising them and driving them out of Alsace. Turenne died in 1675. Over a century later, the people of Paris, rebelling against all things royal, started destroying royal tombs --yet they left Turenne's tomb untouched, in tribute to his identification with "the common man."
With the exception perhaps of Frederick the Great, none of these leaders are big names in world history. Next time, however, we'll meet Napoleon's "top three," and they will be "big names" indeed.