Bel Riose
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In Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, the fictional character Bel Riose was the last strong General of the Galactic Empire, Commander of the legendary Twentieth Fleet, who eventually came to be known as "the Last of the Imperials", and earned this title well. A man of great military genius, he was also brave, competent, neither too young nor too old, a taker of calculated risks, and good to his men; he was a popular general.
Unfortunately for him, he was born at a late point during the slow fall of the Empire. Loosely based on Belisarius, a great general of the Eastern Roman Empire during the 6th century AD, he served his Empire at the cusp of its fall; there is also some analogy to Aetius, "the last Roman". Riose yearned for the days when Generals proved their worth through the addition of new territory to the empire.
Bel Riose got his chance when he heard rumors of the "magicians", actually the scientists of the Foundation (see the main article on The Foundation Series). At this time, the Foundation held a large portion of the periphery in economic control and word of the Foundation was beginning to reach close to the Empire at the Galactic Core.
As a stalwart and patriotic defender of the original Galactic Empire, Riose was shocked by the legend of Hari Seldon's plan to create a new Empire which would take over from his own; the Foundation was a real threat.
With several of the last great "ships of the line", pinnacle of Imperial technological and military prowess (of which few remained in these degenerate times), General Bel Riose set out into the barbarian Galactic Periphery to claim the Foundation in the name of Empire and Emperor.
Seldon had predicted that the Foundation would survive all trials, and Bel Riose knew this, but he bet his living will against the "dead hand" of Seldon's psychohistory.
In combat, Bel Riose repeatedly defeated the Foundation through brilliant tactical and strategic planning. Eventually, Bel Riose's fleet came within a day's travel of Terminus. Before he could complete his conquest, however, he was recalled by Emperor Cleon II, tried for treason, and executed.
All had gone as Seldon predicted. A weak General could clearly never threaten the Foundation due to a lack of adaptability and innovation (the Galactic Empire had begun to stagnate in all things, including military strategy, and could have easily had its pre-planned and often repeated attacks easily thwarted). A strong General under a weak Emperor would overthrow the Emperor rather than make new conquests since control of the Galactic Empire is obviously more enticing than control over the so-called "barbarian hinterland". Bel Riose, however, served under Cleon II, the last strong Emperor. When both General and Emperor are strong, the General can only keep his attention on outward conquest: that is why Bel Riose was the only Imperial in many years to pose a threat to the Foundation. However, this situation also meant that the strong Emperor would never let the strong general become strong enough to dethrone him. Paranoia ran high in the Galactic Empire due to the staggering number of revolutions and political assassinations. Emperor Cleon II had Bel Riose executed out of fear of his popularity and success. In truth, General Bel Riose never had any designs upon the throne and never did anything except to serve his Emperor faithfully.