Marshal Michel Ney
Michel Ney rose from the son of a barrel-maker to become one of Napoleon's most celebrated marshals, earning the sobriquet 'the bravest of the brave' through a series of ferocious rearguard actions, most notably during the catastrophic 1812 retreat from Moscow. His battlefield courage was matched by an equal capacity for catastrophic misjudgment: at Waterloo in 1815, his impetuous cavalry charges against unbroken British infantry squares contributed materially to the French defeat. After Napoleon's final defeat, Ney was captured, tried for treason by the restored Bourbon government, and executed by firing squad on 7 December 1815.
- Lived: 1769 CE – 1815 CE
- Nationality: french
- Roles: marshal, cavalry_commander
