# Who are your country's best-known (historic) military leaders? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 24, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515 "2009-08-24T16:48:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/101 "2009-08-31T23:14:08Z")
I object to excluding [Sir Isaac Brock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Isaac_Brock) from a list of Canada’s famous military commanders. Sure, he wasn’t Canadian, but then again, no such nationality existed at the time. He functioned as a military commander of the region now known as Canada, and that’s good enough for me. Plus, he’s regarded as a national hero, which should count for our purposes. Also, he was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/102 "2009-09-01T00:50:56Z")
> [@straight\_man](#): > > I object to excluding [Sir Isaac Brock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Isaac_Brock) from a list of Canada’s famous military commanders. Sure, he wasn’t Canadian, but then again, **no such nationality existed at the time**. “Canadian” as a nationality definitely existed in 1812, even if there weren’t any Canadian citizens, legally speaking. Plenty of people were described as “Canadian” at the time. Whether Isaac Brock was one of them, I can’t say, since I don’t really know the character all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/103 "2009-09-01T01:53:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Try telling them that. > > Incidentially, I wouldn’t call him Roman - the only thing “Roman” about him was the name of his country. [I rest my case](http://www.google.com.ar/search?q=12+byzantine+rulers&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:es-ES:official&client=firefox-a) (listen to the first episode) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/104 "2009-09-01T04:49:12Z")
I’m just saying - I once had a Bulgarian explain to me that “Belisarius” comes from the proto-Slavic “_Beli Tsar_” or “white king”. I didn’t argue. People should be allowed their heroes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/105 "2009-09-01T08:15:57Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > what about Paul Kruger? I think of him more as a politician/statesman than a general. ---
**Author:** ![NoLAFIN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9bcb4/32.png) [@NoLAFIN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoLAFIN)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/106 "2009-09-01T16:56:47Z")
Finland has [Grand Marshall Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannerheim). The man is legend there, right down to the main street of downtown Helsinki named after him as well as a larger-than-life equestrian statue on that very street. Ironically enough, he did not speak any Finnish. Ah well, can’t have it all… ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515/107 "2009-09-01T17:46:14Z")
Boudicca - just for being a mentalist (possibly) Alfred (possibly) Henry II Henry V Drake Duke of Marlborough Nelson Wellington [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-your-countrys-best-known-historic-military-leaders/507515.md?page=5)