Most notable military generals/leaders, theorists, and strategists of all time in history?
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curiousas250
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Relatively unknown by all means, but King Charles XII of Sweden was quite the tactician and strategist. He ascended the throne at 15 and greatly worked to reform and modernize the Swedish army. At 18, the nations of Russia, Denmark-Norway, and Saxony-Poland-Lithuania all declared war on him, thinking that his youth and inexperience would lead to a easy victory. They were wrong. Within months he crushed the Danish army and forced Denmark to concede peace, followed by destroying a Russian army (Led by Peter the Great, nonetheless!) four times his size by attacking through a blizzard at Narva in 1700, and then destroyed the Poles at the Battle of Kliszow and put a puppet king on the throne of Poland. He fought this war for almost seven years against enemy nations that far outnumbered him and won every battle, even invading Russia itself, destroying a second Russian army twice his size at the Battle of Holowcyzn. Unfortunately he was wounded before the Battle of Poltava in 1709 and thus unable to command and lost his entire army after one of his generals made a terrible mistake that cost them the element of surprise - and keep in mind, this was after his men had literally invaded Russia; they were not on their A-game at all. With no army and retreat back home completely cut off, was this the end for King Charles?
No! Charles and a few loyal men fled south to the Ottoman Empire. He remained there until 1714 when the Ottomans got tired of dealing with him and narrowly escaped the Ottoman army. He and his followers then trekked through hundreds of miles of hostile territory before reaching Sweden, where he reclaimed his throne before immediately raising a new army from the shambles and invading Norway. It was during this invasion in 1718 that he was killed after personally leading the Siege of Fredriksten, putting an end to his reign and his spirited defense of Sweden.
He is truly one of the examples of a leader who was doomed from the start - he could win every battle with his tactical brilliance but once he lost a single battle, the war was over. Even Peter the Great refused to face him in the field after he was defeated at Holowcyzn, thinking that him and his army were invincible on the field. Tragic, but nonetheless a excellent leader.
No! Charles and a few loyal men fled south to the Ottoman Empire. He remained there until 1714 when the Ottomans got tired of dealing with him and narrowly escaped the Ottoman army. He and his followers then trekked through hundreds of miles of hostile territory before reaching Sweden, where he reclaimed his throne before immediately raising a new army from the shambles and invading Norway. It was during this invasion in 1718 that he was killed after personally leading the Siege of Fredriksten, putting an end to his reign and his spirited defense of Sweden.
He is truly one of the examples of a leader who was doomed from the start - he could win every battle with his tactical brilliance but once he lost a single battle, the war was over. Even Peter the Great refused to face him in the field after he was defeated at Holowcyzn, thinking that him and his army were invincible on the field. Tragic, but nonetheless a excellent leader.