- Barbarian(蛮族) [#v042f77b]
- Washington（ワシントン）[#m540728a]
- Roosevelt（ルーズベルト）[#k0003f57]
- Saladin（サラディン） [#m5c9feb0]
- Montezuma（モンテズマ） [#cc8547d8]
- Qin Shi Huang（始皇帝） [#v6ccdb98]
- Mao Zedong（毛沢東） [#lf4af9e0]
- Hatshepsut（ハトシェプスト）[#i2d950e2]
- Elizabeth（エリザベス）[#o7db6d4b]
- Victoria（ビクトリア）[#q0104a70]
- Louis XIV（ルイ14世）[#m4f72687]
- Napoleon（ナポレオン）[#l41ef74d]
- Frederick（フリードリヒ）[#jbaeb418]
- Bismarck（ビスマルク）[#d5903e15]
- Alexander（アレキサンダー）[#v1c238ec]
- Basil [#de1b66f3]
- Svein Forkbeard [#c1d35ee5]
Barbarian(蛮族)
シドの忠実な部下
?-2009（年次更新）
マップが広いと最後まで生き残ることもある。マルチではまず生き残らない。
背景
蛮族（Barbalian）の語源は、古代ギリシアまで遡る。まだ開拓も発見も未熟な時代、ギリシアに属さない人々の総称をバルバローイと呼んだことから始まる。
しかしペルシアがギリシャに攻め込んだかの「ペルシア戦争」以降、この語に「蛮族」という概念が発生することになる。
以来、自身に属さず、どの文明にも従わない部族などを蛮族と呼びならわすようになったのである。
Washington（ワシントン）
アメリカ合衆国初代大統領
1732-1799
背景・バックグラウンド
ジョージ・ワシントンは、裕福な上流階級(当時、アメリカにおいてそう見なされていた)の家に生まれました。彼の家族はヴァージニアにたくさんの土地を所有しており、彼も豪農(主に奴隷や雇われた人間を使って作物を作る)として育ちました。彼は早いうちから、冒険に対する興味を示しおり、"フレンチ・インディアン戦争"が始まった時、ワシントンは22歳で中佐に任命されました。彼のイギリス人の上官は、彼の騎士道精神と、戦場における勇気を賞賛しました。
年齢を重ねるとともに、彼は英国政府の保護主義貿易政策に批判的になりました。そして彼は、大陸会議へのヴァージニア代表の一人として選出されました。戦況が切迫していたとき、実際の兵役についた数少ないメンバーの一人であった彼は、会議において、(その時点ではまだ組織されていなかった)大陸軍の総司令官に任命されました。
指揮官として、ワシントンは大きな困難に直面しました。戦費、装備および訓練された兵士を欠き、新しい国特有の政治的問題に妨げられながら、かつ、世界でもっとも強力な英国軍に立ち向かえる装備と軍隊を整備しなければならなかったのです。緒戦において、バンカーヒルの戦いの直後、彼の軍隊は、英国軍をボストンからの撤退に追い込みました。しかしニューヨークのロング・アイランドに上陸した英国軍は彼を数で圧倒し、戦術・戦略面でも彼を凌ぎました。彼が自軍の全滅を回避できたのは幸運でした。
この屈辱的敗北の後、ワシントンは、最終的に彼に勝利をもたらすこととなる戦術を使用し始めました。彼は、時間こそが最良の同盟相手であることに気づいたのです。長期にわたっての戦争継続は、より大規模な軍を展開している英国側の戦争疲労を大きくするでしょう。彼は英国の軍事力を打ち破れるとは思っていませんでしたが、英国人がこの戦争を、割に合わない戦いと感じ、最終的にはあきらめるであろうと考えたのです。さらに、戦争が長引けば長引くほど、諸外国の政府がアメリカ側にまわる可能性がありました。
続く過酷な六年間の間、ワシントンは彼の軍隊を十分に維持するために戦いました。彼は大規模な戦闘は避けました。彼は英国軍が弱っているとき攻撃を仕掛け、逆に英国軍がその勢力を盛り返してくると、山中に撤退しました。彼の軍隊は冬にかけて次第にその勢力を減退させ、夏の間だけは一時的な義勇兵が集まりました。男たちは履く靴にも事欠き、空腹で、士気は急激に低下していきました。ワシントンの強固な意思と、彼個人の強い求心力だけが、かろうじて軍を支えていました。
最後に、1781年、長らく待っていた外国政府の介入が生じました。フランスが英国との開戦に踏み切り、そのフランスの海軍の支援により、ワシントンはヨークタウンにて英国軍の主力を捕捉し、降伏させることが出来ました。
ワシントンは初代合衆国大統領になりました。尊大さの傾向もあって、彼は"君主的"大統領であり、民主主義の土台が力強く強化されていく中、その後の時代にも受け継がれていく、高い水準と尊厳を政府に与えました。外交においては彼は中立を維持しました(すくなくとも新しい国が強くなるまで)。また、彼は地域主義や派閥主義という二つの害悪が連邦政府に影響をもたらさないよう努力しましたが、その後の数世紀が証明するように、大部分は失敗しました。
ワシントンは二期目の任期が終わるとともに、政界を引退しました。彼は生家に帰り、再び豪農の生活に戻りました。その三ヵ月後、彼は国民から愛され、「建国の父」として讃えられながら、その生涯を閉じたのです。
First President of the United States
Lived: 1732 - 1799
Background:
George Washington was born into wealth and gentility (or what passed for it in early American history). His family owned a lot of land in Virginia, and Washington grew up as a gentleman farmer. Early on he displayed a taste for adventure, and when the French and Indian war broke out, Washington was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel at the age of 22. His British superiors praised him for his gallantry and courage under fire.
As he matured, Washington grew to dislike the protectionist policies of the British government, and he was elected one of the Virginia delegates to the Continental Congress. Being one of the few men with actual military service, when war was imminent, he was appointed Commander in Chief of the (largely theoretical) Continental Army.
As a war leader, Washington faced enormous challenges. Lacking money, equipment and trained troops and hampered by the new country's inherent political problems, he had to organize, equip and recruit an army that could stand up to the finest military in the world. In his first engagement, shortly after the "battle" of Bunker Hill, his forces drove the unprepared British out of Boston. But when he next met the foe on Long Island, New York, he was totally outnumbered, outgunned, and out-generaled by the British, and he was lucky to escape the total destruction of his army.
After this humiliating defeat, Washington began to employ the tactics that would eventually win the war. He realized that time was his best ally - the longer the war continued, the greater the British war weariness would grow. He couldn't hope to defeat the British war machine - but he could hope that the British would eventually give up the fight as not worth the cost. Further, the longer the war went on, the greater the chance that a foreign government would intervene on the American side.
For the next six weary years Washington fought to keep his army intact. He avoided major engagements. He harried the British troops when they were vulnerable, and retreated into the mountains when they were powerful. His forces dwindled to virtually nothing in the winter, and swelled with temporary volunteers during the summer. Men went shoeless and hungry, and morale plummeted. Only Washington's iron will and strong personal magnetism kept the army alive.
Finally, in 1781, the long-awaited foreign intervention occurred, and France went to war with Britain. With their invaluable naval assistance, Washington was able to capture the main British army in Yorktown, forcing Great Britain to admit defeat.
Washington became the first President of the United States. Prone to pomposity, he was an "Imperial" president, giving the new office much of the stature and dignity it has maintained ever since, while strongly reinforcing its democratic underpinnings. He believed in neutrality in foreign affairs - at least until the new country was stronger - and he sought to keep the twin evils of regionalism and factionalism from infecting the federal government. In this he was largely unsuccessful, as the next several centuries would attest.
Washington retired at the end of his second term. He returned to his family home and once again took up the life of a gentleman farmer. He died three months later, beloved by his countrymen and rightly recognized at the "father of his country."
Roosevelt（ルーズベルト）
アメリカ合衆国大統領
1882-1945
バックグラウンド;
アメリカ合衆国第32代大統領、フランクリン・デラノ・ルーズヴェルトは、合衆国を世界恐慌からの脱出と、第二次世界大戦の勝利に導いたことでよく知られています。39歳のときにポリオを患い、身体に障害を負いながらも、ルーズヴェルトは不屈の勇気を示し、自らの障害を克服し、自身の目標を達成していきました。
President of the United States
Lived: 1882 - 1945
Background:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, is best known for leading the US out of the Great Depression and to victory in WWII. Crippled by polio at 39, Roosevelt displayed indomitable courage and resolve to overcome his disability and achieve his goals.
Roosevelt was a man of contradictions. Though wealthy and powerful, Roosevelt was beloved by the poor and downtrodden and despised as a socialist by the wealthy and powerful. Roosevelt ran for office on a platform of isolationism, but he hated fascism and oppression, and unceasingly worked behind the scenes to aid the UK and get America into World War II.
When Roosevelt first became President in 1932, the United States was in a crippling depression. Banks had closed and businesses had failed. Millions were unemployed and falling into poverty. To counter this malaise, Roosevelt enacted a series of policies that he called the "New Deal:" a sweeping program to bring recovery to business and agriculture, relief to the unemployed and to those in danger of losing businesses, farms and homes.
Meanwhile, the Depression raged across the entire planet, and much of the rest of the world was degenerating into chaos. Japan was attacking China, while the two great dictators - Hitler and Stalin - were threatening to engulf Europe. The United States had largely withdrawn from world politics after World War I and the failure of the League of Nations, and few American politicians had the stomach to call for intervention. Roosevelt didn't, either, and in fact he ran for reelection on a platform of isolationism.
However, Roosevelt sincerely believed that the United States would have to become involved in the conflict one way or another - he abhorred fascism and totalitarianism - and he feared that, left unchecked, Germany, Russia and Japan would become powerful enough to overwhelm everything in their path - including, eventually, the US. Thus he did everything in his power to ready the US for the upcoming conflict by dramatically increasing the size of the US armed forces, pitifully weakened after the end of World War I. Further, he gave as much aid as was politically feasible to England, whom he rightly saw as the unprepared US's chief protection from the German war machine. Meanwhile, he did his best to turn public opinion around in favor of more direct action.
It is not clear that Roosevelt would have succeeded in that, if it weren't for Japan's attack against Pearl Harbor. Though casualties were extremely heavy, Pearl Harbor did "awake a sleeping giant," and at long last the citizens of the country realized their peril. And when Germany made the huge strategic blunder of declaring war on the United States shortly thereafter, Roosevelt was able to put all of the United States' massive industrial and military might into the conflict.
During the war, Roosevelt showed himself to be a masterful international politician; the UK-Soviet-American alliance was shaky at best, and his adroit handling of Stalin and Churchill did much to keep things running (relatively) smoothly. Meanwhile his "fireside chats" kept the country firmly behind him, and world opinion in the allies' favor. It has been said that Hitler hated Roosevelt even more than Stalin or Churchill - high praise indeed.
As a military leader Roosevelt was less sure-footed and the US made some early strategic blunders that could have been avoided. He learned quickly, however, and by the end of his life the US military machine was the most powerful that the world had ever seen.
Roosevelt died in 1945, shortly before the war ended. His legacies of social welfare and international cooperation would dominate United States policies for the next half a century.
Saladin（サラディン）
Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt
Lived: c.1137 - 1193
Background:
Saladin was a Kurdish Muslim warrior and self-proclaimed Sultan of Egypt. During his life he was the Defender of Islam and great opponent to the Crusaders.
Of Kurdish descent, born in Mesopotamia, Saladin grew to become a religious warrior. During his youth he studied Sunni theology for ten years and then accompanied his uncle during his battles to conquer Egypt (ca. 1167). After his uncle died, Saladin succeeded him as vizier (minister of state) of Egypt, and he eventually proclaimed himself sultan (sovereign).
During his reign Saladin conquered portions of North Africa, Yemen, Syria and Palestine. He mustered a large force of Muslims to defeat the Christian occupiers and retake the city of Jerusalem. He fought off a spirited attempt to retake the city (the Third Crusade) in 1189; in 1192 Saladin signed a treaty with the Crusaders, leaving them just a small strip of land in Syria on the coast of the Mediterranean.
Saladin had a richly-deserved reputation for generosity and chivalry in battle. He treated his prisoners honorably, and was a man of his word. He was greatly admired by his European opponents, who barely acknowledged other Muslims as human.
Montezuma（モンテズマ）
Aztec Emperor
Lived: c.1480 - 1520
Background:
Montezuma was Emperor of the Aztec nation from approximately 1502 until its dissolution in 1520. At the start of his reign he was considered a god and was absolute monarch of the entire known world; at the end of his reign he watched a small group of foreigners destroy his empire with ease.
Montezuma ruled the Aztecs at the height of their power. His empire controlled a large portion of what is now modern Mexico. They had conquered virtually all other people around them, except for a few other nations, which they deliberately left free (so that they would have somebody left to make war against and to use as sacrifices).
Though extremely rich and powerful, Montezuma's nation shamelessly squandered a great portion of its wealth and might. Much like the Egyptians, the Aztecs built huge monuments to their gods and held ever-increasing numbers of expensive religious festivals in which they slaughtered tens of thousands of prisoners and their own people. Montezuma himself lived in great splendor, his clothing made of silver, gold, and brightly-colored feathers. His court was brilliant, though much riddled with corruption and intrigue.
In 1519, Hernando Cortes led 600 Spanish adventurers with 20 horses and 10 cannon to the shores of Mexico on a mission of exploration. Hearing of the great wealth of the Aztecs, he took his tiny force west, determined to conquer this massive nation of five million. At the start of the march Cortes burned his ships to ensure that his men would not desert him.
The natives that first faced Cortes were primitive and divided. They were terrified of the Spanish "demonic" horses and cannon and broke before their accurate musket-fire. Cleverly exploiting their political divisions, Cortes then enlisted the defeated peoples' aid by promising them revenge against the hated Aztecs.
Montezuma watched Cortes' approach with fear and bewilderment. His religion told him that one day the god Quetzalcoatl would return in the guise of a light-skinned bearded man, and when that day occurred, the Aztecs were to welcome him with open arms. Surely Cortes was Quetzalcoatl, else how could he command an army of demons? On the other hand, Cortes was clearly bent on the conquest of the empire - should Montezuma not oppose him? Perhaps the sinful Aztecs needed to be punished!
Eventually, at the desperate urging of his advisors, Montezuma sent an army into the field against the invaders. But they were unable to offer effective resistance and Cortes' forces quickly overwhelmed them. The invaders then marched into the capital city Tenochtitlan virtually unopposed and took Montezuma prisoner. He was eventually killed during an uprising that pushed the invaders out of the city for more than a year.
One has to wonder what would have happened if Montezuma had shown Cortes' courage and resolve and mobilized his people when the invaders first arrived. Could the Spanish have conquered Mexico against determined and organized resistance? Perhaps, but perhaps the natives would have held on long enough to learn to master the horse and gun - or at least their fear of them. If so, they would have become a formidable foe indeed.
Qin Shi Huang（始皇帝）
First Emperor of China
Lived: c.247 - 210 BC
Background:
Born "Chao Cheng," Qin Shi Huang was the first to unify all of China. His father was ruler of "Ch'in," one of the seven dominant states in China; upon his death Cheng ascended the throne at the age of 13. However, rule was actually exercised by his prime minister until, at 22, Cheng assumed control of state affairs and stripped the minister of his powers.
Chen quickly instituted a series of agricultural and military reforms that greatly strengthened Ch'in. In the next 17 years, Chen defeated the other six great powers, uniting the divided lands for the first time. He then gave himself the title "Qin Shi Huang," which means "First Emperor."
The emperor was politically astute, using bribery, blackmail and espionage as much as force of arms to achieve his goals. He ruthlessly suppressed Confucianism, which set limits on the Emperor's power, going so far as to burn all books relating to China's past.
While emperor, Qin Shi Huang established a centralized administration and constructed a network of roads and canals, he also fought against the steppe peoples from the northern desert, and began construction of the Great Wall of China to set limits to their incursions. Though his reign lasted but ten years, it served to unite a people who would remain united for the next two millennia and beyond.
Mao Zedong（毛沢東）
Dictator of China (Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party)
Lived: 1893 - 1976
Background:
Born of fairly well-to-do peasant stock in Hunan, Mao was trained in Chinese classics and received a modern education. Observing the oppressive social conditions besetting China, Mao became one of the original members of the Chinese Communist Party, where he worked to recruit peasants to the new party. The party was then engaged in a running guerilla war with Chaing Kai-shek, ruler of "Nationalist" China.
Now a commander of one of the People's armies, Mao found himself in danger of encirclement and destruction. He famously led his ragtag force of 90,000 men, women and children on the grueling "Long March," a 6,000 mile trek through some of the most unpleasant terrain China has to offer. He arrived at the city of Yan'an having lost more than half of his force, but emerging as the undisputed leader of the Chinese Communist party.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45), Mao fought both the Chinese Nationalist forces and the Japanese until the United States forced Japan's surrender in 1945. With the Japanese now out of the way, the communists concentrated their efforts against the Nationalists, and by 1949 they drove Chaing's forces off the mainland to the island province of Taiwan.
In total control of (mainland) China, Mao sought to keep his people imbued with revolutionary vigor, and in 1958 he instituted his "Great Leap Forward." This piece of political thinking resulted in the deaths of approximately twenty million Chinese, and easily set back China's development by 30 years. Not yet satisfied, in 1966 Mao and his wife initiated the "Cultural Revolution," a ten-year period in which China's artists, intellectuals, moderate politicians and other unenlightened or unlucky folk were imprisoned and killed or sent out to work the fields until they died or were judged "reeducated" by the workers. This adventure in social engineering killed perhaps one million people and further delayed China's emergence as a great world power.
Mao died in 1976, beloved by his people. To summarize him as a man, it could be said that Mao was a great war leader, an exceptional political infighter, and an unbelievably brutal dictator.
Hatshepsut（ハトシェプスト）
Pharaoh of Egypt
Lived: c.1500 - c.1450 BC
Background:
Hatshepsut was born the daughter of King Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. She became Queen when her father died and her husband (and half-brother) Thutmose II became Pharaoh. She and Thutmose II had a daughter together, but no son, and Thutmose II declared a son he had with a palace concubine to be his heir and successor. Thutmose II died in his early thirties while his son was still a child, and in her early teens Hatshepsut became the young pharaoh's regent, and thus ruler of all Egypt.
Apparently, Hatshepsut liked the job and decided that she wanted to keep it. Declaring that the gods had appointed her as her husband's successor, she declared herself "King of Upper and Lower Egypt" and began wearing all of the trappings of a King, including a false beard. She didn't kill her husband's son, and some evidence suggests that they became co-rulers, Thutmose III in charge of the military, while Hatshepsut concentrated upon improving Egypt's commerce and infrastructure, and upon religious matters.
Hatshepsut is known to have greatly expanded Egypt's commerce with Asia, Nubia and Libya, and she sent expeditions to far-off places that Egypt had never traded with before. She repaired many of Egypt's temples and secular buildings that had been severely damaged by invasion in years past. She constructed many obelisks and statues, and a striking mortuary building for herself and her father.
Hatshepsut died sometime around 1450 BC, apparently of natural causes.
Elizabeth（エリザベス）
Virgin Queen of England
Lived: 1533 - 1603
Background:
Born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who her father had executed for failing to give him a male heir, Elizabeth's early life was filled with danger. Growing up an unwanted daughter of a insane father who was destroying England's ties to the Catholic Church and engaging in civil war so that he could legally marry another woman (several other women, in fact), Elizabeth had to use all of her wits to survive.
Elizabeth received an excellent education at the hands of various tutors, including the great scholars of the day. She was an outstanding student, and could speak five languages fluently.
When King Henry VIII died, the throne passed to his young son, Edward. At fifteen Elizabeth was implicated in a plot to overthrow him. She came close to being executed, surviving only because she was able to convince her skeptical interrogators that she knew nothing of the plot.
When King Edward died in 1553, Elizabeth's older sister, Mary, assumed the throne. An ardent Catholic, Mary was quite unpopular with a number of Protestant noblemen, who attempted unsuccessfully to overthrow her in 1554. Once again Elizabeth was implicated, but once again she talked her way out of execution.
Queen Mary died in 1558, and Elizabeth became Queen. Elizabeth was an extraordinary ruler. She established the Protestant Church as the official Church of England. However, she attempted to stem the persecution of Catholics in the country - at least as much as was possible when the Catholic nobility were actively plotting her demise. She restored the debased currency of England, and she made England a center of culture, where great artists like William Shakespeare flourished.
Elizabeth used all of the tools available to her to achieve her goals. She received countless offers of marriage from nobility and indeed from kings across Europe. But she accepted none of them, instead using her unmarried state to control her friends and foes alike; if one faction got too strong, she could drive them back into line by suggesting that she was considering marrying someone from an opposing faction.
Militarily, Catholic Spain was England's greatest threat. Spain was the great continental power of the day, and its leader, King Philip, had upon more than one occasion expressed the intent of invading England. In 1588 he tried, building a huge armada to conquer the upstart nation. Elizabeth quickly organized the country's navy to fend off the fleet, and by a combination of superior tactics, ship design, and some foul weather at just the right moment, they defeated the Spanish foe. England was not to be seriously threatened with invasion for about 400 years.
Elizabeth died in 1603, having left her country in far better state. No better words can serve to describe her than her own: "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."
Victoria（ビクトリア）
British Queen
Lived: 1819 - 1901
Background:
Victoria served as English monarch for 64 years - the longest reign in English history. She took the throne at 18, after the death of her uncle, King William IV. At 20 she married Prince Albert, to whom she bore nine children. The couple was very much in love and co-ruled for twenty years. She and Albert were quite interested in science, and in 1851 they inspired the hugely successful Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace, the proceeds going to establish a number of public museums, including the Albert and Victoria museum; which remains one of the world's finest museums even today.
During the early years of her reign Victoria was a quite active monarch, and she won the hearts of her people with her modesty and practicality. It was during this period that she performed her greatest service to the British people: she oversaw the transition of the British throne to a constitutional monarchy.
When Albert died in 1861, Victoria was devastated. She went into permanent mourning, retiring from the day-to-day rule of her country and secluding herself on the Isle of Wight, where she was increasingly involved in somewhat dubious spiritual exploration. Her self-pity was legendary - a remarkable change from her youthful modesty and enthusiasm.
Victoria's isolation and indifference to the management of her country left room for extremely talented prime ministers, such as Gladstone and Disraeli, to guide Great Britain into a golden age of prosperity and expansion. During this period the Empire came to dominate half of the world's area and population - including India and much of the Orient, as well as large chunks of Africa, Asia, North America and a goodly portion of the Pacific islands.
Victoria believed that Great Britain had a mandate from heaven to bring the ignorant peoples of the world beneath the protection of the British flag. She felt that she personally had a duty to these untutored people, to educate and clothe them, and most importantly, to bring them to the church.
During her reign, Great Britain grew from a moderate European power into the second greatest empire the world has ever known (exceeded only by the Mongol empire of Genghis Khan), an Empire on which "the sun never set," far overshadowing Imperial Rome in size and might. The Diamond Jubilee, celebrating Victoria's 60th year as monarch, dwarfed in pomp and majesty anything that a puny Caesar could have ever mustered.
Louis XIV（ルイ14世）
King of France
Lived: 1643 - 1715
Background:
Born to King Louis XIII of France, Louis XIV was raised in the most opulent court in Europe. His every need was catered to, and he was given an excellent education, even if he was too lazy and spoiled to appreciate it. Louis XIII died when his son was five, and the regency passed to the queen mother, Anne of Austria. For the next 18 years she ruled France with the able assistance of Cardinal Mazarin, who may or may not have also been her lover, while Louis lived in pampered splendor.
It was upon Mazarin's death in 1661 that the 22-year-old Louis XIV began to take an active interest in ruling his country. Much to everyone's surprise, he was good at it. First he gathered all of the power into his own hands, bypassing the old bureaucratic patronage system that Mazarin and his predecessors had used. He enticed the great nobles to his court, where he heaped upon them titles, honorary positions, and financial rewards, while at the same time undermining their actual power. In Louis' court, great noblemen - whose parents had fought for the crown of France itself - fought each other for the privilege of watching Louis shave.
In person Louis was said to possess a great natural dignity and bearing. He was unfailingly courteous and usually honest, but he could dissimulate with the best of them when need-be.
During his early reign Louis's court was known for its debauchery, and Louis himself had several mistresses. As his reign progressed, however, Louis became more devout, and he even married his last mistress (although in secret). Louis also became a patron of the arts, and literature and painting flourished under his rule. He built many great buildings and palaces, including the grand palace at Versailles.
Despite France's wealth, the country remained virtually bankrupt, not only because it had to pay for all the gifts that Louis gave his favorites, but, more importantly, it had to pay for all the wars of conquest that Louis embarked upon. Although a sound and thoughtful ruler at home, Louis had a great thirst for international "glory" - which in his terms meant victory on the battlefield. He constantly fought his neighbors, often for the most trivial reasons, gaining little but glory from the wars. Though he left the army and navy in splendid condition, he left his country's treasury bare.
Louis XIV died after ruling France for 72 years.
Napoleon（ナポレオン）
Emperor of France
Lived: 1769 - 1821
Background:
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica where he entered military school at ten, displaying a great aptitude for mathematics, history, and geography, as well as total indifference to literature and the humanities. At fourteen he was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in an artillery regiment. When the French revolution broke out, Napoleon sided with the Revolutionaries and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of artillery, where he quickly made a name for himself as a successful commander. By 1794 he was a brigadier-general, and by 1795 he was appointed command of the French Army of the Interior. He was 25 years of age.
Over the next few years Napoleon led French armies, in defense of the new Republic, to major victories over various continental foes, including the extremely powerful Austrians. In 1798 Napoleon sailed against Egypt where he won great land victories; however, the British navy destroyed the French fleet in Egypt, crippling his force. In 1800 Napoleon abandoned his weakened army and returned to France.
Napoleon found Paris in a state of political turmoil, which he quickly took advantage of by overthrowing the government and making himself First Consul, with dictator-like power over all of France. An exceptional administrator, he rapidly reorganized the government, repealed the more radical and violent laws of the Revolution, and reopened the churches, gaining the love and respect of the French people, exhausted by years of revolution and chaos.
However, France was still at war with most of Europe, and Napoleon once again took to the battlefields, where he won stunning victories against Austria, causing that country and England to make peace. In celebration Napoleon quickly declared himself Emperor and consol for Life.
England remained nervous of France's imperial intentions, and war resumed in 1803, with England destroying French shipping on the sea and France putting together a great invasion fleet in the unsuccessful hope of occupying the British Isles. Other countries were equally alarmed by France's actions and they joined the English. France soon found itself facing a daunting alliance that included England, Austria, Russia and Sweden. Acting with amazing speed and cunning, Napoleon used his "interior lines" to concentrate his forces against the dispersed enemy. He rapidly marched across Europe, capturing the capital of Austria and then crushing the Russian forces at the battle of Austerlitz. Austria sued for peace once again, this time giving up all territory in Italy and along the Adriatic.
For several more years Napoleon would defeat every foe that came against him. He moved his forces with unbelievable alacrity, and he was always able to bring them against the enemy's weakest spot. He crushed the Prussians, the Spanish, and the Austrians yet again. He tried to improve his political position by marrying his various relatives into the great families of Europe, with minor success.
Eventually Napoleon decided that he would never be safe in Europe as long as Russia, aided by the perfidious English, was on his flank, so he led half a million men to Moscow. The Russian forces retreated before his advance, taking or burning anything that might be of use to the invaders, while in the rear Cossack raiders destroyed his supply lines. He did reach and capture Moscow, but once again the Russians had removed or burnt anything there that might feed his men. By September he was forced to retreat, his army reduced to 120,000 weary and starving men. By the end of November his forces had been further reduced to 20,000. Napoleon had lost 96% of his army.
Upon returning to Paris, Napoleon immediately recruited another army of 350,000, but his image of invulnerability was gone and all Europe rose against him. Prussia, Russia and Austria allied against him. England threw more troops into contested Spain. Though Napoleon was to again win famous victories, his enemies sensed victory and continued their relentless attacks. Eventually the allies drove their way into Paris, and Napoleon abdicated. For his trouble he was given ruler ship of the island of Elba, along with an income of six million francs, to be paid by France.
But this wasn't enough for Napoleon. Ten months later he re-entered France. The populace immediately went over to his side and he quickly regained his power and titles. He raised an army of 125,000 and headed to Belgium, where an English and Prussian force awaited him. At Waterloo, Napoleon was finally and irrevocably defeated by the English/Prussian forces under the leadership of English general Wellington. This time he was confined for life at the island of Sainte-H醇Pl醇Qne, a thousand miles from the coast of Africa. He died there in 1821.
Napoleon was one of the most brilliant generals of all time. He moved his troops with astounding rapidity, and he always knew exactly where to strike in order to cause the most damage. He turned out to be a decent ruler and France flourished under his control (until his endless wars sapped her strength and will to fight). His only major flaw was his unending drive for conquest and domination, driving other powers to oppose him for their own preservation. In the end, he just couldn't beat everybody.
Frederick（フリードリヒ）
King of Prussia
Lived: 1712 - 1768
Background:
Frederick was born to Frederick William I, the tyrannical and cultured King of Prussia. The king held his son in great contempt, despising him for his lack of interest in leadership and war; the younger Frederick instead preferred to study literature and the arts. At the age of 18 Frederick attempted to flee to England, but he was captured and brought back to his extremely angry father, who forced him to watch the beheading of his close friend and accomplice, Lieutenant Katz. He apparently was able to get back into his father's good graces, and several years later he married a German noblewoman at his father's request.
For the next several years Frederick enjoyed the life of a wealthy man of letters. He maintained an active correspondence with various scholars from around Europe, including the brilliant French writer; Voltaire. He wrote "Anti-Machiavel," a lively refutation of Machiavelli's; "The Prince." Frederick assumed the throne of Prussia upon his father's death in 1840.
Once in power, Frederick showed himself to be both a ruthless pragmatist and a brilliant campaigner. Seeking to increase the size of his empire, over the next 23 years he fought a series of wars against his neighbors, notably Austria, who was often allied with Russia and France. With the support of England he won a series of significant battles against his foes, but he was eventually worn down and soundly defeated, and Berlin was occupied by an allied Austrian-Russian army.
Reportedly on the verge of suicide, Frederick was saved by the timely death of the Russian Tsarina, who was replaced by the pro-Prussian Peter III. Facing the combined power of Russia and Prussia, Austria was forced to accede to Frederick's demands and give up all claims to Upper and Lower Silesia. The two European monarchs then dismembered Poland, making Prussia the most powerful force in Europe for many years to come.
Domestically, Frederick was the model of an "enlightened despot." He instituted important legal and penal reforms, created new industries, improved education, and accomplished internal improvements such as drainage projects, roads, and canals. He improved the lot of his own serfs (but did nothing to curtail the nobility's power over them).
During his rule Frederick maintained his friendship with the enlightened men of Europe. His midnight soirees in Potsdam were famous for the great men they attracted. Frederick was quite famous for his sharp wit and caustic tongue; he more than held his own in their company.
Frederick died in 1768, leaving Prussia more powerful and prosperous than when he first gained power. Upon his death, Frederick's nephew Frederick William II inherited the throne of Prussia.
Bismarck（ビスマルク）
Chancellor of the German Empire
Lived: 1815 - 1898
Background:
Otto von Bismarck, also known as the "Iron Chancellor," is perhaps the most significant figure in German history. During his long political career, Bismarck unified Germany and founded the German Empire. During his 30-year chancellorship, Germany was transformed from a weak and loose confederation of states into a powerful united country that would come to dominate continental Europe.
Descended of a noble Prussian family, Bismarck certainly inherited the arrogance of the Prussian Junker class. He was a poor student who excelled at dueling and was quite a historian and linguist. However, he spent much of his time drinking with the other aristocrats in their exclusive fraternity.
Unable to accept the discipline required for military service, Bismarck instead entered the Prussian diplomatic corps, where his skill quickly brought him to the attention of the Prussian Kaiser. Appointed to the German Federal Diet (congress), Bismarck worked to increase Prussian status and power within Germany. Eventually he would rise to the rank of Prussian Prime Minister, where after years of long struggle, he succeeded in unifying Germany under Prussian rule. Bismarck would accomplish this through crafty diplomacy, aided by a series of successful wars.
Once Germany was unified, Bismarck's main foreign policy aim was to keep the peace in Europe, mostly by isolating France, Germany's historic enemy. In this he was largely successful. He engineered a war with France in 1870 in order to draw several German states (Bavaria, Baden, and others) into the German empire. In the war, France was quickly defeated.
Having achieved his objective of acquiring the German states, Bismarck argued for fairly lenient terms, but the German people and military wanted more, and he was forced to annex the French provinces of Alsace and Loraine. Bismarck knew that this would be trouble in the long run - before the war he had told a colleague, "Supposing we did win Alsace, we would have to maintain our conquest and to keep Strasbourg perpetually garrisoned. This would be an impossible position, for in the end the French would find new allies - and we might have a bad time." This, of course, is exactly what happened in World War I, where Germany had a very bad time indeed.
Although an ardent conservative and monarchist, Bismarck was the first European leader to promote a system of social security for workers. He rebuilt the German monetary system, introducing for the first time a single currency. He also helped fabricate the new country's code of civil and commercial law. His benevolence was not universal, however; while emancipating the Jews, Bismarck also enacted laws aimed at restraining Germany's Catholics.
As a diplomat, Bismarck's greatest weakness was his single-minded desire to weaken France. He was largely successful during his lifetime, but in doing so he made France into an implacable enemy, which would have dire consequences in the next century. Domestically, Bismarck's great flaw was his indifference to the lives of the German people. As Germany grew in power and stature, the people's lives improved but little. His social security system did some good, but he enacted that mainly to avoid having to make greater concessions to the German Socialists.
In total, Bismarck was a great leader, perhaps the greatest European leader of the 19th Century. His triumphs greatly outweighed his defeats, and he almost single-handedly turned a group of bickering kingdoms in to a mighty state. The disasters in Germany's future were not so much a result of his policies, but of his successors' inability to adjust to the changing geopolitical climate in Europe.
Alexander（アレキサンダー）
King of Macedonia, Greece
Lived: 356 - 323 BC
Background:
Alexander was the son of King Phillip II, an extremely successful king and warlord who had rescued his kingdom from the verge of extinction and then led his people to triumph by conquering Athens, Illyria, and Thrace - the three powers who, a few short years before, had been on the verge of conquering Macedonia. As the son of the most powerful monarch in the "civilized" world, Alexander got the best of everything, including education - the scholar Aristotle, the great thinker of Western Civilization, was his tutor.
Taught by his mother that he was descended from Hercules and Achilles, Alexander did not lack for self-confidence, even at a very young age. At 16 he led an army to quell a Thracian rebellion while his father was away. Alexander stormed the rebel stronghold and broke the back of the rebellion.
Several years later, Alexander's father was assassinated while in the process of mounting an invasion of Persia. Alexander immediately took power, and within two years he carried out his father's interrupted invasion of Persia. Alexander's force consisted of 30,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 cavalrymen, a huge army for the day, and was accompanied by engineers, surveyors, scientists, and even historians.
Alexander had amazing success against the Persians. He repeatedly beat their best soldiers, routinely fighting against odds of 10-to-1. His success can be attributed to his military genius, his force's superb training and equipment, and their magnificent esprit de corpse, largely engendered by their faith in Alexander's invincibility.
Having secured Persia's surrender, Alexander then moved south, conquering Syria, Palestine, much of modern Iraq, and eventually Egypt herself. He returned to Persia, destroyed the last of the Persian forces and took over the entire country. He continued east, eventually coming into contact with the great Indian King Porus, who fought him to a standstill. Alexander eventually won the conflict, but at such a heavy cost that his men begged him to end the campaign and let them return to their families. Alexander himself returned to rule his empire from the captured city of Babylon.
In eight short years of fighting, Alexander had conquered more territory than any other living being. He successfully led his forces into battle against all of the great nations of the day, but none could stand against him. He was the absolute ruler of the largest empire the world had ever seen.
Apparently he found this boring.
Once in Babylon, Alexander began an inexorable decline. He began drinking heavily and engaging in all kinds of available debauchery (and there was much debauchery to be found in Babylon). He became subject to fits of anger and bouts of paranoid delusion. One night, in a fit of blind rage and under the influence of alcohol, Alexander murdered Clitus, his closest associate. This barbaric act was to haunt Alexander for the rest of his life - which wasn't very long.
In June of 332 BC, his body weakened by his excesses, Alexander died of malaria. He was 32 years old.
