One became a king, another hesitated in the emperor’s final hour. We explore the battlefield brilliance and political missteps of Murat, Oudinot, Victor, and Saint-Cyr.

In 1804 Napoleon created 18 'Marshals of the Empire', to serve as the senior officers of the Grande Armée. He created a further 8 before his abdication. A few were aristocrats, but others were the ...