Gustav II Adolf of Sweden might fit the bill.
Does getting killed in battle disqualify you?
Gustav II Adolf of Sweden might fit the bill.
He then kept William Pitt, the greatest strategist of his generation from the post of Prime Minister.
In my opinion, no. He liked to lead from the front instead of hanging back in the rear. It is an admirable quality. Unfortunately, it didn't help that he was near sighted, didn't wear plate due to a previous battle injury which left some fingers in one of his hands unusable, and the factors which lead to his untimely death in battle in 1632.Does getting killed in battle disqualify you?
It's at least got to count against you; can't really stay competent after getting capped by Wallenstein's cuirassiers, after all, and without him at the helm, the Swedish army was ingloriously routed at Nördlingen, forcing many German princes to the negotiating table.In my opinion, no. He liked to lead from the front instead of hanging back in the rear. It is an admirable quality. Unfortunately, it didn't help that he was near sighted, didn't wear plate due to a previous battle injury which left some fingers in one of his hands unusable, and the factors which lead to his untimely death in battle in 1632.
Some of the reforms that were carried out not only in the military but back in his home country helped make Sweden a major power.
Liu Bang or Emperor Gaozu of Han: Restore peace and stability by bringing order to a country that has been fragmented for over five centuries, after all previous attempts at Empire-building has failed. The system he established lasted, with a few ups and downs, for over four hundred years.
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Undoubtedly, the Shogunate was a de facto monarchy. He created an ingenious system with a balance between the central government (the shogun) and the local governments ( the daimyos), a system that was able to keep internal peace and adapt to changes.
Augustus: The Principate he created presided over the most peaceful and prosperous era in Roman history. He ended the violence of late Republican politics, and created an imperial system that could remain powerful for another two centuries.
I suppose we have Uncle Clau-Clau to thank for restoring some measure of respectability to the Imperial system, whilst we're at it. If only he wasn't so oblivious to Messalina and Agrippina's scheming.It says a lot about the system that Augustus created that it survived Caligula pretty much intact, and that it took a century of military anarchy for only half of it to finally collapse.
Yes, it is a given that competence goes out of the window once you get your ticket punched. However, I won't discount the man because of him getting wounded multiple times in battle and ultimately getting killed in battle.It's at least got to count against you; can't really stay competent after getting capped by Wallenstein's cuirassiers, after all, and without him at the helm, the Swedish army was ingloriously routed at Nördlingen, forcing many German princes to the negotiating table.
I found it surprising that Liu Bang's actually on this list.The guy pretty much stole credit from Xiang Yu for defeating Qin,got his arse beaten the crap out of by Xiang Yu numerous times(the most notable time was when he had an army of 560,000 but ended up losing nearly half of the army to Xiang Yu who only commanded 30,000).Dude also ended up being surrounded and forced into humiliating peace terms by the Xiongnu.His legacy isn't all that good either.He ended up passing the throne to his oldest son who was weak and incompetent(a fact he knew but still did it anyway) and pretty much left the empire in control of the Lu Clan.It was his other son,Emperor Wen,and those in his line(Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu) who ended up fixing Han and setting Han up as a superpower.Liu Bang or Emperor Gaozu of Han: Restore peace and stability by bringing order to a country that has been fragmented for over five centuries, after all previous attempts at Empire-building has failed. The system he established lasted, with a few ups and downs, for over four hundred years.
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Undoubtedly, the Shogunate was a de facto monarchy. He created an ingenious system with a balance between the central government (the shogun) and the local governments ( the daimyos), a system that was able to keep internal peace and adapt to changes.
Augustus: The Principate he created presided over the most peaceful and prosperous era in Roman history. He ended the violence of late Republican politics, and created an imperial system that could remain powerful for another two centuries.