[Caesar Princeps]

I voted Caius Iulius Caesar, as he pulled to the best the Roman military machine. He subjugated 3 millions Gauls (1 million dead, 1 million prisoners), with no more than 50000 Legionary (according to Plutarchus). His double siege in Alesia is still a masterwork of tactics, the same is for Farsalus. Not to speak about his charme on the troops.

Rommel is the second in my opinion. He was excellent both as a Colonel (Caporetto, 24 October 1917) and later as a General. He could command small and grand units with the same dexterity and flexibility. What a pity he was not successful as he was forced to confront superior means and had little logistic and political support.

Gustav Adolphus Waasa was also very valiant and intelligent. He also managed to impose a strict discipline on his troops.

Napoleone Bonaparte (Italian ethnicity, French nationality), was a genius but, after 1808 he started collecting a serie of embarassing blunders (Russia, Leipzig, Waterloo). It seems that health problems had affected his military abilities.

Friedrich II von Hohenzollern was a great political and military leader, but he was too contemptous of human lives, and often he suffered great losses for his aggressive strategies, which sometimes forced him to defeat or retreat.

Alexandros Megas won his battles more with his charisma and courage than with military abilities (in tactics and strategy he was surpassed by his general Parmenion, and also the Theban Epamynondas).

Hernan Cortes and Pizarro were very audacious and cunning but I don't think they were very important as military leaders.

Zhukov and Blucher were very good generals but they were not exceptional. The same can be said for kings who displayed good political abilities and great valour in battle but no actual military excellence (Richard I Plantagenet Lionheart, Karolus Martellus, Karolus Magnus, Peter the Great).

Jeanne d'Arc was either an instrument in God's hand (which I strongly doubt), or a charismatic mystic (such as Rasputin and others, especially in Islamic culture) but definitely not a military leader. The battles were planned by those knight who believed in her (D'Alençon and others).

Adolf Hitler had better been far from his general officers. Gross mistakes such as Dunquerque and Stalingrad brought him to ruin. Other German Generals, first of all Guderian were far far better.

Why are Prinz Eugen von Savoie, Wallenstein and Montecuccoli not present?