There were lots of military leaders during history but some of them have proven that the size of the army is not the only criteria for winning a battle but also strategy and smartness. We at the Dope Lists have chosen the top 10 generals that we think deserve the most attention.
10. Attila the Hun
Attila was the leader of the Huns during the period 434 AD to 453 AD. The Eastern and Western Roman Empire had fear for him because of his brutality and command skills. In 452 AD he attacked Italy and almost occupied the city of Rome itself. But after negotiations with the Bishop of Rome, he decided to withdraw his troops.
Attila the Hun united three tribes – Huns, Ostrogoths, and Alans. His aim was to form a very strong fighting force. Attila destroyed about 70 Roman cities. He actually never looked at the Romans as a real danger to his tribes. Attila the Hun destroyed a big contingent of cavalry striking fast and with no mercy.
At that time there was no general brave enough to face Attila and his brutal army.
The Huns appear to strike and leave quickly after destroying everything they reach. There was only one time the Huns were stopped during the rule of Attila. That was the battle of the Catalaunian Plains. The Romans had to merge their forces with the Visigoths to stop the Huns to invade Italy. This battle is considered one of the bloodiest in history. Attila died in 453 AD during his wedding night. It is not certain what really happened and caused his death.
9. Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the second of Persia was the creator of the Achaemenid Empire (also known as the Persian Empire). Cyrus the Great is also called the “The King of the Four Corners of the World”. He was a ruler from 559 BC to 530 BC. During this period the Persian Empire was from the Mediterranean sea in the west to the Indus river in the east. Cyrus was well known for his successes not only in military strategy but also in politics and human rights.
The battle of Thymbra was a remarkable battle between Cyrus the second and the Lydian Kingdom. The troops of the Lydian Kingdom were more than double the size of the troops of the Persian Empire, but Cyrus won the battle and invaded Lydia.
8. Saladin
Saladin was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. He ruled the Muslims of Egypt and Syria from 1174 AD and 1193 AD. He captured Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, defeating the Franks Crusaders.
His greatest win was the Battle of the Horns of Hattin against the Crusaders under the rule of King Guy of Lusignan.
7. Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel was a Field Marshal of the German Army during World War 2. Because of his role in the African campaign, he was called “The Desert Fox”. In February 1941 as a commander of the German troops in Africa, he almost won the war but was stopped by the British at El-Alamein.
During the battle of France Rommel and his “Ghost division” had great success.
He died on October 14th, 1944 killing himself after he was charged with the assassination attempt on Hitler.
6. Robert E. Lee
Rober Edward Lee was the leader of the Confederate army of Northern Virginia( the most successful of the Southern armies) during the American Civil War. In February 1865 Lee was given the rule of all southern troops. The most successful battle Lee was the “Battle of Chancellorsville” where he defeated a much larger Union Army by dividing his troops. His proficient strategic skills helped him to win the battles. The turning point was the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, considered the bloodiest day in United States history and the loss the of Confederates.
5. Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman military general and politician whose honor the month of July was renamed.
Caesar's main military campaigns were the Gallic War and Caesar’s civil war. During the battle of the Gallic warriors, Caesar ordered the construction of fortifications facing the city of Alesia which helped him win the war even though his army was outnumbered.
On March 15-th 44 BC Julius Caesar was murdered by other Romans because of his radical reforms.
4. Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was the Emperor of France from 1804 AD to 1814 AD including 1815 for 100 days. He fought and won a series of battles against various coalitions of armies and winning most of them. The Battle of Austerlitz was considered his greatest achievement facing the Emperors of Austria and Russia. Even though his army was outnumbered he achieved success using negotiations to mislead his enemies, attacking at the weakest points, and last but not least because of the well-trained and experienced troops he commanded.
On June 1815 he lost the Battle of Waterloo and his European dominance ended.
3. Genghis Khan
Temujin, born in 1162, was the creator of the Mongol Empire. He was called “Great Khan”- “Genghis Khan” uniting lots of tribes in northeast Asia. The Mongols had military campaigns against China, Persia, and Qara Khitai. The Mongol empire was from the Adriatic Sea to the Pacific coast of China.
Temujin was well known for his brutality. His soldiers were trained to shoot even while moving away from the enemy. His tactic was called hit-and-run. His strategic attacks overpowered the Khwarazmian Empire.
Genghis Khan also adopted the writing system and allowed the freedom of religion.
2. Alexander the Great
Alexander the third of Macedon was a son of King Philip the second of Macedonia. He achieved to conquer half of the known world. His empire was from Greece to Northwestern India.
Alexander the Great used his predictions of the actions of his enemies to win the battles and also used to fight on the front lines. He actually never lost a major battle in his life.
A remarkable success was the win of the battle of Gaugamela against the Persian troops under the rule of Darius the third. During this battle, the Macedonians lost only 700 men and the Persians 40 000.
1. Hannibal Barca
Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian general leading during the second Punic war against Rome. He was the son of Hamilcar Barca who was the leading general during the First Punic War. Because of the loss of the first Punic War and his father Hannibal Barca was motivated to win the Second Punic War. He started forming his army in Spain. After the start of the Second Punic War Hannibal Barca took a bold decision to cross the Alps with all his soldiers and horsemen. There were great losses during this crossing but the Romans were caught off-guard. Hannibal Barca also got reinforcements from states that decided to take his side. Hannibal won the Battle of Trebia and the Battle of Lake Trasimene but the Battle of Cannae was his greatest achievement. Hannibal Barca placed his weakest troops in the center and his strongest troops in the flanks which helped him even though he was heavily outnumbered. His troops encircled the Roman troops and won the battle. Rome lost one-fifth of the entire male population over 17 years (150 000) in Hannibal’s campaign.