# who was the last national leader to physically go to war? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788 "2000-12-03T04:11:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/1 "2000-12-03T04:11:57Z")
i’m talking about world recognized leaders, like presidents, emporers, kings, etc. not regional army leaders, like the buck naked crew in africa or where ever they are. i’m supposing napolean was the last to actually lead his army to war, but maybe i’m wrong, eh? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/2 "2000-12-03T04:29:55Z")
I don’t know much about it, but what about Teddy Roosevelt’s charge? Not that he was a national leader at the time like the president he would become. Are you asking what leaders actually (Napoleon) led the military in combat while ‘in office’? Military historians–help. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/3 "2000-12-03T04:39:00Z")
On second thought, it seems you mean leaders while in power. In that case I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet it isn’t W. Bush, Gore, or Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/4 "2000-12-03T04:59:33Z")
If I recall correctly, and I can’t find a site to verify this, Napoleon III (not THE Napoleon) was the last national leader to lead his army in a military action. This was the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) and he was taken captive at Sedan. [Encyclopedia.com’s article](http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/08969.html) on this states that Napoleon took the field, but does not state that he was the last leader to do so. So until we find a more recent leader, I’ll hesitantly state that this is your guy. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/5 "2000-12-03T05:10:41Z")
what about Mao and Chiang Kai-shek? did either of them actually lead an armey while head of government? ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/6 "2000-12-03T05:23:20Z")
The last world leader who went to war, as far as I can discern, was George Bush. He served in WWII. But I think you meant, who was the last national leader who personally lead his troops during the time of his rule? It all depends on how you define “lead the troops in battle.” By loose criterion, you could pick George Bush, or Milosevic, or someone like that. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/7 "2000-12-03T05:24:26Z")
Doesn’t **Eisenhower** qualify? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/8 "2000-12-03T05:35:43Z")
Note that the OP wasn’t asking about what world leader fought in a war sometime in his/her life, but what world leader fought in a war while acting in his capacity as leader of his country. Thus, George Bush and Dwight Eisenhower do not qualify. I’m also going to assume that the criteria does not necessarily include fighting on the field of combat (taking up a rifle, hefting a sword, pushing the nuke button, whathaveyou) but being physically at the battle and in danger of capture or death. Thus, I still stand by my previous hypothesis that Napoleon III is the guy we’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/9 "2000-12-03T05:47:12Z")
yeah, we’ll say that the leader just has to be there. i’m sure that very few leaders actually were taking up sword and gun and running the opponet through. lets suppose the leader has to have been near the front lines, and away from the life of cushy-ness that most leaders afford. sorry if that doesn’t make sense to you. i’m drunk. sorry. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/10 "2000-12-03T05:47:18Z")
Well, if LNO’s described the qualifications right, then I nominate the Belgian ruler (damn, I can’t find his name) during WWI who personally led his troops against the invading Hun. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/11 "2000-12-03T06:05:42Z")
King Albert ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/12 "2000-12-03T06:15:39Z")
Thank you, thank you, **e**! ---
**Author:** ![nebuli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/0ea827/32.png) [@nebuli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nebuli)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/13 "2000-12-03T06:17:34Z")
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Ibn Sa’ud, king of Saudi Arabia personally led his troops against rebels in March 1929. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/14 "2000-12-03T06:23:43Z")
I don’t know if he was the most recent, but didn’t King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia personally lead his cavalry into battle against the Italian army during the 1930s? ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/15 "2000-12-03T07:52:59Z")
I believe George Washington personally led the army to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. Abraham Lincoln came under Confederate fire at one of the Washington fortifications–I think in 1864. And Lyndon Johnson supposedly picked out targets for the B-52s during the Vietnam War, though of course he did so from the White House. Also, I believe Czar Nicholas II personally led at least part of the Russian Army during World War I (instead of paying attention to what was happening in St. Petersburg). And, as I recall, Muamar Kahdaffi (sp?) went out on a boat into the Gulf of Siddra and waved his fist at US naval vessels–maybe that counts. ---
**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/16 "2000-12-03T08:32:12Z")
WAG here, but how about Fidel Castro or Kim Jong Il? ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/17 "2000-12-03T13:17:50Z")
What about General Pervez Musharraf, the current military ruler of Pakistan? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/18 "2000-12-03T16:25:45Z")
Saddam Hussein wore a military uniform while Baghdad was getting the snot bombed out of it. He may even have been there. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/19 "2000-12-03T17:03:38Z")
I know this isn’t exactly what you asked but: The last US president to lead his troops was James Madison who led troops in Washington when the British reached the White House during the War of 1812. Thanks History Channel. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788/20 "2000-12-03T17:07:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qwertyasdfg \* > \*\*I know this isn’t exactly what you asked but: The last US president to lead his troops was James Madison who led troops in Washington when the British reached the White House during the War of 1812. Thanks History Channel. \*\* Lincoln got a little too close to one of the gun batteries defending Washington, but I wouldn’t count that, either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-last-national-leader-to-physically-go-to-war/43788.md?page=2)