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The Greatest General You’ve Never Heard Of
One of only two undefeated generals in history
When you look at a list of the greatest generals in history, you will see many familiar names. Names like Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, and Ghengis Khan appear frequently. Other names like Robert E. Lee, Georgy Zhukov, Erwin Rommel, and Hannibal Barca also feature prominently. But there is one name that rarely, if ever, appears — Khalid ibn al-Walid. If you have never heard the name Khalid ibn al-Walid you are not alone.
Al-Walid is one of the generals who does not get the credit he deserves. Part of his obscurity stems from the fact that he was a general during the Arab-Muslim conquests of the 7th century, which is a part of history that is rarely covered in Western education as a whole. However, it goes beyond that.
Khalid ibn al-Walid should be noted for his generalship. Not only does he have a large body of work, he also was successful against a wide array of different enemies and factions. Khalid ibn al-Walid was not a one-trick pony. He was one of the most adaptable tacticians in history, and his record bears that out. Depending on what sources you read, Khalid ibn al-Walid is considered to be undefeated in the field. Khalid ibn al-Walid was not outright victorious in every battle he fought, but he never outright lost either. He…
