Military strategists have developed strategies in order to defeat their opponents in war or battle. The greatest military strategists were able to win battles against superior forces with minimal casualties and often became great kings or conquerors. This list established by Military Training is not exhaustive!

Napoleon Bonaparte

A bit of chauvinism to start this top. Napoleon is one of the greatest military strategists and tacticians who ever lived. He created one of the most important empires in history and had a massive impact on the world.

Napoleon led many successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars, and eventually became emperor after the monarchy was overthrown.

Napoleon was loved by his people. Many felt invulnerable and thought they could never be defeated by his side.

Napoleon's greatest victories came at the Battle of Austerlitz, where he won a decisive victory over an alliance between the Russian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. He had an inferior strength, and was fighting two great empires, both of which he defeated.

Alexander The Great

Alexander III of Macedon is world famous for his gigantic empire. Alexander was never defeated in battle and only stopped expanding his empire because his men were too tired to keep fighting.

When he defeated King Darius of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela, he ruled the greatest empire in the ancient world. Darius had all the advantages in this battle. His army had reduced Alexander's army from 200,000 to 35,000 men, and the terrain over which they fought favored Darius' chariots in battle.

Alexander, however, defeated Darius by pushing him to pursue his cavalry on less favorable ground. When the Persian line thinned, Alexander led a charge into their rear.

Admiral Nelson

Admiral Lord Nelson is known for his many heroic victories, especially during the Napoleonic War. We remember his astonishing victory at the battle of Trafalgar, where he defeated a much larger naval army without losing a single one of his ships, and only a small part of his men.

It was one of the greatest victories in English history. The Royal Navy fought the combination of the French and Spanish Navies in 1805. Nelson
was a genius at tactics and ordered his fleet to organize in an unorthodox fashion.

Normally, ships would form a line parallel to the enemy. But Nelson arranged his fleet in a perpendicular line and destroyed the enemy fleet. It was Nelson's greatest victory, but also his last. He was hit by a stray bullet and died during the battle.

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar is considered one of the finest generals and military leaders in the history of the Roman Empire. At the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, he was outnumbered by Vercingetorix's troops: 60,000 to 80,000 men, with 100,000 additional reinforcements arriving for Vercingetorix.

Caesar therefore waged a war of attrition. He ordered the construction of fortifications around the city. When part of the enemy troops escaped in search of reinforcements, he ordered the construction of a siege.

Despite attacks from both sides, Caesar and his army managed to defeat the reinforcements and force them to retreat. Vercingetorix surrendered the next morning.

General Patton

Gorge S. Patton is known for helping liberate Western Europe from the Nazis by using their blitzkrieg technique against them. This allowed his troops to storm the Germans without them having time to prepare their defenses.

General Patton first came to prominence fighting Erwin Rommel in North Africa. Subsequently, he settled in Italy and used the same technique throughout the war. Patton became known for the American blitzkrieg which was so successful that some thought he was even better than the Germans.