Who Was the Greatest Conqueror of All Time?
–Alexander T. Gerges, KS, submitted Napoleon
In my opinion, of all the conquerors, Napoleon is the greatest. I do not say this just because of all of his outstanding military victories; every military genius has military victories, and some were greater than others. No, what makes Napoleon the greatest, in my opinion, is that Napoleon started from humble beginnings and not from a privileged position. When the French Revolution began and France was attacked by almost every major power in Europe, Napoleon was a lowly officer in the French Artillery. His defense of Toulon brought him command of the Army of Italy: a ragtag, starving, and ill-equipped force. With that army, Napoleon defeated one of the greatest military powers of that time, the Austrian Empire. He then continued winning until he had conquered an empire and defeated every major European power on the battlefield.
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Even after the Russian campaign ended with disaster and all the European powers united against him, Napoleon – against the odds – fought brilliantly with a weakened, inexperienced and poorly supplied army, winning stunning victories. After Leipzig, Napoleon fought what some historians consider his most brilliant campaign, winning again and again against his enemies. Wellington said in desperation, "Night or the Prussians must come." Blucher did come and the battle was lost for Napoleon.
While Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Frederick the Great were brilliant generals and tacticians, they started in positions of power. They were given their armies. Both Alexander’s and Frederick’s fathers gave them well-trained and modern (for their time) armies, albeit unused, which they then used to conquer and win battles. Julius Caesar was given an army by the Roman senate, which he used to great effect. Of all these men, only Napoleon started from humble beginnings. Napoleon’s first major command was weak, ill-equipped, yet he reanimated that army’s morale and fought and won. Napoleon’s genius therefore lies not only in his ability to command and win victories, but in his ability to win those victories with a weakened army fighting for a destabilized country. He took those armies and that country and made them the most powerful in Europe that was only beaten by the combined might of Europe.
The story of Napoleon is a true underdog story; how the will, strength and drive of one man can forge an empire from the ruins. No other conqueror in history is as great because of that rise from humble beginnings. All others started with some sort of proficient military force they used to conquer, but Napoleon began with nothing more than his own abilities and the opportunities presented by the French Revolution. Napoleon rose to the heights of greatness with weak, poorly trained armies from a destabilized nation. That is why in my opinion Napoleon is the greatest general who ever lived.
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Wow! I really enjoyed reading this article on Hannibal. Thanks for the time and research!
I like all the articles except the one on Hannibal. What Hannibal does not have in common with those other four positions was that Hannibal did not defeat his greatest enemies. Although in Italy for 15 years, he was stuck there and despite his three greatest victories over Rome, the Romans were still fighting. Hannibal didn’t win his war. Napoleon, on the other hand, fought many wars and constantly forced his rivalries to admit defeat. This is about the greatest conquerors and Hannibal did not conquer.