Napoleon Bonaparte
From TemeraireWiki
A former artillaryman, Napoleon became the ruler and then Emperor of France around 1799. Ambitious to a fault, he acquired rule over most of continental Europe through a combination of alliances and conquest.
The frigate Amitie was carrying a dragon egg to him from China in early 1805 when it was captured by Captain William Laurence of the HMS Reliant. Temeraire hatched from the egg shortly therafter.
Napoleon was a recognised master tactician, particularly skilled at ground warfare. The addition of the Celestial dragon Lung Tien Lien to his army, and his use of her knowledge as a tactical resource lead to wide scale innovation in the use of dragons in combat in Europe.