Eugène, 1813: "If the Emperor's star was paling, then it was all the more reason for those who had shared in his glories to remain faithful." Reference: Frederick C. Schneid, Soldiers of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy: Army, State, and Society, 1800-1815, (Boulder: Westview Press, 1995), 124.
I always found it ironic Napoleon divorced his mother so he could have a biological son and heir to his new dynasty, yet adopted Eugene and his sister Hortense. Napoleon's biological son died young, while Eugene married the daughter of the King of Bavaria and is an ancestor to several European monarchies through this! Hortense became the mother of his true successor Napoleon III, and even has descendants that are part of the House of Poniatowski!
I would argue that not only does Epic History TV have the best Napoleonic content on RUclips, but of all time. Truly masterful and enticing content that I can't help but come back to at least once a year. Glad VTH finally picked up the mantle to react to the Marshal series! Thank you!
Marshal Moncey was such an ispiring character. When he was in prison he was once again asked by Louis 18th wether he would preside over Marshal Neys trial, Moncey was reminded that if he was stripped of his position he could not leave anything to his children. Moncey replied that if the only thing he would be allowed to leave his children was his name, then he would prefer it to be untarnished. When he presided over the repatriation of Napoleon's remains to Les Invalides, Moncey was old and very sick. He begged his doctor to give him all the painkillers and drugs possible saying "Doctor, make me live a little longer, I want to honour the Emperor". Moncey was in a wheelchair, and when brought before Napoleon's coffin fought desperately to stand up, but was unable to. Moncey died only a little over a year later.
Essentially told Louis XVIII to "go to hell" over refusing to oversee the trial of Marshal Ney. Then, in 1840, the mind was strong, but the body was too weak. Moncey never forgot his roots to Napoleon and the First Empire. In a way, an elderly Moncey trying desperately to stand before his former Emperor's remains, but failing makes me think personally what he was think at that moment "I am so sorry Sire, my body won't let me stand, please don't think I'm disrespecting you ever."
For having refused to lead Ney's trial, Moncey was also sentenced to jail. He was sent to the fort of Ham (in the north of France). At this time, the fort was occupied by prussian troops. The Prussians refused to jailed a Marshal of France. So Moncey, to serve his time, took a room in a hotel near the fort where he was supposed to be. And every day, a prussian military band played music just under his windows to honor the Marshal.
11:30 the seniority of the Marshals was given in the following order: 1. Marshal Berthier, as Chief of Staff of the Army. 2. Marshal Murat, as the Emperor's brother in law. 3-14 Marshals promoted in 1804 in order of date of promotion to the rank of General of Division. 15-18 Honoray Marshals in order of date of promotion to General of Division. 19-26 Marshals promoted post 1804 In order of date of promotion to Marshal.
I never get tired of watching Epic's Napoleonic content...the information, the music, the dramatic quotes, the battle map animation, the writing, even the way he pronounces all the French names correctly and with a French accent to boot!! Truly a production worthy of the Little Corporal!!!
Poniatowski is one of my favorite characters in the napoleonic wars. His final words were, “God has entrusted me with the honor of the Poles. I will return it to Him alone.” Beautiful.
I feel like Napoleon did so much for Poland. Regardless of how much actual freedom he was going to give them, he lit the flame, gave them a lot and it allowed them to continue building their nationalist spirit. It was the coalition forces who occupied Poland, split it and then reoccupied it who were the problem. One of the things I liked learning most about Napoleon when I deep dived into his story last year. The spirit of nationalism taking root in places like Italy and Poland.
@@aaronadams5885 The anthem credits Napoleon with showing the Polish people how to win. Napoleon tapped into the budding Polish nationalism and thus attracted top talent like Poniatowski and Polish units were wiling to go through hell for Napoleon. On the other hand, this is also mixed with the feeling that Napoleon squandered what he achieved and took the Polish people with him. The death of Poniatowski is seen as the end of a dream. :( It is also not helped by the fact that Napoleon sent Polish Legions to suppress a slave uprising on Haiti which is seen as extremely dishonorable and an insult to the Poles who stayed loyal to him. It very complex history with massive legacy for Poles.
THIS IS IT! I am so excited for this, take your time or dont, it is fine either way. I will enjoy this so much. Thank you Chris! Much love from Germany
33:00 Moncey actually went on to write a letter to the King, explaining his refusal to preside at Ney’s trial: "I believe, that after my letter of yesterday to the Minister of War, he would have judged sufficient the reason which I gave for refusing to sit in a court martial where I could not preside. I find myself mistaken, as he has transmitted me a positive order from Your Majesty on this subject. "Placed in the cruel dilemma of offending Your Majesty or of disobeying the dictate of my conscience, it becomes my duty to explain myself to Your Majesty. I enter not into the enquiry whether Marshal Ney is guilty or innocence. "Shall 25 years of my glorious labours be sullied in a single day? Shall my locks, bleached under the helmet, be only proofs of my shame? No, Sire! It shall not be said that the elder of the marshals of France contributed to the misfortunes of his country. My life, my fortune, all that I possess or enjoy is at the service of my king and country; but my honour is exclusively my own, and no human power can ravish it from me. If my name is to be the only heritage left to my children, at least let it not be disgraced.”
Hell yea! I love historical war/politics as much as the next guy, but zooming in on historical individuals can be great for learning about how a specific time/place was. Cheers VTH!
The reason they created the rank of marshal was for medieval armies where contingents would be led by a particular lord or Duke who might not agree on strategy. It was a new rank that could confer authority over nobility of higher status than you so that there was always someone to make the final decision (assuming the king wasn’t present).
Great video as always. Here are a few interesting facts about the Marshals for you: We do not know the exact seniority of the first 18 Marshals as they were all promoted at the same time. We know that the original list was drafted by the State Secretary and altered by Napoleon with him adding Murat to that list, but we don't know the exact order Napoleon decided upon. The order of seniority used here is from the order on the Imperial Decree making them Marshals, hence why there are a few oddities such as Moncey and Jourdan being more senior than someone Napoleon trusted more, like Massena. After Brune's murder, there was an inquiry compelled by his widow that Brune's murder was covered up by the authorities. The royalist mob that murdered him were led by baseless allegations that he was the person who paraded the head of the Princess of Lamballe on a pike during the September Massacres. This inquiry was later made public. His body was also retrieved from the river by fishermen and then buried by farmers. His wife would later recover the body and have it buried in a cemetery. Moncey is indeed a very interesting character. By the time of Napoleon's funeral he was seriously ill and barely able to move. He begged his doctor to give him enough medicine and drugs to be able to attend the funeral, saying "Doctor, make me live a little longer, I want to honour the Emperor". He went to the altar in a wheelchair, and when the emperor was brought, Moncey tried to get up but fell back into his wheelchair, too weak to stand. He was brought to the coffin and kissed the hilt of Napoleon's sword. Moncey died about a year later. In the ensuing chaos at the end of the Battle of Vitoria, Jourdan's personal baggage including his marshal's baton was captured by the British. Wellington would send it to the Secretary of State for War saying that "He will have the honour of laying at the feet of H.R.H. The Prince Regent the Colours of the 4th Batt of the 100th Regt and Marshal Jourdan's baton of a Marshal of France". The Prince Regent was absolutely delighted with his gift and replied to Wellington "You have sent me among the Trophies of your unrivalled Fame, the Baton of a French Marshal and I send you in return that of England. The British Army will hail it with enthusiasm while the whole Universe will acknowledge those valorous Exploits, which have so imperiously called for it...". The baton is now part of the Royal Collection and is displayed at Windsor Castle.
18:48 he's ranked that low because most of what he did was before he became a marshal, Epic history said that they ranked them only for what they accomplished AS Marshals of France, which is why Bernadote is ranked low too what he did to get to the throne doesn't count here
I believe the seniority was based on the date that the marshal in question was made General of Division and whether they were an honorary marshal or not. Berthier and Murat were the exception to this rule.
Berthier was always going to have seniority over the other twenty-five Marshals since he was Napoleon's indispensable chief of staff for eighteen years he literally planned every military campaign of Napoleon. Murat was his brother-in-law and the French army's best cavalry commander who again was nearly indispensable as Berthier.
Also, Moncey's quote at napoleons ceremony in Paris is more interesting, Moncey was old and he was very unwell, he begged his doctor to fill him with drugs so that he could pay a last honor to his emperor, he tried to stand up from his weelchair, but was weak and fell, he then kissed napoleons sword and said "And now lets us go home to die" and he did died little more than a year later
While I love that foreigners learn about prince Poniatowski, it's a pity most of the videos on YT reach only a tip of his biography's iceberg. After all: - while being an aide de camp to emperor Joseph, he once saved the life of young Karl Schwarzenberg, his future opponent in 1813. - it was him and his soldiers's cordon who allowed the 3rd of May Constitution to pass. After all, Europe's first constitution was proclaimed in form of coup d'etat. - in 1792 he commanded Polish forces in the battle of Zieleńce, personally leading the counterattack when one of the Polish columns broke. This was the first major victory of Polish army since the relief of Vienna 110 years prior. After the battle, a Virtuti Militari order was created, to this day remaining the highest military award in the country. - when his uncle, king Stanisław August, decided to surrender and join the traitors of the Targowica Confederation, prince Józef refused to acknowledge it and led his men to the last battle, hoping for death. - between 1795 and 1806 he visibly lost his spirit and became infamous for his debaucheries. When years later his monument (inspired by the statue of Marcus Aurelius instead of previous depiction in his uniform and signature camel cape) was presented for the first time, people laughed that someone must have decided that the prince's most heroic deed was that one time when he allegedly drove four-horse carriage through the streets of Warsaw while being completely naked. - in 1801 he gave shelter to future king Louis 18th and let him stay in the Royal Baths Gardens of Warsaw for a couple of years. - he became the minister of war in the Duchy of Warsaw's government despite heavy opposition, especially from generals Dąbrowski and Zajączek, who by then became famous for leading the Polish Legions. Nevertheless, he soon proved he was worthy of Napoleon's trust. While being the minister, he refused to take his salary. - in 1809, during the war of the 5th coalition, despite being outnumbered and isolated, he decided to halt the Austrian offensive towards Warsaw at Raszyn. He became a legend then, leading a bayonet charge through a narrow dyke, on foot, musket in hands, while blowing a pipe. The battle ended inconclusive, but despite that the prince decided to abandon the capital, to the fury of many. - by doing so, he ironically gave himself a manouvering space and within over a month his army liberated almost all of Galicja (Austrian-held parts of former Commonwealth), while the Austrian forces were sitting ducks in Warsaw. This brilliant operation was a peak of his military career. - in 1812 he suggested that instead of marching towards Moscow, the Grand Army should have liberated Ukraine first, arguing for gaining the local nobility's support, warmer climate, arguably the most fertile soil in the continent and possibility of coordinating actions with the Ottomans. Napoleon refused. - after Borodino he was already aware of the nearing disaster, nevertheless he continued to fight. During the first weeks of the retreat, he was badly injured and never fully recovered. He then had to give up his command to general Zajączek and spent the rest of campaign in a carriage, along with two wounded aides and his only spoil of war from Moscow... a book. - back in Warsaw, he refused all of amnesty offers along with anything coming with them, quickly reorganized the remnants of the Duchy's army and later marched through still neutral Austria to join Napoleon's forces. - in the last day of Leipzig, he was already wounded a couple of times. He managed to cross the Pleisse, despite losing his horse. Then he sustained another heavy wound and despite being suggested by his aides to surrender, though weakened significantly, he refused. According to some sources, he said 'God had me presented with the honor of Poles, I shall give it only to God' (though the witnesses claim it was more like a delirious mumble than what is written above). He then tried to cross the White Elster and got himself under fire, most likely from the allied French, who might have believed that the krakusi cavalrymen surrounding the prince were Cossacks. It is almost certain that the last bullet that caused the prince to fall to the river and drown came from a French musket. Along with him, a French captain Blechamps drowned in the river while trying to save his Marshal.
In an alternate history where Napoleon prevails (or at least is not destroyed in Russia), Poniatowski would have been a top contender to be the new Polish King.
@@przemekkozlowski7835 True, though as a monarchist I'm afraid it would have caused some problems. First, he was already 50 before his death, never married and without an heir (2 illegitimate sons confirmed). Second, he was a die-hard supporter of the May Constitution, which clearly stated the Polish-Lithuanian throne should have gone back to the rulers of Saxony - which was fulfilled by giving Frederick Augustus the title of duke of Warsaw. Both this and the fact most of the Duchy's government supported the Constitution at the time give us a huge chance the prince would reject the offer.
I think Napoleon winning Waterloo can change things from a diplomatic perspective. Alliances are very difficult to keep and build. We saw splintering and other issues with things like the Russian emperor. If Napoleon won Waterloo it’s possible it could cause disagreements between the collation Allie’s as well as give Napoleon’s diplomas an opportunity to get better terms or even have some countries possibly choose to leave the collation
No, the Seventh Coalition simply declared him an outlaw; previous coalitions had never done so officially before. The Sixth Coalition also lost many battles before defeating Napoleon, so losing a battle at Waterloo could not change anything. Napoleon was doomed to fail.
Chris, Let's talk about Grouchy's appointment to command the French Right Wing, after the Battle of Ligny. He had a difficult assignment, made more so by the jealousies of his subordinates, and the internecine rivalries within the various branches of the Army. His main subordinates, Vandamme and Gerard, felt passed over as they were senior Infantry commanders, whereas they viewed Grouchy as a mere Calvary officer. Also, Vandamme was a particularly quarrelsome personality, and seemed to be less than totally cooperative to his superior. The closest I could point out as a similar situation was the appointment of Stuart to take command of Jackson's Corps at Chancellorsville, where senior Line Infantry Officers were passed over. Command should have devolved on Rodes, after Jackson and A.P Hill were wounded, but, unlike Vandamme, Rodes pocketed his pride and accepted a Cavalryman in command.
WWII only produced one living Marshal of France, Alphonse Juin. He would be the only one you'd see wearing a modern military uniform as a 7 star general in photographs.
@@astrodoops It's not convoluted, as Picard from TNG summed up, a Marshal of France even outranks an Admiral. It is the supreme military rank of France. The French Naval equivalent of Marshal of France would be Grand Admiral, a 7 star Admiral, a rank that hasn't been bestowed since 1869.
@@Souledex What do you mean "you"? You can look up ranks on Wikipedia. Technically speaking a Marshal of France isn't a rank, it's a "distinction". There is no 1 star or 6 star rank in the French Army or Navy. There are 4 General ranks, a 5 star "Army General" has the NATO rank of OF-9, a Marshal of France has the NATO "rank" of OF-10.
Valmy (September 20th) is just an artillery duel in the pouring rain but it might be one of the most important battles in history. As soon as news of the victory reaches Paris, the politicians abolish the French monarchy on September 21st, 1792. "Citizen Louis" becomes a dead man walking. The Insurrection of August 10th, 1792 had already brought committed Republicans to power and the victory at Valmy provided them enough popular support and physical space between themselves and the Prussians to abolish the monarchy. At Valmy both armies used their artillery to blast apart the other. The Prussians soldiers remarked how the French soldiers sang patriotic songs like Le Marseillais to raise their spirits and almost enjoyed being shelled by the Prussians in the pouring rain. It helps that the Prussian artillery was inaccurate.
There is some serious competition out there (VTH and History Underground definitely up there in slightly different ways!) but Epic History has to be in the top 3-5 history RUclips channels. I also don't have the background knowledge to critique most of their material (I too am an American Civil War guy) but their production quality is unbelievable.
As a fanatic lover of the Napoleonic Wars and the times of the French Revolution etc, I have to point out some things. 10:14 Maybe I'm looking into it too much, but you may have missed the fact that General Gérard was also promoted to Marshal after Napoleon, Maison wasn't exceptional in that respect. 12:56 also he actually has two major major battle honours listed so he wasn't all just a politician. Not a spectacular Marshal at all, but he did have some experience.
There were 9 people decorated with a 5 star rank. Initially it was 4 in the Army(Marshall, Ike, MacArthur, and Arnold) and 4 in the Navy(Leahy, King, Nimitz, and Halsey). Bradley was promoted to 5 stars in 1950 when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs so he wasn’t outranked by MacArthur during Korea.
Poniatowski actually knew and served with a famous Polish General, Tadeusz Kościuszko, who fought for the Americans in the Revolutionary War, building the fortifications at a number of sites, including West Point, and was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Kościuszko has many monuments in his name on the East Coast, and asked Jefferson to execute a will dedicating his assets in the United States to the freedom and education of slaves.
i remember watching this list when it came out and how struck I was by Moncey's quote "...and now let us go home, and die". felt so appropriate considering what had just happened, almost like a big sigh.
21:57 oh it’s worse then that Chris, marshal Serurier also burned Fredrick the greats sword and sash witch where captured by Napoleon in Berlin in 1806
So happy you react to this series! Keep it going! Btw General Maison was made a marshal after Napoleon's reign for his actions with the French Expedition in Greece during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1828). I would be really interested in your take on that war, Kings and Generals has a really good series on it
Good video. You remarked on the fact that some of the French Marshals have German names; that is because they (Kellermann, Rapp...) were from Alsace, a German-speaking part of France annexed by Louis XIV.
12:19 : I find it funny that Dominique-Catherine de Pérignon was captured at Novi where commanding general Barthélémy-Catherine Joubert was killed. Not much luck for dudes named Catherine here..
37:49 "Looks like a roman statue" Poland(The Commonwealth) before 1795 was heavily inspired by Roman Republic, by art/philisophy and structure of government. Sadly it inherited problems which caused Roman Republic to fall. And after Poland regained independence in 1918 all major gov. buildings including Polish parliament was built in Roman style. Polish parliament having its famous line of columns inside.
Can't wait to see VTH reacting to top 10 positions. Lannes, Ney, Davout entries is a pinnacle of this series so you can't help but feel hyped hearing about them)
Glad to see this is finally getting a reaction. I’d also love to see VTH do a reaction to the video ‘know your allies: Britain’. It’s an informational video made by the war department to educate their troops on who they’re fighting with and against and it’s a really interesting insight into how 40’s America viewed Britain and in some ways how little Britain has changed.
The first time I came to this channel was watching your reaction about the Napoleonic Wars. Been a fan ever since that day. Never would have thought I'd get to see this day 😂.
Moncey was a honest man to the end. Lol. Seriously, this was a great video. I never knew much about Napoleon’s marshals beforehand, besides the name being brought up here and there learning about the Napoleonic Wars.
Dude, I sincerely hope that you'll react to all the episodes in like a couple of days or so, because the last time I watched a reaction series to these videos, it took a couple of months
Hi everyone! I have a question for y’all. I’m considering starting to make videos focused on the 19th century history of Latin America (primarily Spanish South America). The presentation would be inspired by Epic History, but with less professional graphics and somewhat less focus on battle tactics detail, and the ultimate goal would be to create a library of videos covering every country’s history from independence up to about 1900 (with the option of continuing past 1900 after that). There would likely be an introductory video covering the relevant history of the Spanish Empire up to 1800 to set the scene. At this point, I’m still thinking about it and trying to get the lay of the land in terms of audience. If this is something you think sounds interesting, I’d love it if you could like this comment. Thank you for your time!
ah man; I watched this a while ago; I don't usually watch youtube videos of the length of napoleon's Marshals, but this was a really cool video 23:50 right? thank you for specifically mentioning that; I'm not french (dutch here) but it boils my blood when I hear the uninformed rub the french their surrender in the second world war in their face; for most of history the french were THE scariest land army in main land europe and the rest of europe rightfully feared their army.
22 maréchal Grouchy? It's a joke, the guy is s fantastic cavalry commander and saved his wing during the 100 days, which is quite an achievement. I remind people that Grouchy could never have joined the waterloo battlefield. He was given his orders like noon on the 17th waaaayyyy too late to pursue the Prussians and on the 18th he had to fight a corps to be able to move through Wavre. Had Napoleon prepared the aftermath of Ligny, maybe Grouchy could have captured many Prussians...but then, Waterloo would not have taken place as Wellington deployed for battle only because Blucher promised he would join with enough troops. Mod: the battle started around 11am in waterloo...guess how long it would have taken to move from where Grouchy was to the battlefield ? Way too much time and Grouchy knew this. Napoleon needed someone to blame when the Emperor IS the one to blame for not putting in the effort during this campaign.
Brune is too underrated. Winner of 2 campaigns, in Holland and Italy, which proves that he could be relied upon for independent command, something Napoleon sorely lacked. A huge waste of talent.
General Marshall was asked about this when discussing creating the 5-star rank in the US forces. His reply was that he didn't want to be known as "Marshall Marshall"......
Junot wouldve becomed a marshal if he had succeeded in his objective of invading Portugal, he did reach lisbon but the royal family fled to brazil, robbing him of the decisive conclusion that would make him a marhsal, he was also nicknamed "The Storm"
Thanks again for this one more interesting reaction video. French marshalls history are often shadowed by historians focussing only on Napoleon One thing i d like to know isxwhat was the relationship between the marshalls.. some were friends but seems that most of them had very conflicted relationships... how did they work together, did it significantly impact some campaigns or battles The peak is certainly the trial of Ney who was sentenced to death. Some (most) of the Marshalls voted for his execution, some (fewer) for his innocence... Would be nice , one day, you do a video about the trial and execution of Marshall Ney....;)
FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY I think most EH music are from Filmstro, there's a lot on that platform so it's possible some tracks may be out of licensing scope And recently they've been commissioning their own music to separate artists so those might get muted
My top 3 : 🥇Davout 🥈Berthier 🥉Murat Davout is number 1 because is the only one with Lannes who can lead an army without Napoleon. He's also THE Iron Marshal, the guy who was never defeated Berthier is number 2 because his management of the Grande Armée is one of the reason of Napoleon's victories. He was clearly missing at Waterloo, where the battle could have been finished way earlier with a french victory if he was there to dispatch Napoleon's orders. Soult, who took Berthier's job at Waterloo was largely inferior. Napoleon said he was irreplaceable. Murat is number 3 because he was a great leader of men. He was one of the first with Napoleon. Going from innkeeper to king. Lannes should have been number 1 but he died way too soon.
Years from now, people will be talking about where they were the day VTH's video of Napoleon's marshals dropped.
Where were you when this video dropped
I am watching this on the beach
Standing in the living room
@@diederikceuppens6763in my dining room eating chicken
Laying on my hammock
Andalousia
“omg it’s happening, everybody stay calm (what’s the procedure) STAY CALM STAY F****** CALM” Michael Scott
Procedure everyone, what's the procedure?
_(Mass Hysteria Intensifies)_
😂😂
what's the procedure?
I can't! I need help!
"If I had to invade hell, I'd want him leading the vanguard" is such a badass line and I cannot get over it
Oh yeah
Hell yeah! And for Napoleon of all people to say that is quite the compliment!
He could inflict some 'Van-dammage'
There is another Napoleon's quote on Vandamme: 'If I had two Vandammes, I'd have to order one of them to hang the other'
Napoleons step son, Eugene, is underrated. He deserved to become a Marshal. He always performed well and stayed loyal to the end.
Eugène, 1813: "If the Emperor's star was paling, then it was all the more reason for those who had shared in his glories to remain faithful."
Reference: Frederick C. Schneid, Soldiers of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy: Army, State, and Society, 1800-1815, (Boulder: Westview Press, 1995), 124.
He was vice-king of Italy, and a Prince. His Rank was higher
@@Aigleimperial7 Murat was also a king, but he still became a Marshal.
I always found it ironic Napoleon divorced his mother so he could have a biological son and heir to his new dynasty, yet adopted Eugene and his sister Hortense. Napoleon's biological son died young, while Eugene married the daughter of the King of Bavaria and is an ancestor to several European monarchies through this! Hortense became the mother of his true successor Napoleon III, and even has descendants that are part of the House of Poniatowski!
@yashjoseph3544 my guy he was a marshal before becoming king
I would argue that not only does Epic History TV have the best Napoleonic content on RUclips, but of all time. Truly masterful and enticing content that I can't help but come back to at least once a year. Glad VTH finally picked up the mantle to react to the Marshal series! Thank you!
Finally,the marshalls are here
Marshal Moncey was such an ispiring character. When he was in prison he was once again asked by Louis 18th wether he would preside over Marshal Neys trial, Moncey was reminded that if he was stripped of his position he could not leave anything to his children. Moncey replied that if the only thing he would be allowed to leave his children was his name, then he would prefer it to be untarnished. When he presided over the repatriation of Napoleon's remains to Les Invalides, Moncey was old and very sick. He begged his doctor to give him all the painkillers and drugs possible saying "Doctor, make me live a little longer, I want to honour the Emperor". Moncey was in a wheelchair, and when brought before Napoleon's coffin fought desperately to stand up, but was unable to. Moncey died only a little over a year later.
Essentially told Louis XVIII to "go to hell" over refusing to oversee the trial of Marshal Ney. Then, in 1840, the mind was strong, but the body was too weak. Moncey never forgot his roots to Napoleon and the First Empire.
In a way, an elderly Moncey trying desperately to stand before his former Emperor's remains, but failing makes me think personally what he was think at that moment "I am so sorry Sire, my body won't let me stand, please don't think I'm disrespecting you ever."
For having refused to lead Ney's trial, Moncey was also sentenced to jail.
He was sent to the fort of Ham (in the north of France).
At this time, the fort was occupied by prussian troops. The Prussians refused to jailed a Marshal of France. So Moncey, to serve his time, took a room in a hotel near the fort where he was supposed to be. And every day, a prussian military band played music just under his windows to honor the Marshal.
@@MajorDenisBloodnokdamn times were very different back then. So much respect
YESSSS MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED
I prayed to every god I could think of. It worked! 😂
One of the best works on the Napoleonic Wars. Can't wait for more reactions
11:30 the seniority of the Marshals was given in the following order:
1. Marshal Berthier, as Chief of Staff of the Army.
2. Marshal Murat, as the Emperor's brother in law.
3-14 Marshals promoted in 1804 in order of date of promotion to the rank of General of Division.
15-18 Honoray Marshals in order of date of promotion to General of Division.
19-26 Marshals promoted post 1804 In order of date of promotion to Marshal.
I'm pretty sure VTH reacting to Napoleon's marshals is one of the signs of the apocalypse
If VTH can finish the series before the apocalypse.....
Then I can die happy 😅
I immediately knew why he said "it's time" lmao
did the title give it away?
@@themanwiththehamandtheplan9987I don't think so 😮
I never get tired of watching Epic's Napoleonic content...the information, the music, the dramatic quotes, the battle map animation, the writing, even the way he pronounces all the French names correctly and with a French accent to boot!!
Truly a production worthy of the Little Corporal!!!
Poniatowski is one of my favorite characters in the napoleonic wars. His final words were, “God has entrusted me with the honor of the Poles. I will return it to Him alone.” Beautiful.
I feel like Napoleon did so much for Poland. Regardless of how much actual freedom he was going to give them, he lit the flame, gave them a lot and it allowed them to continue building their nationalist spirit. It was the coalition forces who occupied Poland, split it and then reoccupied it who were the problem. One of the things I liked learning most about Napoleon when I deep dived into his story last year. The spirit of nationalism taking root in places like Italy and Poland.
@@acdragonrider which is why Napoleon is mentioned favourably in the the Polish national anthem
@@aaronadams5885 The anthem credits Napoleon with showing the Polish people how to win. Napoleon tapped into the budding Polish nationalism and thus attracted top talent like Poniatowski and Polish units were wiling to go through hell for Napoleon.
On the other hand, this is also mixed with the feeling that Napoleon squandered what he achieved and took the Polish people with him. The death of Poniatowski is seen as the end of a dream. :( It is also not helped by the fact that Napoleon sent Polish Legions to suppress a slave uprising on Haiti which is seen as extremely dishonorable and an insult to the Poles who stayed loyal to him. It very complex history with massive legacy for Poles.
@@aaronadams5885 I am going to have to have a listen now!!!!
@@przemekkozlowski7835 Yeah Napoleon wasn't perfect.
THIS IS IT! I am so excited for this, take your time or dont, it is fine either way. I will enjoy this so much. Thank you Chris! Much love from Germany
33:00 Moncey actually went on to write a letter to the King, explaining his refusal to preside at Ney’s trial:
"I believe, that after my letter of yesterday to the Minister of War, he would have judged sufficient the reason which I gave for refusing to sit in a court martial where I could not preside. I find myself mistaken, as he has transmitted me a positive order from Your Majesty on this subject.
"Placed in the cruel dilemma of offending Your Majesty or of disobeying the dictate of my conscience, it becomes my duty to explain myself to Your Majesty. I enter not into the enquiry whether Marshal Ney is guilty or innocence.
"Shall 25 years of my glorious labours be sullied in a single day? Shall my locks, bleached under the helmet, be only proofs of my shame? No, Sire! It shall not be said that the elder of the marshals of France contributed to the misfortunes of his country. My life, my fortune, all that I possess or enjoy is at the service of my king and country; but my honour is exclusively my own, and no human power can ravish it from me. If my name is to be the only heritage left to my children, at least let it not be disgraced.”
Hell yea! I love historical war/politics as much as the next guy, but zooming in on historical individuals can be great for learning about how a specific time/place was. Cheers VTH!
We're so back
HE DID IT AT LAST!!!
The reason they created the rank of marshal was for medieval armies where contingents would be led by a particular lord or Duke who might not agree on strategy. It was a new rank that could confer authority over nobility of higher status than you so that there was always someone to make the final decision (assuming the king wasn’t present).
Great video as always. Here are a few interesting facts about the Marshals for you:
We do not know the exact seniority of the first 18 Marshals as they were all promoted at the same time. We know that the original list was drafted by the State Secretary and altered by Napoleon with him adding Murat to that list, but we don't know the exact order Napoleon decided upon. The order of seniority used here is from the order on the Imperial Decree making them Marshals, hence why there are a few oddities such as Moncey and Jourdan being more senior than someone Napoleon trusted more, like Massena.
After Brune's murder, there was an inquiry compelled by his widow that Brune's murder was covered up by the authorities. The royalist mob that murdered him were led by baseless allegations that he was the person who paraded the head of the Princess of Lamballe on a pike during the September Massacres. This inquiry was later made public. His body was also retrieved from the river by fishermen and then buried by farmers. His wife would later recover the body and have it buried in a cemetery.
Moncey is indeed a very interesting character. By the time of Napoleon's funeral he was seriously ill and barely able to move. He begged his doctor to give him enough medicine and drugs to be able to attend the funeral, saying "Doctor, make me live a little longer, I want to honour the Emperor". He went to the altar in a wheelchair, and when the emperor was brought, Moncey tried to get up but fell back into his wheelchair, too weak to stand. He was brought to the coffin and kissed the hilt of Napoleon's sword. Moncey died about a year later.
In the ensuing chaos at the end of the Battle of Vitoria, Jourdan's personal baggage including his marshal's baton was captured by the British. Wellington would send it to the Secretary of State for War saying that "He will have the honour of laying at the feet of H.R.H. The Prince Regent the Colours of the 4th Batt of the 100th Regt and Marshal Jourdan's baton of a Marshal of France". The Prince Regent was absolutely delighted with his gift and replied to Wellington "You have sent me among the Trophies of your unrivalled Fame, the Baton of a French Marshal and I send you in return that of England. The British Army will hail it with enthusiasm while the whole Universe will acknowledge those valorous Exploits, which have so imperiously called for it...". The baton is now part of the Royal Collection and is displayed at Windsor Castle.
I’ve waiting for years for this series. I literally can’t wait to watch every single one
18:48 he's ranked that low because most of what he did was before he became a marshal, Epic history said that they ranked them only for what they accomplished AS Marshals of France, which is why Bernadote is ranked low too what he did to get to the throne doesn't count here
I believe the seniority was based on the date that the marshal in question was made General of Division and whether they were an honorary marshal or not. Berthier and Murat were the exception to this rule.
Berthier was always going to have seniority over the other twenty-five Marshals since he was Napoleon's indispensable chief of staff for eighteen years he literally planned every military campaign of Napoleon.
Murat was his brother-in-law and the French army's best cavalry commander who again was nearly indispensable as Berthier.
Also, Moncey's quote at napoleons ceremony in Paris is more interesting, Moncey was old and he was very unwell, he begged his doctor to fill him with drugs so that he could pay a last honor to his emperor, he tried to stand up from his weelchair, but was weak and fell, he then kissed napoleons sword and said "And now lets us go home to die" and he did died little more than a year later
This has been on everyone’s wish list thanks
While I love that foreigners learn about prince Poniatowski, it's a pity most of the videos on YT reach only a tip of his biography's iceberg. After all:
- while being an aide de camp to emperor Joseph, he once saved the life of young Karl Schwarzenberg, his future opponent in 1813.
- it was him and his soldiers's cordon who allowed the 3rd of May Constitution to pass. After all, Europe's first constitution was proclaimed in form of coup d'etat.
- in 1792 he commanded Polish forces in the battle of Zieleńce, personally leading the counterattack when one of the Polish columns broke. This was the first major victory of Polish army since the relief of Vienna 110 years prior. After the battle, a Virtuti Militari order was created, to this day remaining the highest military award in the country.
- when his uncle, king Stanisław August, decided to surrender and join the traitors of the Targowica Confederation, prince Józef refused to acknowledge it and led his men to the last battle, hoping for death.
- between 1795 and 1806 he visibly lost his spirit and became infamous for his debaucheries. When years later his monument (inspired by the statue of Marcus Aurelius instead of previous depiction in his uniform and signature camel cape) was presented for the first time, people laughed that someone must have decided that the prince's most heroic deed was that one time when he allegedly drove four-horse carriage through the streets of Warsaw while being completely naked.
- in 1801 he gave shelter to future king Louis 18th and let him stay in the Royal Baths Gardens of Warsaw for a couple of years.
- he became the minister of war in the Duchy of Warsaw's government despite heavy opposition, especially from generals Dąbrowski and Zajączek, who by then became famous for leading the Polish Legions. Nevertheless, he soon proved he was worthy of Napoleon's trust. While being the minister, he refused to take his salary.
- in 1809, during the war of the 5th coalition, despite being outnumbered and isolated, he decided to halt the Austrian offensive towards Warsaw at Raszyn. He became a legend then, leading a bayonet charge through a narrow dyke, on foot, musket in hands, while blowing a pipe. The battle ended inconclusive, but despite that the prince decided to abandon the capital, to the fury of many.
- by doing so, he ironically gave himself a manouvering space and within over a month his army liberated almost all of Galicja (Austrian-held parts of former Commonwealth), while the Austrian forces were sitting ducks in Warsaw. This brilliant operation was a peak of his military career.
- in 1812 he suggested that instead of marching towards Moscow, the Grand Army should have liberated Ukraine first, arguing for gaining the local nobility's support, warmer climate, arguably the most fertile soil in the continent and possibility of coordinating actions with the Ottomans. Napoleon refused.
- after Borodino he was already aware of the nearing disaster, nevertheless he continued to fight. During the first weeks of the retreat, he was badly injured and never fully recovered. He then had to give up his command to general Zajączek and spent the rest of campaign in a carriage, along with two wounded aides and his only spoil of war from Moscow... a book.
- back in Warsaw, he refused all of amnesty offers along with anything coming with them, quickly reorganized the remnants of the Duchy's army and later marched through still neutral Austria to join Napoleon's forces.
- in the last day of Leipzig, he was already wounded a couple of times.
He managed to cross the Pleisse, despite losing his horse. Then he sustained another heavy wound and despite being suggested by his aides to surrender, though weakened significantly, he refused. According to some sources, he said 'God had me presented with the honor of Poles, I shall give it only to God' (though the witnesses claim it was more like a delirious mumble than what is written above). He then tried to cross the White Elster and got himself under fire, most likely from the allied French, who might have believed that the krakusi cavalrymen surrounding the prince were Cossacks. It is almost certain that the last bullet that caused the prince to fall to the river and drown came from a French musket. Along with him, a French captain Blechamps drowned in the river while trying to save his Marshal.
In an alternate history where Napoleon prevails (or at least is not destroyed in Russia), Poniatowski would have been a top contender to be the new Polish King.
@@przemekkozlowski7835 True, though as a monarchist I'm afraid it would have caused some problems. First, he was already 50 before his death, never married and without an heir (2 illegitimate sons confirmed). Second, he was a die-hard supporter of the May Constitution, which clearly stated the Polish-Lithuanian throne should have gone back to the rulers of Saxony - which was fulfilled by giving Frederick Augustus the title of duke of Warsaw. Both this and the fact most of the Duchy's government supported the Constitution at the time give us a huge chance the prince would reject the offer.
I think Napoleon winning Waterloo can change things from a diplomatic perspective. Alliances are very difficult to keep and build. We saw splintering and other issues with things like the Russian emperor. If Napoleon won Waterloo it’s possible it could cause disagreements between the collation Allie’s as well as give Napoleon’s diplomas an opportunity to get better terms or even have some countries possibly choose to leave the collation
No, the Seventh Coalition simply declared him an outlaw; previous coalitions had never done so officially before. The Sixth Coalition also lost many battles before defeating Napoleon, so losing a battle at Waterloo could not change anything. Napoleon was doomed to fail.
@@dieletztekavallerie395 The Coalition was also at each other's throats weeks before Waterloo, which is also different from the Sixth Coalition.
@@Edax_Royeaux It was before Napoleon’s escape from Elba, nothing was different.
Chris, Let's talk about Grouchy's appointment to command the French Right Wing, after the Battle of Ligny. He had a difficult assignment, made more so by the jealousies of his subordinates, and the internecine rivalries within the various branches of the Army. His main subordinates, Vandamme and Gerard, felt passed over as they were senior Infantry commanders, whereas they viewed Grouchy as a mere Calvary officer. Also, Vandamme was a particularly quarrelsome personality, and seemed to be less than totally cooperative to his superior. The closest I could point out as a similar situation was the appointment of Stuart to take command of Jackson's Corps at Chancellorsville, where senior Line Infantry Officers were passed over. Command should have devolved on Rodes, after Jackson and A.P Hill were wounded, but, unlike Vandamme, Rodes pocketed his pride and accepted a Cavalryman in command.
Apparently, it was generally assumed throughout the army that St. Hilaire would become a Marechal, but he was killed at Aspern before it could happen.
Probably even Lasalle for that matter. Barring Murat and a few others, he was the best cavalry commander in the French army.
WWII only produced one living Marshal of France, Alphonse Juin. He would be the only one you'd see wearing a modern military uniform as a 7 star general in photographs.
7 Stars? sounds a bit like a pretty convoluted chain of command in the French military at that time!
@@astrodoops It's not convoluted, as Picard from TNG summed up, a Marshal of France even outranks an Admiral. It is the supreme military rank of France. The French Naval equivalent of Marshal of France would be Grand Admiral, a 7 star Admiral, a rank that hasn't been bestowed since 1869.
@@Edax_Royeaux It just seems like you started using stars too early. How many ranks of general are there? or does the star start at Colonel?
@@Souledex What do you mean "you"? You can look up ranks on Wikipedia. Technically speaking a Marshal of France isn't a rank, it's a "distinction". There is no 1 star or 6 star rank in the French Army or Navy. There are 4 General ranks, a 5 star "Army General" has the NATO rank of OF-9, a Marshal of France has the NATO "rank" of OF-10.
Valmy (September 20th) is just an artillery duel in the pouring rain but it might be one of the most important battles in history. As soon as news of the victory reaches Paris, the politicians abolish the French monarchy on September 21st, 1792. "Citizen Louis" becomes a dead man walking. The Insurrection of August 10th, 1792 had already brought committed Republicans to power and the victory at Valmy provided them enough popular support and physical space between themselves and the Prussians to abolish the monarchy.
At Valmy both armies used their artillery to blast apart the other. The Prussians soldiers remarked how the French soldiers sang patriotic songs like Le Marseillais to raise their spirits and almost enjoyed being shelled by the Prussians in the pouring rain. It helps that the Prussian artillery was inaccurate.
There is some serious competition out there (VTH and History Underground definitely up there in slightly different ways!) but Epic History has to be in the top 3-5 history RUclips channels. I also don't have the background knowledge to critique most of their material (I too am an American Civil War guy) but their production quality is unbelievable.
Glad you're reacting to this series, this is one of my favourite watches on youtube
As a fanatic lover of the Napoleonic Wars and the times of the French Revolution etc, I have to point out some things.
10:14 Maybe I'm looking into it too much, but you may have missed the fact that General Gérard was also promoted to Marshal after Napoleon, Maison wasn't exceptional in that respect.
12:56 also he actually has two major major battle honours listed so he wasn't all just a politician. Not a spectacular Marshal at all, but he did have some experience.
Ladies and gentleman, we did it.
There were 9 people decorated with a 5 star rank. Initially it was 4 in the Army(Marshall, Ike, MacArthur, and Arnold) and 4 in the Navy(Leahy, King, Nimitz, and Halsey). Bradley was promoted to 5 stars in 1950 when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs so he wasn’t outranked by MacArthur during Korea.
Poniatowski actually knew and served with a famous Polish General, Tadeusz Kościuszko, who fought for the Americans in the Revolutionary War, building the fortifications at a number of sites, including West Point, and was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Kościuszko has many monuments in his name on the East Coast, and asked Jefferson to execute a will dedicating his assets in the United States to the freedom and education of slaves.
i remember watching this list when it came out and how struck I was by Moncey's quote "...and now let us go home, and die". felt so appropriate considering what had just happened, almost like a big sigh.
21:57 oh it’s worse then that Chris, marshal Serurier also burned Fredrick the greats sword and sash witch where captured by Napoleon in Berlin in 1806
Finally!😂 THANK YOU!
So happy you react to this series! Keep it going!
Btw General Maison was made a marshal after Napoleon's reign for his actions with the French Expedition in Greece during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1828). I would be really interested in your take on that war, Kings and Generals has a really good series on it
Good video. You remarked on the fact that some of the French Marshals have German names; that is because they (Kellermann, Rapp...) were from Alsace, a German-speaking part of France annexed by Louis XIV.
Suchet is my all time favorite, he reminds me of a modern day Belesaurius from the eastern Roman empire. Hearts and minds and well disciplined.
12:19 : I find it funny that Dominique-Catherine de Pérignon was captured at Novi where commanding general Barthélémy-Catherine Joubert was killed. Not much luck for dudes named Catherine here..
Finally! You should've seen my reaction when I saw the thumbnail!
A christmas miracle in August?!
Thanks Internet santa!!
....and also Chris xD
No way! It's finally happened! LETS GOOO
37:49 "Looks like a roman statue"
Poland(The Commonwealth) before 1795 was heavily inspired by Roman Republic, by art/philisophy and structure of government. Sadly it inherited problems which caused Roman Republic to fall. And after Poland regained independence in 1918 all major gov. buildings including Polish parliament was built in Roman style. Polish parliament having its famous line of columns inside.
As a Napoleonic fan, this is my favorite reaction of yours!! Can’t wait for tomorrow for the next one!!
3:27
"Three in the Navy"
There were 4 Admirals that recieved the 5 star rank [Fleet Admiral]
Leahy
King
Nimitz
Halsey
Can't wait to see VTH reacting to top 10 positions. Lannes, Ney, Davout entries is a pinnacle of this series so you can't help but feel hyped hearing about them)
Glad to see this is finally getting a reaction.
I’d also love to see VTH do a reaction to the video ‘know your allies: Britain’. It’s an informational video made by the war department to educate their troops on who they’re fighting with and against and it’s a really interesting insight into how 40’s America viewed Britain and in some ways how little Britain has changed.
AT LAST!!! IT'S FINALLY TIME! I feel like I've been waiting for this for years! I'm over the moon. Thank you so much for getting to this Chris!
On my birthday! Unbelievable!
Anything is possible!
My favorite class in high school was always history. These videos remind me of that feeling !
I thought this day would never come... I am beyond hyped to watch this
this little part is happiness😁
My satisfaction is immeasurable, and my day is brightened ❤ Thanks VTH!!
21:58 don't worry it gets worse. They also destroyed the sword and sash of Fredrick the Great.
The first time I came to this channel was watching your reaction about the Napoleonic Wars. Been a fan ever since that day. Never would have thought I'd get to see this day 😂.
Moncey was a honest man to the end. Lol. Seriously, this was a great video. I never knew much about Napoleon’s marshals beforehand, besides the name being brought up here and there learning about the Napoleonic Wars.
Dude, I sincerely hope that you'll react to all the episodes in like a couple of days or so, because the last time I watched a reaction series to these videos, it took a couple of months
Can’t wait for part 2!!!!🤩
Great video. And I love the Ipswich top in the thumbnail too
The video everyone's been waiting for 🥲
Hi everyone! I have a question for y’all.
I’m considering starting to make videos focused on the 19th century history of Latin America (primarily Spanish South America). The presentation would be inspired by Epic History, but with less professional graphics and somewhat less focus on battle tactics detail, and the ultimate goal would be to create a library of videos covering every country’s history from independence up to about 1900 (with the option of continuing past 1900 after that). There would likely be an introductory video covering the relevant history of the Spanish Empire up to 1800 to set the scene.
At this point, I’m still thinking about it and trying to get the lay of the land in terms of audience. If this is something you think sounds interesting, I’d love it if you could like this comment.
Thank you for your time!
ah man; I watched this a while ago; I don't usually watch youtube videos of the length of napoleon's Marshals, but this was a really cool video
23:50 right? thank you for specifically mentioning that; I'm not french (dutch here) but it boils my blood when I hear the uninformed rub the french their surrender in the second world war in their face; for most of history the french were THE scariest land army in main land europe and the rest of europe rightfully feared their army.
22 maréchal Grouchy? It's a joke, the guy is s fantastic cavalry commander and saved his wing during the 100 days, which is quite an achievement. I remind people that Grouchy could never have joined the waterloo battlefield.
He was given his orders like noon on the 17th waaaayyyy too late to pursue the Prussians and on the 18th he had to fight a corps to be able to move through Wavre. Had Napoleon prepared the aftermath of Ligny, maybe Grouchy could have captured many Prussians...but then, Waterloo would not have taken place as Wellington deployed for battle only because Blucher promised he would join with enough troops.
Mod: the battle started around 11am in waterloo...guess how long it would have taken to move from where Grouchy was to the battlefield ? Way too much time and Grouchy knew this. Napoleon needed someone to blame when the Emperor IS the one to blame for not putting in the effort during this campaign.
Brune is too underrated. Winner of 2 campaigns, in Holland and Italy, which proves that he could be relied upon for independent command, something Napoleon sorely lacked. A huge waste of talent.
ITS FINALLY HERE!!! OH MY GOD
37:48 The design of this memorial was actually made based on statue of Marcus Aurelius.
I suggest watching their Total Guide on HMS Victory after this series.
NO WAY ITS FINALLY HERE! IVE BEEN SCREAMING FOR THIS TO COME FOR OVER A YEAR EVEN IN YOUR LIVESTREAMS XD
And its my birthday, so you made my day man
@@heh9392happy birthday
@@heh9392happy birthday 🎉
Thanks for getting to this!
First day back to work from vacation. Seeing this reaction video pop up was the highlight of my Monday for sure haha
I have been waiting this over months
In fact, the highest military rank in french army (during Ancien Régime) was connétable, which appeared in the first centuries of the Middle Ages.
General Marshall was asked about this when discussing creating the 5-star rank in the US forces. His reply was that he didn't want to be known as "Marshall Marshall"......
The crossroad just before the citadelle de Verdun is called "le Carrefour des Maréchaux". It has quite a few statues of them.
I take it all back, the protest ends. I resubscribed, and went back and upvoted all of your videos.
I really have been waiting on this reaction for so long lol
Junot wouldve becomed a marshal if he had succeeded in his objective of invading Portugal, he did reach lisbon but the royal family fled to brazil, robbing him of the decisive conclusion that would make him a marhsal, he was also nicknamed "The Storm"
THE TIME HAS COME! COME, TIME!
IT’S HERE
Thank you for finally doing this, a truly great series by Epic History!
thank you for making the comparison of a field marshal to a 5 star general for us Americans. This video will make a lot more sense now.
What a coincidence, I just finished watching the whole series of Napoleon's marshals a few days ago and thought about wanting you to react to it
AWESOME!!!!
Interesting men. I like how several of them live into their 80's which is pretty good for the 1800's
Today is the day, at last! Thanks for getting to it Chris. Gonna watch with a cup of Tea.
Thanks again for this one more interesting reaction video.
French marshalls history are often shadowed by historians focussing only on Napoleon
One thing i d like to know isxwhat was the relationship between the marshalls.. some were friends but seems that most of them had very conflicted relationships... how did they work together, did it significantly impact some campaigns or battles
The peak is certainly the trial of Ney who was sentenced to death. Some (most) of the Marshalls voted for his execution, some (fewer) for his innocence...
Would be nice , one day, you do a video about the trial and execution of Marshall Ney....;)
Oh man I am soo happy!!! 😊😊😊😊😊😊
FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY
I think most EH music are from Filmstro, there's a lot on that platform so it's possible some tracks may be out of licensing scope
And recently they've been commissioning their own music to separate artists so those might get muted
Great! Have been looking forward to this, I hope you will enjoy the series as well.
It has finnaly happened boys Grab your drinks!
At the battle of Castiglione, the plan of Napoleon was to give the key of victory to Sérurier, Sérurier meaning locksmith in french 😁
My top 3 :
🥇Davout
🥈Berthier
🥉Murat
Davout is number 1 because is the only one with Lannes who can lead an army without Napoleon. He's also THE Iron Marshal, the guy who was never defeated
Berthier is number 2 because his management of the Grande Armée is one of the reason of Napoleon's victories. He was clearly missing at Waterloo, where the battle could have been finished way earlier with a french victory if he was there to dispatch Napoleon's orders. Soult, who took Berthier's job at Waterloo was largely inferior. Napoleon said he was irreplaceable.
Murat is number 3 because he was a great leader of men. He was one of the first with Napoleon. Going from innkeeper to king.
Lannes should have been number 1 but he died way too soon.
at long last, IT IS HERE!
_I have waited so long for this moment, I can finally die in Peace…_