Before Napoleon's legendary Marshals, France was already producing some of the greatest military leaders in European history. In this episode, we explore 4 remarkable Marshals of France whose achievements helped shape the French Army long before Austerlitz, Jena, and Waterloo.

Special guest Jonathan Abel discusses the Comte de Rochambeau, whose leadership alongside George Washington helped secure victory at Yorktown during the American Revolution; the Duc de Broglie, one of France's most capable commanders during the Seven Years' War and an important military innovator, the Marquis de Castries, the naval reformer and statesman who strengthened French military power in the years before the French Revolution; and the Marquis de Ségur, the reform-minded Minister of War who helped modernize the French military.

These forgotten marshals bridged the gap between the armies of Louis XIV and the armies of Napoleon, laying foundations that would influence French warfare for generations. From battlefields across Europe to the American War of Independence, their stories reveal how the French military evolved into the force that would later dominate the continent under Napoleon.

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