Maurice de Saxe

Maurice De Saxe (1696-1750) was a German/Polish army officer who fought for numerous factions in the early 18Th century and eventually became a Marshal of France, and even more extraordinary became Marshal General of France (only six in all of French history)

Maurice was born in Saxony (German state) as the bastard son of August II, Elector of Saxony. In 1697 August was elected King of Poland and sent for Maurice to attend to him in Warsaw the next year. Poland was in a constant state of war, and Maurice was soon sent beyond its boards. At the age of twelve Maurice join the army of Eugene of Savoy, a Frenchman by birth, who now served the Hapsburg's in Austria. After a brief campaign, Maurice was to be sent to a Jesuit school, but pleaded with his mother that a military career would be better suited for him. Maurice, now thirteen, had an affair with a local girl and got her pregnant. The baby did not survive.

Maurice then served in the army of Tsar Peter the Great against the Swedes. Maurice left Russia, when August recognized him as a son and granted him the tile of Count. In 1714 he was married to the daughter of his fathers richest subjects. In 1717 Maurice fought against the Ottomans and went to a university in Paris to study Math. In 1720 he got a commission in the French army. In 1725 he was elected Duke of Courland, with the help of the Duchess, who offered her hand in marriage. Maurice, although estranged from his wife, declined. The Duchess, angered claimed he had not right to the land, and raised troops to toss him out. Maurice borrowed money from a Parisian actress he seduced and raise troops of his own and maintained his authority.

Maurice served under the Duke of Berwick in the War of Polish Succession, and was promoted to general. In the War of Austrian Succession, Maurice invaded Austria and commanded a surprise night attack on Prague, which made him famous. After the war in 1743, Maurice was promoted to Marshal of France. The following year, he was chosen to lead the invasion of England for the Stuart king in exile, but the invasion was not carried out. Maurice spent the remainder of his life in service to France.

Captain John Smith

My First post will deal with the short bio of a hero of mine.

Captain John Smith (1580-1630) was a English soldier and explorer. Smith was born in Alford,Lincolnshire, England to a peasant family who work the land. Smith came from nothing, and was destined to work the land like his father until he died. Smith did have some education by attending a Grammar school for a few years, until his father died. At age 16 Smith left home and went to France were he served as a mercenary against the Spanish. He then spent some time in the Mediterranean Sea were he was a pirate. Smith then fought for the Habsburg's in Eastern Europe against the invading Ottoman empire.In Wallachia Smith was promoted to Captain and faithfully served two rulers in Wallachia. Smith was then Knighted for dueling and killing three Ottoman leaders, and beheading them. In Hungary he was captured and sold as a slave by the Tartars (decedents of the Mongols) and was eventually sent to live with a mistress of his Turkish master in Greece, where she helped him escape after falling in love with him. Smith escaped into Muscovy (a pre-Russian Tsardom) and then walked through Northern Europe until he reached England in 1604.

That was just his early life.

In London, Smith became involved with the Virginia Company and agreed to travel with an expedition to the New World. On the long voyage, Smith got in trouble and was nearly executed by the Captain, but was saved when a fellow Company man opened a letter containing their orders that stated Smith as one of the colonies leaders.
When the colony struggled and was short on food, Smith lead foraging parties deep within the forests in search of food. On one of these expeditions he was captured and taken prisoners by Indians. Smith was to be executed, but was saved by the chiefs daughter, Pocahontas. Smith continued to sojourn into the interior of Virgina for food, covering 3,000 miles. Upon his return, Smith was elected leader of the colony by the council in 1608. The settlement did very well under Smith's leadership, but tensions rose wtih the Indians. Eventually the colonist were at war by the Native tribes, and Smith was seriously injured during an attack, and returned to England in 1608.

Smith never returned to Virgina, but did cross the Atlantic again in 1614 and helped found New England. Smith was captured by Pirates off the coast in 1618, but soon escaped and returned to England were he spent the rest of his life writing. Smith died in London, 1631. He was 51.

I hope this gives you more information on Smith, who has become popular from Disney's 1995 film, Pocahontas and the 2005 film The New World.