A historian's history tells us much about the historian's own era as well as the era they select to tackle. In the 21st century humankind has become an animal with pent-up energy, unable to unleash its aggressiveness and subsequently unable to furnish heroes and anti-heroes of yore who warriors followed through thick and thin and even to the gates of death and beyond unquestioningly.

So who were such heroes or even villains? McLynn selects Cortez, Lionheart, Spartacus, Attila, Ieyasu and Napoleon. The preponderant relationship factor between all six is the infamy attached to their names post-mortem. By carefully charting their rise and fall and the legacy they bequeathed to posterity, McLynn builds a successful case to argue that their psychology and power of will influenced their military careers as much as the fate which thrust them in the limelight. Alongside is the fact that this psychology was similar in each and every case.

Now back to the Carrian premises that you can explore a historian's own era through the history they write of another era. McLynn's arguments establish one thing: we require a consistent supply heroes and villains today to fuel our passions. Maybe this is why we are more prone today to studying the knaves of the past than ever before. ( )

Na história da guerra, um grupo de homens atingiu status quase lendário, por meio de sua coragem, ambição e gênio militar incomparável. Mas esses mesmos homens possuíam profundas falhas de caráter pessoal. Em 'Heróis & vilões', o historiador Frank McLynn focaliza alguns dos mais magnéticos e poderosos líderes de todos os tempos - Espártaco; Átila, o Huno; Ricardo Coração de Leão; Cortez; Tokugawa Ieyasu e Napoleão. ( )