The Military Leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Austerlitz from the Perspective of Just War Theory

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze the moral aspects of Napoleon Bonaparte’s military leadership in the Battle of Austerlitz based on Just War Theory. Napoleon’s outstanding leadership is acknowledged by scholars, and this battle is lauded as one of Napoleon’s notable successes in the expansion of France’s empire in Europe. This research has applied a historical and textual analysis approaches by focusing on Just War Theory in analyzing Napoleon’s military leadership. This philosophical theory scrutinizes the aspects of morality in a war based upon three main principles. Based on historical and textual analysis approaches, the findings reveal Napoleon’s military leadership in this battle adjudged to be unethical, as one aspect of Just War Theory guidelines was exploited. The study has an impact on leadership style and political behavior as a determinant factor of the success among the army leaders, such as Napoleon Bonaparte. This study also discusses on or touch about strategic thinking of the warfare. This paper is a valuable source of information regarding current research on the historical approach in analyzing Napoleon’s military leadership based on Just War Theory.