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Explore Eastern and Western philosophy to understand the mysteries of the universe Terror in war ornament in peace The words inscribed on every French Marshal's baton In France the title of Marshal or Maréchal dates back at least to the 13th century It represents the highest possible position Of military authority authority symbolized by a Marshal's baton The title was abolished during the French Revolution as incompatible with the egalitarian spirit of the age But in 1804 Napoleon founded a new empire and restored the ancient rank This is Epic History TV's guide to Napoleon's Marshals All 26 have been ranked according to our own evaluation of their achievements as Marshals With expert guidance from Lieutenant-Colonel Rémy Porte former Chief Historian of the French Army So far we've met Marshals Perignon Brune Sérurier Kellerman Grouchy Moncey Poniatowski Jourdan Bernadotte Augereau Lefèvre Mortier Marmont Saint-Cyr Oudinot Victor Murat Bessières Macdonald Masséna Souchet Ney and Soult We're delighted to welcome back as our video sponsor Napoleonsouvenirs com the online shop for fans of the Napoleonic era Since 2010 the team at Napoleonsouvenirs com has offered the finest quality gifts and souvenirs for all those who adore the Napoleonic era Their extraordinary range of gifts includes busts and statuettes of the Emperor himself Napoleon-themed champagne and stunning replicas of Napoleonic swords and pistols as well as uniforms and flags of the Grande Armée and Imperial Guard and even the baton of a Maréchal You can visit their online store at napoleon-souvenirs com or if you 're lucky enough to be in Paris visit the Boutique Napoléon in person Long live the Emperor And thank you to napoleonsouvenirs com for sponsoring this video 3 Marshal Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier was born in Versailles 10 miles from Paris His mother worked at the palace as a chambermaid to the future Louis XVIII His father was a colonel in the Topographical Engineers a specialist corps of military surveyors Berthier followed in his father's footsteps joining the Topographical Engineers at just 13 and was commissioned a lieutenant at 17 He proved a talented and diligent staff officer Ten years later he accompanied General Rochambeau to America as part of French support to the colonists in their War of Independence and witnessed the British defeat at Yorktown By the time the French Revolutionary Wars broke out Berthier was a brigadier general with 25 years of service who had studied and given much thoug To the problems of military organization and command A reputation for outstanding staff work meant his services were in high demand and he served as Chief of Staff to Rochambeau Lafayette and Luckner But during the Terror His ties to these politically suspect generals put Berthier himself under the spotlight He was stripped of his rank and not officially reinstated until 1795 when he became Chief of Staff of the Italian Army A Chief of Staff led the Staff Section which was responsible for turning the general 's orders into action by drafting written instructions which were sent out by courier As well as every aspect of army administration ensuring efficient movement and supply and collating reports on the enemy terrain roads and anything else that might affect operations Berthier building on recent trends in French staff practice now developed his own comprehensive staff organization He established three sections His personal office or cabinet mostly skilled civilian clerks who handled troop movements transcribed orders filed reports and collated intelligence on enemy forces His private military staff made up of aide-de-camp liaison officers and couriers And the general staff itself headed by the First Assistant Majeure Générale was also divided into three sections The first dealt with additional troop movements plus auxiliary services such as hospitals Military policing prisoners of war and security of supply lines The second section organized the army's camps and billets The third section was the topographical section responsible for maps and reconnaissance The general structure of Berthier's system changed little over the next 18 years and proved uniquely effective at handling the challenges posed by a new era of European warfare Its chief beneficiary would be the new commander of the Army of Italy Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon also discovered that his chief of staff possessed immense personal qualities – a heroic capacity for work meticulous memory and attention to detail and devotion to duty and discipline Crucially he had a gif For turning Napoleon's verbal and sometimes vague commandments into clear and concise written orders that made sense to his officers and later marshals Napoleon and Berthier established a highly effective working relationship that would last until 1814 It relied on Berthier's complete acceptance of his subordinate role He played no part in devising strategy and never challenged or contradicted Napoleon except on points of logistical detail When a friend questioned his loyalty to Napoleon who was an extremely demanding and short-tempered boss Berthier replied " Remember that one day it will be a fine thing" To be second to Bonaparte Berthier's hard work and brilliant staff system underpinned all of Napoleon's successes in Italy and beyond They spent so much time together Berthier was nicknamed "Napoleon 's wife " He was also personally brave leading an attack at Lodi and a cavalry charge at Rivoli But his genius was for staff work and administration not army command as he well knew When he briefly inherited command of the Army of Italy in 1797 He begged Napoleon to return as soon as possible to take over Berthier played a crucial role in planning Napoleon's Egyptian expedition of 1798 and masterminded his famous crossing of the Alps in 1800 which saw French troops advance almost a hundred miles through the mountains in just eight days The same year Napoleon made Berthier Minister of War Putting him in charge of all French military administration When Napoleon proclaimed his new empire in 1804 Berthier was the first name on the list of new Marshals He had seniority over all others The next year his role as Chief of Staff or Majeure Générale of the Grande Armée was officially confirmed In the fast-moving campaign of 1805 Berthier's system ensured Napoleon always had up-to-date information about the location and strength of his own forces as well as the latest reports on enemy movements from scouts spies and prisoners Such advantages helped him achieve the stunning encirclement of Max Austrian Army at Ulm On campaign Berthier and the Emperor often travelled together in the imperial coach working without pause His workload was immense but so too were the rewards Following the victory at Austerlitz Napoleon made Berthier the hereditary sovereign Prince of Neuchâtel and Valenchamp with an enormous private income Over the course of Napoleon's reign he received annual endowments worth more than a million francs from the Emperor more than any other Marshal Yet Berthier remained a liability as a field commander In 1809 Napoleon put him in temporary command of the Army of Germany When Archduke Charles made a bold advance into Bavaria Berthier's response was hesitant and muddled and nearly led to Marshal Davout's corps being encircled Only Napoleon's arrival averted disaster Returning to his usual role as Chief of Staff Berthier once more proved his exceptional talents coordinating the movement of 200 000 men and paving the way for the Emperor's victory at Wagram The title Prince of Wagram was added to his honors The invasion of Russia in 1812 was a test like no other for Marshal Berthier and his staff It required coordinating the movement of half a million troops The biggest army ever seen in Europe across a 400-mile front A simple private is happier than I Berthier complained I am being killed by all this work By August it was clear that the Grande Armée 's supply lines were at breaking point and Berthier was among those who tried to persuade Napoleon to halt the advance at Smolensk He was ignored As disaster engulfed the army Berthier continued to perform his duty By the end of the retreat he was marching on foot with frostbitten fingers When Napoleon left the army to return to Paris without him he wept openly Despite his own poor health in the wake of the retreat Berthier worked hard to salvage the remnants of the army and served throughout the campaign in Germany in 1813 By now Napoleon's enemies had reformed their own army general staffs partly inspired by Berthier's example But neither Berthier nor his system was perfect In May a confusing order to Marshal Ney contributed to his late arrival at the Battle of Bautzen and a missed chance to crush the Coalition army Berthier was also notorious for his jealousies and grudges His pedantic vendetta against Jomini Ney's talented chief of staff He drove him to defect to the Russians Berthier must also bear some blame for the disastrous end to the Battle of Leipzig He knew there were not enough bridges for the army to retreat safely but failed to press the matter with Napoleon When the only bridge out of the city was blown too early 30 000 men became prisoners Berthier continued to serve Napoleon faithfully through the desperate defense of France until the Emperor's abdication in April 1814 The restored Bourbon monarchy showered titles and honors on Berthier The King even gave him an honorary rank in his own guard Napoleon's return from exile 11 months later Put him in an impossible situation torn both ways by his sense of duty and loyalty He accompanied the King on his flight to the Netherlands but was treated with such suspicion by the royal court that he left for his wife's family estate in Bavaria There a few weeks later Berthier fell from a window and was killed It was most likely a simple accident though some believe he killed himself out of guilt or despair or less plausibly was murdered by French royalist agents Napoleon had expected Berthier to rejoin him in 1815 and was scathing of his absence I have been betrayed by Berthier Who was just a gosling transformed by me into some kind of eagle But after his defeat at Waterloo in which poorly managed staff work played an important role Napoleon conceded if Berthier had been there I would not have met this misfortune Berthier had none of Murat's glamour nor Ney's heroism Nor the tactical instincts of Davout But he was the indispensable Marshal whose brilliant administration and tireless work were the foundation for so much of Napoleon's military success 2 Marshal Lannes Jean Lannes was the son of a farmer from Gascony who left his job as a dyer's apprentice to join the local volunteer battalion in 1792 Energetic and charismatic he was immediately elected as an officer by his comrades The unit was sent to fight the Spanish on the eastern Pyrenees front where Lannes proved a brave and active officer He distinguished himself in several actions and was promoted to command the regiment Lannes was then transferred to Italy as part of General Augereau's division where his bold and aggressive leadership earned praise from General Masséna and then at Dago from General Bonaparte himself who rewarded Lannes with command of a grenadier brigade in the army's advance guard A month later at the Battle of Lodi Colonel Lannes was first across the river leaping off the bridge and wading ashore under enemy fire At the Battle of Arcollet he was wounded twice but when heard the French were retreating he left the dressing station to lead a fresh attack Which probably saved Napoleon from capture or worse Napoleon later presented the flag he'd waved at the battle to Lannes and a special bond was formed between them Based on mutual respect and loyalty Lannes was promoted to brigadier general and in 1798 joined Napoleon 's expedition to Egypt He played a prominent role in the campaign elping to suppress the revolt in Cairo and leading the assaults on Jaffa and Acre where he was shot in the neck and only saved from certain death by his me who carried him back to safety At the Battle of Aboukir Lannes' infantry worked with Murat's cavalry to inflict a crushing defeat on the Ottoman army While recovering from his latest wounds in this battle Lannes received painful news from home His wife had given birth to another man's child He returned to France with Napoleon in October and divorced his wife not long after When Napoleon staged his coup of 18 Brumaire Lannes helped to ensure the army's loyalty The next spring Napoleon's army marched over the Alps into Italy Lannes' vanguard led the way and at Montebello It encountered an Austrian force that outnumbered it two to one Lannes was able to achieve a brilliant victory thanks to crucial support from General Victor Just five days later his division played a key role in Napoleon's great victory at Marengo Lannes never forgot a favour He and Victor remained firm friends But he also never forgot a grudge was notoriously short-tempered and quick to perceive an insult In 1800 Lannes remarried Louise Antoinette Guernique daughter of a senator with whom he would have five children He was also appointed commander of Napoleon's Consular Guard but he was dismissed after General Bessières helped expose his mismanagement of the budget for which Lannes never forgave him In semi-disgrace Lannes was sent as ambassador to Portugal a short but eventful period during which against expectations his soldierly manner won over Portugal's Prince-Regent By 1804 it was clear that everything was forgiven Lannes received news that he had been made a Marshal of the new French Empire and orders to return to Paris for Napoleon's coronation The following year he took command of the V Corps of the Grande Armée forming the vanguard for the advance against the Austrian army in Bavaria Lannes had to work closely with Marshal Murat a bitter rival since their falling out in Egypt but they set aside their differences Together they convinced an Austrian commander to surrender a vital Danube bridge by persuading him that an armistice had been signed At one point Lannes even snatched the fuse from a soldier 's hand as he prepared to light the explosive charges The day before the Battle of Austerlitz Lannes' quick temper got the better of him He demanded to fight a duel with Marshal Soult Who had made him look foolish in front of the Emperor Soult ignored the challenge In the battle that followed Lannes' V Corps held the left flank against Bagration's attacks Later pushing forward with the cavalry to help take 7 000 Russian prisoners After the battle Lannes was furious that Soult and not he was singled out for praise by the Emperor Within days Lannes had resigned his command and returned to France In 1806 with tempers cooled Napoleon summoned Lannes to rejoin the army for the war with Prussia Back in command of V Corps Lannes was as active aggressive and brilliant as ever At Saalfeld he fought the first major combat of the war Routing a Prussian division commanded by Prince Louis Ferdinand Four days later at Jena Lannes launched the main French attack at dawn with General Suchet's division in the lead For six hours his troops were engaged in fierce fighting For the villages on the plateau Until finally the Prussian resistance was broken By December the war had moved into Poland Lannes attacked a larger Russian force at Bultusk but it was a bloody indecisive affair Wounds and fever then forced him to convalesce in Warsaw And so miss the Battle of Eylau That spring Lannes resumed command of the advance guard as Napoleon sought out Bennigsen's Russian army hoping to force a decisive battle When Bennigsen located Lannes ' apparently isolated corps near Friedland he attacked He expected an easy victory but Lannes with support from future Marshals Oudinot and Grouchy expertly used his troops to fend off the Russians While Napoleon raced to join him with the main army Lannes' delaying tactics allowed Napoleon to catch the Russian army with its back to the river and inflict a crushing defeat The following year Lannes was ennobled as Duke of Montebello and joined Napoleon for the invasion of Spain despite suffering a serious riding injury en route Taking command of Marshal Moncey's Third Corps Lannes routed a Spanish army at the Battle of Tuthela sending the enemy fleeing in two directions He was then placed in command of the Siege of Saragossa Spanish soldiers and civilians defended the city with legendary courage but Lannes' leadership and methodical house-by-house approach ensured ultimate victory at a high price Even Lannes was left shaken by the brutality of the fighting writing to Napoleon "Your Majesty this is a horrifying war " Napoleon recalled Lannes for the war with Austria in 1809 His Provisional Corps formed the vanguard for Napoleon's Four-Day Campaign A series of quick victories over the Austrians that culminated in the Battle of Egmont Napoleon next needed Regensburg taken quickly and so as usual he turned to Lannes After the first assault wave was mown down Lannes' call for volunteers went unanswered Furious he picked up a scaling ladder and shouted I'll show you that before I was a marshal I was a grenadier and still am As he rushed forward his aides grabbed the ladder from him Reorganized the men and led a successful attack After occupying Vienna Napoleon ordered his army to cross the Danube in pursuit of the Austrians Marshals Lannes and Masséna led the way across improvised bridges supported by Marshal Bessières' cavalry It was soon clear that Napoleon had miscalculated and that they faced not just an Austrian rearguard But the full might of Archduke Charles' army Masséna held the village of Aspern while Lannes organized the defense of Essling But desperately needed reinforcements and ammunition were held up as the Austrians floated obstacles downriver to smash the fragile bridges Marshal Bessières Lannes' old rival was placed under his temporary command Lannes sent repeated orders for him to charge the enemy In a tone that bordered on an accusation of cowardice And that evening the two marshals nearly came to blows The next day Lannes' corps launched an attack on the Austrian center but was driven back by the weight of enemy fire The French-held villages were under constant pulverizing bombardment Around 4 pm Lannes' old friend General Pouzet was hit by a cannonball and killed in front of him Lannes badly shaken walked away to sit alone for a moment when a cannonball skipped along the ground and smashed both his legs Lannes was carried to the rear and placed in the care of the Grande Armée's most famous surgeon Baron Larray Larray quickly decided that he must amputate one leg The operation went well but the wound became infected and Lannes died 9 days later Napoleon who had visited Lannes every day wept at the news of his death What a loss for France and for me Then he wrote to Lannes' wife The Marshal has died this morning of the wounds he received on the Field of Honour My pain equals yours I lost the most distinguished general in my army and a companion in arms for 16 years whom I considered my best friend Marshal Lannes' death was a great blow to Napoleon and the army He had proved himself an outstanding commander as brave as any with the military mind of Soult The marshal who led Napoleon's vanguard in four of his greatest campaigns His remarkable soldiering skills would be sorely missed by the Emperor In the challenging years that lay ahead 1 Marshal Davou Louis-Nicolas Davout was born into a noble family from Burgundy with a tradition of military service that went back to the Crusades At 15 he was sent to the military school in Paris just missing a young Napoleon Bonaparte who had graduated a few weeks earlier In 1788 Davout was commissioned into the Royal Champagne Cavalry Regiment But within a year his vocal support for the French Revolution had gotten him into deep trouble He was forced to resign his commission and spend six weeks in prison In 1791 Davout joined a local volunteer battalion and was elected its deputy commander The next year France was at war with Austria and Prussia and Davout soon proved himself a brave highly organized and energetic officer He also won praise for attempting to prevent his commanding officer General Dumouriez from defecting to the Austrians though he was not successful The incident did speed Davout's promotion to brigadier-general But the Revolution was now entering its most extreme phase A new law barred ex-aristocrats from the army and Davout had to resign his commission once again A year passed before he was reinstated with command of a cavalry brigade in the Army of the Moselle He led a series of daring operations against the Austrians Winning particular praise from General Desaix who became a close friend In 1798 Desaix introduced Davout to his friend General Bonaparte Napoleon was not initially impressed Davout was aloof disheveled and awkward Napoleon even called him a damned brute But he did trust Desaix's judgment and gave Davout a command in his army bound for Egypt It was a tough campaign for Davout who caught dysentery in Cairo But he further demonstrated his military skill Winning a series of skirmishes during Desaix's expedition into Upper Egypt and later leading a successful assault on the town of Aboukir Soon after their return to France General Desaix was killed at the Battle of Marengo robbing Davout of a close friend and patron However Napoleon had been won over by Davout's performance in Egypt He now promoted him General of Division and appointed him Inspector General of Cavalry Napoleon also encouraged Davout to marry Aimée Leclerc Pauline Bonaparte' s sister-in-law bringing Davout within the First Consul's extended family It proved to be a loving marriage and a great source of strength to Davout in the years ahead In 1803 Davout was given command of the camp in Bruges where troops were preparing for the invasion of England Here he established his reputation as an exceptional administrator and a hard taskmaster enforcing discipline and regular training while paying attention to his soldiers' welfare and sacking officers who didn't meet his high standards In 1804 Napoleon proclaimed a new French Empire and Davout aged 34 became the youngest of its new Marshals His inclusion was a surprise to many He had still not commanded anything larger than a brigade in battle It's very likely that the deaths of Davout's patron Desaix And brother-in-law Leclerc cleared a path for him The next year Davout's troops became the Third Corps of the Grande Armée And marched east to confront the Third Coalition On the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz Davout marched his corps 70 miles in two days arriving at dawn on Napoleon's right flank His troops went straight into action holding off a powerful coalition attack buying time for Napoleon's decisive attack on the enemy center It was a remarkable performance by Third Corps soon eclipsed by an even greater feat of arms the next year in the war against Prussia As Napoleon concentrated his forces at Jena to attack what he believed was the main Prussian army he ordered Davout's Third Corps and Bernadotte's First Corps to cut off their retreat But 10 miles north of Napoleon near Auerstedt Davout ran straight into the main Prussian army With no sign of support from Marshal Bernadotte's First Corps Davout's 26 000 men faced odds of more than two to one Davout's masterful handling of his troops enabled the Third Corps to repel the Prussian onslaught Then once his line stabilized Davout went on the offensive and routed the enemy army It was a stunning victory won at a high price One in four of Davout's men were either killed or wounded When Napoleon heard the first report he was incredulous Your Marshal must have been seeing double he told his aide-de-camp making a joke of Davout's spectacle-wearing When the report was confirmed he sent a message back to Davout Tell the Marshal that he his generals and his troops have gained everlasting claims on my gratitude He later gave Third Corps the honor of being the first troops to enter Berlin The next year at Eylau Davout's corps again played a pivotal role trying to turn the Russian flank When his men were driven back Davout rallied them shouting the cowards will die in Siberia the brave will die on the Field of Honour This time Third Corps could not break through but its tenacity helped persuade the Russians to retreat that night Following the peace treaty of Tilsit Davout became Governor-General of the new Duchy of Warsaw where he oversaw the recruitment and training of Polish troops In 1808 he was ennobled as Duke of Auerstedt But for all his military prowess Davout was not a popular figure Notoriously tough his troops respected rather than loved him While several Marshals were irritated by his air of superiority and blunt manner In 1809 with war looming with Austria Davout rejoined the Third Corps at Regensburg When Archduke Charles advanced into Bavaria the army's temporary commander Marshal Berthier nearly left Davout to be cut off As soon as Napoleon arrived he ordered Davout to withdraw It was almost too late but with immense skill Davout and the Third Corps They were able to fight their way clear and rejoin the army Davout played a major role in the counter-offensive that followed known as the Four-Day Campaign pinning Austrian forces at Eggmühl until Napoleon arrived to deliver the decisive blow A month later at the Battle of Aspern Davout and the Third Corps never made it across the river The Marshal's role was limited to trying to sort out the crisis at the bridges until the French were forced to withdraw When the army crossed the Danube again six weeks later Davout was in his usual position on the right wing On the first day of the Battle of Wagram the Emperor criticized Davout for his slow attack But the Iron Marshal as he was now known He was saving his men for what he knew lay ahead The next day Davout's troops fought off a major Austrian dawn assault Then they launched their own attack gradually driving in the enemy's left flank helping to make the Austrian retreat inevitable Davout and his corps had emerged from another major campaign as heroes Napoleon bestowed on him a new title Prince of Eggmühl For a few years there was peace in Central Europe Davout spent most of it in Hamburg In his new role as Governor-General of the Hanseatic cities he was cracking down on corruption and illegal trade with Britain In 1812 Napoleon entrusted him with the enormous task of organizing the Grande Armée for the invasion of Russia Davout's First Corps alone was 72 000 strong as big as Napoleon's entire army at Austerlitz When it crossed the Niemen River in June its troops were so well dressed That one observer compared them to the Imperial Guard itself Napoleon's invasion was spearheaded by Davout's large corps He severely defeated Bagration's Second Army at Saltonovka but could not prevent its escape Three weeks later his troops were in the thick of the fighting at Smolensk But Davout's lack of allies among the other Marshals began to show Many were keen to see him taken down a peg or two including Napoleon' s Chief of Staff Marshal Berthier and perhaps even the Emperor himself When Davout quarreled with Marshal Murat whom he considered incompetent Napoleon sided with Murat giving him one of Davout's divisions On the eve of the Battle of Borodino the Emperor dismissed Davout's request to outflank the Russian defenses You are always for turning the enemy he told him It is too dangerous a movement In the bloody battle that followed Davout's corps led the frontal attack on the Flèches earthworks The Marshal himself was injured when his dying horse rolled over him but remained on the field directing the attack which was ultimately successful Six weeks later the Grande Armée began its infamous retreat from Moscow The remains of Davout's corps were ordered to form the rearguard but he was criticized for moving too slowly Near Vyazma a gap opened up and Russian General Miloradovich struck The first corps was routed and saved only by the quick intervention of Marshal Ney Eugène and Poniatowski Ney's corps took over as rearguard but when he became cut off at Krasny Davout was widely blamed for not turning back to rescue him even though it would have been suicidal The moment highlighted the gulf in charisma between a marshal like Ney who was loved by the troops and Davout who was not Davout began the 1813 campaign holding Dresden But when Hamburg was raided by Russian Cossacks Napoleon sent him north to organize the city's defense Exactly why Napoleon kept his best marshal in Hamburg while a decisive campaign raged in Saxony continues to puzzle historians Davout was a stern and effective governor of Hamburg securing the Lower Elbe River and Napoleon's strategic northern flank He organised a new 13th Corps And following Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig it withstood a six-month siege Davout only surrendered Hamburg in May 1814 after confirmation arrived of Napoleon's abdication But what difference the Iron Marshal might have made at Bautzen Denevitz Leipzig or Long remains a tantalizing what-if Davout was not welcomed into the restored Bourbon regime like other Marshals His loyalty to Napoleon was despised by the ultra- royalists Instead he was forced into retirement and put under police surveillance When Napoleon returned to France in 1815 Davout and Lefebvre were the only marshals waiting to greet him at the Tuileries Palace But once again Napoleon gave Davout a role which in hindsight seems a disastrous waste of his ability Davout was made Minister of War and Governor of Paris - Vital roles requiring a brilliant and loyal administrator And Davout worked miracles to raise a new army for Napoleon's final campaign But if Davout not Grouchy ad commanded the Emperor's right wing in 1815 who knows what might have been Following the Emperor's defeat at Waterloo Davout organized the defense of Paris and urged Napoleon to fight on Later accepting that he must abdicate Davout ensured Napoleon's safe passage to the coast and submitted to the Bourbons The Royalists had promised Davout that his officers would not be prosecuted for their conduct He was furious to discover these assurances would not be honored He also testified on behalf of Marshal Ney but could not save him from a firing squad Davout was stripped of his rank and income though they were restored two years later thanks to the intercession of Marshal Macdonald Davout avoided the court as he always had His health was deteriorating and in 1821 the death of his eldest daughter left him heartbroken He died two years later of tuberculosis at the age of 53 Davout the youngest and least proven of Napoleon's marshals proved the most capable of all Cool under fire and a brilliant tactician He was the ideal corps commander in battle A superb administrator he was a stern and loyal deputy for the Emperor in Poland and Germany His main weakness was his severe and blunt manner Which won few friends and left some even wishing to see him fail Not something they saw from the Iron Marshal very often So concludes our ranking of Napoleon's Marshals Twenty-six dramatic lives that reflect a tumultuous age Products of a military meritocracy forged in the French Revolution Skills refined over two decades of conflict Their fates were intertwined with the rise and fall of empires History may never see such an extraordinary diverse and colorful collection of military commanders again Thank you to all the Patreon supporters who've made this series possible Visit our Patreon page to find out how you can support the channel get ad-free early access And help choose future topics