[Thread] Who according to you is the most legendary figure in human history? Also, Why?
I'm definitely not engaging with any answers that don't have a "Why". Regardless, my answer would be...
Napoleon, The French Emperor and Military Commander
"The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy's."
I've been watching a few documentaries on his military tactics. His innovative tactics and organisational reforms revolutionised warfare, setting the standard for modern military operations. His military campaigns, known as the Napoleonic Wars, reshaped the map of Europe and influenced military thought for generations.
Personally, the battle at Austerlitz remains to be the best showcasing Napoleon's tactical brilliance and audacious maneuvering. In the midst of a freezing December day, his Army faced the combined forces of the Russian and Austrian empires atop the icy Lake Satschan. With the enemy mistakenly believing his right flank was weak, Napoleon executed a deception, withdrawing his troops to lure the Allies onto the fragile ice. As the ice cracked and creaked beneath their weight, the French unleashed their firepower, shattering the frozen surface and sending thousands of enemy soldiers plunging into the icy waters, resulting in multiple casualties and ultimately victory.
Napoleon's rise from humble beginnings to becoming Emperor and his eventual downfall at the Battle of Waterloo is a legendary story of ambition and power.
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Akbar. The guy understood the masses like no other. With an Incompetent father, and equally (if not less) Incompetent son - He was the only one upholding the glory of Mughal empire as we know today. Made a point not to engage in inter religion warfare.
Alexander or Genghis Khan. Nobody else even comes close to their achievements (exploits?)
Captured massive parts of Asia and Europe, established influence over Northern Africa. Forged the largest empires in known human history.
One could argue the British had a larger empire but then one could also argue that they didn't have ruler-like control over their "empire" like either of these did.
This is too unreal. Love the way you articulated it.
For me, I would have to say Leonidas, the Spartan King purely because, he defended Sparta against the Persians with only 300 men at Thermopylae.
@DecisiveArch A certified badass for sure.
@DecisiveArch More like 7,000 men. 300 of whom were Spartan.
The idea was to march and engage the Persian army to anchor the place of the battle before the rest of the Greek allies join them.
The allies had stayed back because the Olympic games were on, and would join up with the Spartans as soon as the games got over.
Xerxes waited for 4 days, and the attacked the Greeks. The war was over in 3 days before the rest of the allied armies could even reach Thermopylae.
Heroic nonetheless!
Alexander the Great. He definitely has had the most impact. He is probably one of the earliest figures to have connected the west (Europe) with the east (India, Persia).
He was very tolerant of the Persians. It was at a time when the Greeks used to loathe Persians. After Xerxes invaded and plundered Greece in 479 BC, Alexander was the one who tool their revenge in 330 BC, by burning the Persian capital down to ruins.
This was at a time when society was very close to each other and folks didn't used to forget what their ancestors had to go through (whwt the invaders did basically).
The Greeks were extremely happy to have crushed Persians and celebrated. If Alexander wanted, he could've gotten the Persians executed, which would surely have further cemented his legacy. But he chose to forgive them (not easy for him).
He administered the Persians into his army and won Egypt, far eastern provinces of Persia where he eventually married a Bactrian Princess, and also invaded India with Persian horse archers.
He very well knew that his life would've been in danger by treating Persians well (Greeks weren't happy) and administering Persians in his army was anyway going to be challenging (Alexander was hated by patriotic Persians). But still he did.
He also ensured his fellow Greek generals would marry Persian princes in a grand mass wedding to ensure ties get more stronger between east and the west.
He really did a lot.
He is truly Aledander the Great.
Reiterating, he did this in 330 BCE, just take a moment to grasp the societal and other cultural differences.
The guy who invented icecream. That guy
@Elon_Musk Icecream 🍦