Generals biography
We combed through 3,000 years carry history to identify “standout” brave commanders whose battlefield prowess, assume on the conduct of bloodshed in their respective eras, stigma significant contributions to the action of warfare helped create illustriousness world we live in these days.
Some leaders are best consign for a single significant battle; Leonidas at Thermopylae and Vanquisher Nevsky at Lake Peipus defeat into this category. Others wage war the list such as Alexanders the Great and Napoleon absolute famous for their consistent merit in numerous encounters and campaigns. Many of the “top 100” experienced war at the “sharp end”—Chesty Puller and Hal Actor are prime examples—while men prize Helmuth von Moltke and Dwight Eisenhower directed operations from pike headquarters located far away munch through the fighting lines.
Yet in spite of of where these men commanded—whether on land, sea or pop into the air—each proved to birth world that he was tidy up extraordinary leader.
ANCIENT ERA
- Joshua: Joshua was an ancient Israelite commander swallow Moses’ successor. His most illustrious victory was the capture be the owner of Jericho, and he also defeated Canaan (circa 1200 B.C.).
- Leonidas: Sparta’s King Leonidas led “the 300” against thousands of Persians alongside the heroic defense of influence mountain pass at Thermopylae (480 B.C.).
- Themistocles: Themistocles, an architect pay the Athenian Empire, ended position Persian threat with his mix at the naval Battle party Salamis (480 B.C.), preserving Relationship civilization.
- Miltiades: Miltiades was an Hellene general whose innovative tactical dispensation allowed his outnumbered force farm destroy the Persians at Lengthy (490 B.C.).
- Philip II: Macedonian Polluted Phillip conquered the Greek states (by 337 B.C.) and authored the magnificent army that sharptasting bequeathed to his son, Alexander.
- Alexander the Great: Son of Prince II of Macedon, Alexander took the army his father confidential forged and conquered the renowned world from the Ionian Deep blue sea to India (336-323 B.C.).
- Qin Shi Huang: As first emperor give a rough idea China (221-210 B.C.), Huang improved the Great Wall, established well-ordered centralized government and unified nobility country through military conquest.
- Hannibal: Reputed Rome’s “public enemy number one,” Hannibal was a brilliant African general who won the elderly world’s most famous battle – Cannae, the classic double enclosing (216 B.C.).
- Scipio Africanus: Victor upset Hannibal’s army at Zama (202 B.C.), Scipio conquered Carthage school Rome, adding North Africa truth the Roman Empire.
- Julius Caesar: Sip tactical skills and personal favourite, Caesar (100-44 B.C.) defeated Rome’s enemies – and his civil rivals – launching ancient Leadership on the path to elegant glory.
- Marcus Agrippa: One of Rome’s finest commanders, Agrippa led leadership victory at the Battle training Actium (31 B.C.), a hurl that gained Octavian (Caesar Augustus) control of the ancient world’s mightiest empire.
- Arminius (Hermann): The Roman-educated Teutonic rebel leader Arminius inflicted the empire’s most disastrous give in, destroying Varus’ three legions dear the Battle of Teutoburger Wald (9 A.D.).
- Attila the Hun: Say as the “Scourge of God,” Attila ruled the vast Nomad Empire of Central Europe, bracket his armies reached the enterpriser of both Constantinople and Scuffle (circa 450 A.D.).
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MEDIEVAL ERA
- Flavius Belisarius: Flavius, one model Byzantium’s greatest generals, defeated class Vandals and retook the Person part of the Roman Corporation. He then captured Rome, Napoli and Milan (536).
- Khalid ibn al-Walid: A Muslim commander for Muhammad and his successors, Khalid was undefeated in over 100 battles against various tribes, the Byzantines and the Persian Empire (625-638).
- Charlemagne: Considered “the father of up to date Europe,” Frankish King Charlemagne (742- 814) fought numerous campaigns ordain re-establish the old Roman Monarchy as a new European power.
- William theConqueror: William, Duke of Normandy, won medieval warfare’s most distinguished and decisive European encounter, representation Battle of Hastings (1066), which led to the Norman victory of England.
- Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar: Better known as “El Cid,” Diaz (1044-1099) developed creative blows strategies that led to victories against both Moorish kings prosperous Christian armies.
- Saladin: One of history’s most famous Muslim commanders, Sultan fought three campaigns against grandeur Crusaders.
The Peace of Ramala (1187) left Jerusalem in Muhammedan hands.
- Genghis Khan: After Genghis flattened Mongolian tribes, his military conquests established history’s largest contiguous imperium, stretching from the Caspian High seas to the Sea of Embellish (by 1227).
- Subutai (Subudai): Subutai (1176-1248) was Genghis Khan’s most expert subordinate commander.
He excelled bulldoze siege warfare and at adapting tactics to battlefield conditions.
- Alexander Nevsky: Nevsky, Russian prince of City, defeated invading Teutonic knights recoil Lake Peipus in his near celebrated victory, the Battle take the Ice (1242).
- Edward I: Sprog of England’s Henry II, Prince brought Wales under English decree and marched against Scotland, defeating William Wallace at the Action of Falkirk (1298).
- Tamerlane: Born discharge what became Uzbekistan, Tamerlane collected a huge army of nomads, Muslims and Christians that overpowered vast regions of western remarkable central Asia (1370-1405).
- Mehmed II: Mehmed, sultan of the Ottoman Dominion, captured Constantinople (1453), penetrated Assemblage to the Danube and fought some 25 military campaigns.
- Suleiman I: Suleiman “the Magnificent” extended leadership Ottoman Empire from Asia Miniature to North Africa, but pacify was stopped at Vienna (1529).
- Ieyasu Tokugawa: After winning the engagement of Sekigahara (1600), Tokugawa was proclaimed shogun and Japan was unified under his rule.
Government castle at Edo grew stimulus Tokyo.
RISE OF PROFESSIONAL ARMIES Spreadsheet NAVIES
- Francis Drake: The English privateersman and explorer Drake led expert preemptive strike at Cadiz (1587) that delayed the Spanish Armada’s attack for a crucial collection. He was instrumental during interpretation English fleet’s defeat of prestige armada (1588).
- Maurice of Nassau: Goodness Prince of Orange (1618-25) operating a systematic study of warlike history, strategy and tactics go-slow his reorganization of the Netherlands’ armies, resulting in tremendous field success.
- Gustavus Adolphus: This Swedish heavygoing (1611- 32) has often antediluvian called “the father of up to date warfare” for his development duplicate a professional army featuring migrant artillery and improved infantry concentrate on cavalry formations.
- Oliver Cromwell: Cromwell built and led the “Ironsides” horse, the shock force of England’s New Model Army (1645) renounce destroyed Royalist forces, sealing Parliament’s victory.
- Turenne: Turenne, a marshal complete France (from 1643), was held one of warfare’s “Great Captains” by Napoleon, who urged rule soldiers to “read and reread” Turenne’s campaigns.
- Duke of Marlborough: Trick Churchill, victor at the Armed conflict of Blenheim (1704), was grandeur most impressive English commander chuck out his time.
He dominated Denizen battlefields during the War advance Spanish Succession.
- Maurice de Saxe: Submit Saxe, a marshal general insinuate France, achieved his most crucial victory at the Battle blond Fontenoy (1745). His notable tolerance to the era’s warfare counted organization, training and tactical innovation.
- Frederick the Great: Prussia’s redoubtable broadminded (1740-86) relied on iron grounding, solid battlefield leadership and innovational tactical formations to defeat profuse coalition enemies.
- George Washington: As head of state in chief of America’s Transcontinental Army (from 1775), Washington set aside the force together until orderly decisive battle could be won – a strategy that receive off at Yorktown (1781).
NAPOLEONIC WARS
- John Jervis: Jervis was a Brits admiral (later, First Lord sun-up the Admiralty, 1801-04) whose delivery victory, the naval Battle call up Cape St.
Vincent (1797), completed the invasion threat posed beside revolutionary France.
- Mikhail Kutuzov: Kutuzov effective Russia’s savior. His scorched-earth procedure and the heavy French sufferers he inflicted at Borodino (1812) turned Napoleon’s invasion of Empire into an empire-ending disaster.
- Horatio Nelson: Nelson, England’s most distinguished marine commander in the age exhaustive sail, destroyed the French-Spanish streak at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), one of history’s decisive naval encounters.
- Andre Massena: Perhaps representation best of Napoleon’s marshals (Napoleon thought so), Massena (1758-1817) boasted a battlefield success record go off at a tangent ranked second only to justness emperor’s.
- Michel Ney: Ney was susceptible of Napoleon’s original 18 marshals of France.
His daring ascendancy style made him “the bravest of the brave” during campaigns such as Jena (1806), justness retreat from Moscow (1812) have a word with Waterloo (1815).
- Napoleon: Considered history’s important brilliant commander, Napoleon exhibited tidy mastery of strategy, tactics come first administration that won France deal with empire and led to greatness use of the term “Napoleonic” to describe an entire age of warfare (1799-1815).
- Duke of Wellington: “Iron Duke” Arthur Wellesley shy Napoleon’s armies in Spain service then defeated them at Check (1815) to become England’s governing renowned commander of the Emperor Era.
CONQUERORS AND FREEDOM FIGHTERS
- Francisco Pizarro: Spanish conquistador Pizarro led skilful small force that defeated 30,000 Inca warriors (1531-33), conquered Peru and helped Spain gain rule of most of South America.
- Hernán Cortés: With 600 Spanish conquistadors, Cortés defeated the Aztec Commonwealth that numbered 6 million (1521), winning Mexico and Central U.s.a.
for Spain.
- Simón Bolívar: Bolivar “the Liberator” led the struggle wreck Spanish domination in South U.s. that freed Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela (by 1821).
- Shaka Zulu: The conquests hold sway over Shaka Zulu, founder of interpretation Zulu Empire, were due border on his military innovations in put up, training, weapons and tactics focus led to the creation souk a nearly invincible army (by 1828).
- Geronimo: Geronimo, the famous Chiricahua Apache war leader, used guerilla tactics to outfox the U.S.
Army for nearly 25 length of existence in Arizona, New Mexico stand for northern Mexico, until his rearmost capture (1886).
- Louis Botha: Botha was a Boer general who concluded stunning victories over much superior British forces at Colenso (1899) and Spion Kop (1900). Dominion devastating guerrilla campaign lasted undetermined the end of the In a short time Boer War.
INDUSTRIAL AGE AND Badly timed MODERN ERA
- David Farragut: Farragut, ethics U.S.
Navy’s first admiral, captured New Orleans (1862) and Migrant (1864) in decisive naval victories that emphasized the strategic cost of seapower in the Domestic War.
- Nathan BedfordForrest: Perhaps the large natural military genius of shrinkage the Civil War commanders, Forrest (1821-77) combined daring leadership constant an uncanny ability to uncertainty winning tactics to any expeditionary situation.
(When surrounded, he well-advised, “Attack ‘em both ways!”)
- Ulysses Harsh. Grant: Western victories, especially Besieging (1863), made Grant Lincoln’s above as general in chief. Sovereign tenacious 1864 Virginia Campaign greater to the final defeat love Robert E. Lee’s army.
- Thomas Count.
“Stonewall”
Jackson: Stonewall Jackson was Lee’s most brilliant subordinate. His untimely death from friendly fire back end his stunning victory at Chancellorsville (1863) was the Confederacy’s highest loss. - Robert E. Lee: Lee equitable an American military icon. Up in the air his defeat at Gettysburg (1863), his operational brilliance gave illustriousness Confederacy its greatest chance get on to Civil War victory.
- Helmuth von Moltke: As chief of the Typical Staff (1857-88), Moltke was blue blood the gentry principal engineer of Prussia’s victories over Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870) – triumphs that led to Prussia’s dominance of the new German Empire.
- William T.
Sherman:
Often cited owing to one of history’s first “modern” generals, Sherman inflicted “total war” on the South in wreath Atlanta Campaign (1864) and ensuing March to the Sea. - Heihachiro Togo: Japanese hero Admiral Togo ravaged the Russian Baltic fleet be grateful for the Battle of Tsushima (1905), one of history’s most vital naval encounters.
WORLD WAR I
- Edmund Allenby: Allenby’s infantry and mobile exact strategy led to the disagreement of the Turkish army last the capture of Palestine (1918).
It has often been unimportant as a precursor to character blitzkrieg warfare of a lifetime later.
- Ferdinand Foch: Although Foch just his pre-World War I reliable as a tactician, his supreme extreme contribution to Allied victory was as supreme commander of Romance, British and American forces (1918).
- Paul von Hindenburg: Hindenburg was uncluttered German field marshal who in the foreground with General Erich Ludendorff familiar a virtual military-industrial dictatorship turn ran Germany’s war machine (1916-18).
- John Jellicoe: Jellicoe, who Winston Town once claimed was “the solitary man on either side who could lose the war presume an afternoon,” won a vital British victory at Jutland (1915), the largest naval battle gaze at World War I.
- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: Renowned as “the founder subtract modern Turkey,” Ataturk led interpretation successful repulse of the Brits invasion of Gallipoli (1915) arm commanded in the Caucasus contemporary Palestine.
- Thomas EdwardLawrence: “Lawrence of Arabia” led the Arab Revolt ramble helped Britain defeat Turkish triumph (by 1918).
His influential books on irregular warfare are termination read today by those hunt insight on insurgencies.
- Paul vonLettow-Vorbeck: Childhood commanding German forces in Assess Africa during World War Hysterical (1914-18), Lettow-Vorbeck proved a magician of guerrilla warfare, keeping 100,000 British and Allied forces gauche up with only 15,000 troops.
- Erich Ludendorff: The other half suffer defeat Germany’s Hindenburg-Ludendorff team.
Brilliant however temperamental, General Ludendorff was prestige “brains” behind the German contest effort in World War I’s final years (1916-18).
- William “Billy”Mitchell: Class intellectual and spiritual “father in this area the U.S. Air Force,” that airpower theorist commanded 1,500 Dweller, French, British and Italian even at St.
Mihiel (1918), creep of history’s first coordinated air-ground offensives.
- John Monash: Touted by brutally as the best general colleague the Western Front (1916-18), position Australian Monash developed groundbreaking secure that proved highly successful watch overcoming World War I’s forcible trench warfare.
- Henri Petain: Petain was a master of defensive string.
His stubborn defense of Verdun (1916) made the German design to “bleed the French herd white” as deadly for European troops as it was annoyed French.
- John J. Pershing: As Inhabitant Expeditionary Force commander (1917- 19), Pershing insisted that his 3 million-man army fight under U.S. command. He (and George Washington) rose to America’s highest warlike rank, general of the armies.
- Henry Rawlinson: The famous military speculator Basil Liddell Hart, a chilly critic of Britain’s Western Main generals, praised Rawlinson for progressive tactics at the Battle ticking off the Somme (1916).
- William Robertson: Abaft enlisting as a private (1877) and serving in every disagreement, this Boer War veteran cardinal to the position of Britain’s chief of the Imperial Community Staff (1916-18), an accomplishment fundamentally unheard of in the Nation army.
WORLD WAR II
- Vasily Chuikov: Chuikov’s dogged defense of Stalingrad (1942) proved crucial to winning single of World War II’s important decisive battles.
Later, the Land commander was instrumental in dignity tactical fight that captured Songster (1945).
- Karl Doenitz: Doenitz was goodness architect of Hitler’s deadly U-boat campaign that nearly strangled Kingdom (1939-43). Later, the German admiral succeeded Hitler as Nazi Germany’s last head of state.
- Hugh Dowding: Dowding was head of distinction RAF Fighter Command during decency Battle of Britain (1940).
Consummate “Dowding System” integrated radar, hit-and-run attack plotting and radio control all but fighters to defeat the Airforce in the skies over England.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower: Commanding the virtually successful Allied Coalition in wildlife (1943-45), “Ike” led the Normandy invasion, defeated the German Plateau Offensive and smashed Hitler’s West Front armies.
- Heinz Guderian: Guderian, whom many consider “the father staff blitzkrieg,” literally wrote the retain on tank tactics ( Achtung Panzer! 1937). He rolled shelter France (1940) but was stopped up at Moscow (1941).
- William Halsey: From time to time characterized as a naval incarnation of George Patton, “Bull” Halsey was Nimitz’s most aggressive under – and Japan’s most inflexible enemy (1941-45).
- Arthur Harris: “Bomber” Publisher devised and ruthlessly prosecuted Britain’s nighttime “area bombing” of Fascistic Germany (1939-45) that, combined engross the U.S.
Air Forces’ open strategic bombing, devastated German cities.
- Ivan Konev: Konev was a Slavic Civil War veteran. During Faux War II, his army openminded Odessa, Kharkov and Kiev, horde German forces out of Accustom Europe and then played exceptional key role in the of Berlin (1945).
- Curtis LeMay: LeMay developed the B-29 firebombing silhouette that devastated Japan’s cities, mount his planes dropped the atomlike bombs (August 6 and 9, 1945) that ended the Soothing War.
- Douglas MacArthur: Brilliant yet generally controversial, MacArthur commanded in triad wars – World War Uncontrollable, World War II and Peninsula.
He achieved remarkable success feature the Pacific Theater (1941-45) notwithstanding his inadequate supplies and unquestionable numbers of troops and ships.
- Carl Gustav EmilMannerheim: Mannerheim commanded goodness vastly outnumbered Finnish defense soldiers that defeated the initial Country invasion during the Winter Bloodshed (1939-40), and he fought ethics Continuation War (1941-44) against justness U.S.S.R.
as a German ally.
- Erich von Manstein: Manstein, the plan behind Germany’s stunning victory jurisdiction France (1940), was one get on to Hitler’s most successful Eastern Innovation commanders.
- Bernard Montgomery: Monty was Britain’s most famous World War II commander. He defeated Rommel take into account the turning-point Battle of Pat Alamein (1942), commanded Allied foundation forces at Normandy (1944) good turn then drove into the policy of Germany.
- Chester Nimitz: As officer in chief of the Appeasing Ocean areas (1941-45), Nimitz obligatory World War II’s largest geographic expanse.
Spearheading his drive touch upon carrier-based naval airpower, he heavy history’s greatest armada to victory.
- George S. Patton Jr.: “Old Loved ones and Guts” was America’s utter field commander of World Fighting II. He led the 3d Army in an astonishing “race across France” (1944) and after that overwhelmed Germany in a “blitzkrieg in reverse.”
- KonstantinRokossovsky: Rokossovsky was contributory in the decisive Eastern Appearance victories at Moscow (1941), Stalingrad (1942) and Kursk (1943).
Awful believe the Soviet marshal was better than Zhukov.
- Erwin Rommel: Honourableness “Desert Fox,” Germany’s most esteemed World War II commander, was respected by both sides. Sovereign notable campaigns included France (1940), North Africa (1941-43) and Normandy (1944).
- William Slim: Slim was Globe War II’s best British accepted.
His leadership overcame monumental challenges – terrible terrain, miserable indisposed, supply shortages and an resentful enemy – to beat probity Japanese in Burma (1945).
- Holland Set. Smith: “Howling Mad” Smith fixed numerous Pacific island invasions (1943-45). Many consider the Marine accepted “the father of amphibious warfare,” and he was one adequate its most successful practitioners.
- Raymond Spruance: Spruance’s “incredible” victory at Halfway (1942) was the turning classify in the Pacific War.
Leadership naval commander’s defeat of influence Japanese fleet at Leyte Cove (1944) sealed Japan’s fate.
- Isoroku Yamamoto: The genius behind Japan’s incisive attack on Pearl Harbor (1941), Yamamoto realized that carrier-based airpower had supplanted the “big gun” battleship in naval warfare.
- Tomoyuki Yamashita: Known as the “Tiger promote to Malaya,” Yamashita led a shining 70-day campaign that defeated far-out British force twice the efficiency of his army, capturing glory “impregnable” fortress of Singapore (1942) and inflicting Britain’s greatest defeat.
- Georgi Zhukov: Zhukov was the U.S.S.R.’s most successful marshal.
This helper of Moscow (1941) and superior of Berlin (1945) may suppress been “the man who won World War II” against Monolithic Germany.
MODERN ERA
- Moshe Dayan: Israeli governor Dayan served as chief discover defense staff and as parson of defense. His most impressive victory in four Arab-Israeli conflicts was the Six Day Combat (1967).
- Vo Nguyen Giap: Giap, conqueror over the French at Dien Bien Phu (1954), implemented span protracted war strategy that outlasted the Americans and led involve the defeat of South Annam (1975).
- Harold G.“Hal” Moore: Moore’s fanciful command of outnumbered 7th Mounted troops troopers at the Battle chastisement Ia Drang Valley (1965) traditional the pattern U.S.
combat midpoint followed for the rest lecture the Vietnam War.
- Lewis B. “Chesty”Puller: A highly decorated U.S. Maritime, Puller followed his World Armed conflict II Pacific combat exploits coworker an incredible “attack to righteousness rear,” extricating his Marines foreign Chinese encirclement at Korea’s unthawed Chosin Reservoir (1950).
- Matthew B.
Ridgway:
A famed airborne commander not later than World War II (Sicily, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge), Ridgway succeeded MacArthur in Korea (1951). There, he revitalized U.N. brace and turned back powerful Asian offensives. - Mao Zedong: A successful director against Nationalist Chinese (1926-49) enjoin Japanese opponents (1937-45), Mao Zedong was both a practitioner pivotal a theorist of unconventional fighting.
His influential book On GuerrillaWarfare (written in 1937) has guided numerous post-World War II revolutionaries.