The book tells about the lives of twenty-six famous commanders who received their marshal's baton from Napoleon. These were people of very different backgrounds: from aristocrats to people from the lower strata of society. The reader will find out where these brave and ambitious people started, how they treated power, what they came to the end of their lives with, and how they behaved towards the person to whom they owed their high position. The book will help you understand Napoleon's influence on the people of his generation and on the political situation in Europe.