Militades

Although not in formal command at the battle of Marathon, Militades had tipped the balance on whether to attack or retreat. He did more than his far share of the battle and was also the one most familar with the Persians. With out this land battle the Greeks would have fallen to Persia along with any future democratic ideas. The Persians attacked again in much more strength later, but the Greeks then had also more time to organize themselves.

When the Persians came to take the Greek states the second time the Spartans sent the main force to delay the advance. At Thermopylae, a small bottleneck spot where the Persians would need to pass through, King Leonidas and his small force delay the huge Persian army with what seemed a handful of men. All the Spartans died to the man in battle and so pysched out the Persians that their army was never the same after the battle. The Greeks were inspired, like that of the Texans at the Alamo, and eventually defeated the Persans at sea for the second time, for they had also done so after Marathon.

Themistoles

Themistoles had lead the Athenians to vacate the city of Athens to the Persians, and then used gile to bring about a naval battle in the Greeks favor. The Greeks navy then finished off any long hope the Persians holding any long term position in the south. Xerxes went home with his more isolated army and left a much smaller force in the north which lost out in the end aswell.

Alexander

Alexander the Great finished off any Greek threat to his fathers domination of the Hellenistic world and then moved east to take on the never ending threat of the Persians. He went all the way to India never losing a battle until his men gave out on him. In the process he had destroyed a hugely larger Persian empire, along with others, and spread Greek ideas everywhere as he went. This allowed these ideas to come to us from the Moslems when many Greek writers were lost to us in the intervening years.

Hannabal

The real famous Hannabul of Carthage had lived in the present day Spain for most of his young life before becoming the scurge of Rome. It is there where he sprung from to wage war on Rome. Rome was unable to defeat him in open battle and was only able to win due to the superior resources and style of government. Eventually Rome listen to a leader with more sense who allow for the fall of Hannabal. Poor Hannabal unfortunately belonged to a very poorly run country, yet his abilities to fight with the people and forces at his disposal are legendary.  His help of Europe is less tangible and only in his defense of Roman imperialism can we see much. His real help is how the Romans learned from him and took measures to stop him that we see the beginnings of Pax Romana.

Q. Fabius Maximus

Fabius was able to defeat Hannabal by attacking everything but him directly until the very end. He shows us the importance of strategy above tactics, field command and the skill of your warriors. He shows us also how disciplined troops are more important to an army than gamness in ones troops.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar successful campaign against Gaul (France and Belguim)allowed Rome to become the power she is regarded as today. Like Alexander, Roman ideas spread threw out most of western and southern Europe. Without this empire hordes from the east would have kept Europe in a state of constant internal fighting with no hope of rising any organized response to later threats from the east. Rome allowed both for the west to grow and helped defend its advancements for a very long and necessary period. Rome in partnership with its taking of all things Greek built upon a foundation that other parts of the world still can't come to grips with even today.

Charlamange came along from a long line of leadership that blended Roman and Frankish ideas that allowed for a system to deal with threats from outside  and inside Europe affectively-and in addition to prosper economically too. For a time Europe had fewer battling tribes and was again able to get on its feet. This Frankish system was also responible for twice defeating the first moslem threat from Spain before any crusadaes.

Otto III

Otto III is the reason so many Germans military men, in the movies at least, are called by this name. Otto III dealt with the main tribe from the east at the time by taking ideas from the Franks and his enemies and dealing them blows that they weren't able to recover from. He even passed them on to his son effectively enough to reaffirmed his kingdom against the same eastern horseman for another generation. This effectively moved europes defenders east and effectively gave even more rome from it to develop in other areas.

El Cid

 

El Cid was responible for following on the Franks successes against the moslems. He both brought chivilary and honor to the battlefield on both sides- along with victory. The Christian kingsdoms grew stronger and stronger and evetually pushed out the horseman from africa. Once again this was done before any crusades were even imagined.

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