In this podcast we have a bit of fun suggesting who may be the fifteen greatest military commanders in history.  It is, of course, a highly subjective exercise, and I need not be told how rash the proposal is.  Nevertheless, we persist.  I based the selections on a specific criteria, and this method is discussed in the podcast.  The full list is shown below.  My hope is that this exercise will generate some animated discussion.

 

Here is the full list.  The names after the top five are not necessarily in strict order of “greatness.”

Genghis Khan (1162-1227)

Alexander the Great (356 B.C.–323 B.C.)

Hannibal (247 B.C.–182 B.C.)

Khalid Ibn al-Walid (A.D. 585-642)

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (1043-1099)

Saladin (1137-1193)

Ieyasu Tokugawa (1543-1616)

Frederick the Great (1712-1786)

Napoleon (1769-1821)

Hernan Cortes (1485-1547)

Heinz Guderian (1888-1954)

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885)

Tamerlane (1336-1405)

Qin Shi Huang (259 B.C.–210 B.C.)

Shaka Zulu (1787-1828)

 

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