Rulers & Leaders
139 entries in the Historical Figures compendium.
Hamilcar BarcaCarthaginian general and father of HannibalSun TzuMaster Sun: legendary strategist of ancient ChinaGuan YuA peerless-bearded general of the late Eastern Han, revered as a god of loyalty and martiaZhuge LiangChinese statesman and strategist of the Three Kingdoms period.Gaius Cassius LonginusRoman senator and general who led the plot to kill Julius Caesar.LepidusThe overlooked triumvir: Caesar's ally, pontifex maximus, and a key figure in the fall of Flavius AetiusRoman general and statesman, dominant figure in the Western Empire for two decades (433–45Mark AntonyRoman politician and general who helped transform the Republic into the EmpireMarcus Claudius MarcellusRoman general who won the spolia opima and conquered SyracuseQuintus Fabius Maximus VerrucosusThe Delayer Who Saved RomePompeyRoman general and statesman, rival of Julius CaesarQuintus SertoriusThe rebel ruler of Hispania who defied Sulla and outlasted his enemies for a decade.StilichoThe half-Vandal general who ruled the Western Roman Empire.SullaRoman general and dictator who marched on Rome and reformed the republicMarcus Vipsanius AgrippaRoman general, statesman, and right-hand man of AugustusDemetrius I PoliorcetesThe Besieger of Cities: Macedonian king and master of siege warfare.EpaminondasThe Theban general who broke Spartan power and reshaped Greece.EumenesGreek general and loyalist of Alexander's dynastyLeonidas IKing of Sparta who fell at Thermopylae leading a last stand against the Persian invasion.AriovistusGermanic leader defeated by Caesar in 58 BCBenkeiWarrior monk and loyal retainer of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.Guo ZiyiTang general who ended the An Lushan rebellion.Minamoto no YoshitsuneTragic hero of the Genpei War and legendary samurai commanderToluiYoungest son of Genghis Khan, regent of the Mongol Empire, and father of Möngke, Kublai, aYue FeiPatriotic general of the Song dynasty, executed under a frameup in 1142.John HunyadiLeading Hungarian military and political figure, regent of Hungary, and defender against tJan ŽižkaThe undefeated Hussite commander who pioneered wagon-fort tactics and guerrilla warfare.Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-GhafiqiUmayyad commander who led the invasion of Gaul and died at the Battle of Tours.Musa ibn NusayrGovernor of Ifriqiya who oversaw the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb and Iberia.Tariq ibn ZiyadUmayyad commander who led the Muslim conquest of IberiaJohn ChandosMedieval English knight and strategist behind key Hundred Years' War victoriesJohn Howard, 1st Duke of NorfolkFirst Howard Duke of Norfolk, slain at Bosworth FieldJoan of ArcPatron saint of France and military leader who helped turn the tide of the Hundred Years' John of GauntEnglish prince, military leader and statesman; founder of the House of Lancaster.Richard Neville, 16th Earl of WarwickThe Kingmaker who rose and fell in the Wars of the RosesRolandFrankish commander whose death inspired epic tales of chivalry.William WallaceScottish knight and leader in the First War of Scottish IndependenceDiego de AlmagroSpanish conquistador who helped conquer Peru and led the first Spanish expedition to ChilePedro de AlvaradoSpanish conquistador of Central America, known for his military skill and cruelty.Hernán CortésSpanish conquistador who led the fall of the Aztec EmpireFrancisco PizarroSpanish conquistador who conquered the Inca EmpireEthan AllenFounder of Vermont and hero of Fort TiconderogaFrancis MarionThe Swamp Fox: Master of Guerrilla WarfareMiyamoto MusashiThe undefeated swordsman, strategist, and author of The Book of Five Rings.Kara Mustafa PashaOttoman grand vizier who led the siege of Vienna in 1683Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron AmherstBritish commander who conquered New France and later faced controversy over Pontiac's War.John Churchill, 1st Duke of MarlboroughThe general who never lost a battle.Samuel PepysEnglish diarist and naval administrator of the Stuart RestorationPrince Rupert of the RhineRoyalist cavalry commander, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor.Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetLord Protector of England and uncle of King Edward VIPrince William, Duke of CumberlandThird son of George II, victor at Culloden, and known as 'Butcher' Cumberland.Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis of VaubanThe engineer who shaped France's borders and pioneered modern economics.Marquis de LafayetteHero of the Two Worlds: French aristocrat who fought for American independence and French Maurice, Prince of OrangeStadtholder of the Dutch Republic and foremost military strategist of his age.Michiel de RuyterThe Dutch naval hero who raided the Medway and thwarted invasions.Maarten TrompDutch naval hero and innovative tactician of the Eighty Years' War and First Anglo-Dutch WTadeusz KościuszkoPolish military engineer and leader of the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising.Casimir PulaskiPolish nobleman, soldier, and military commander known as 'The Father of American cavalry'Pyotr BagrationRussian general of Georgian origin, hero of the Napoleonic WarsMohamed Farrah AididSomali military officer, diplomat, and warlordYaa AsantewaaQueen Mother and war leader who commanded the Ashanti in the War of the Golden Stool againHenry H. ArnoldAviation pioneer and architect of the world's most powerful air force.P. G. T. BeauregardConfederate general who started the Civil War at Fort SumterClaire Lee ChennaultAmerican military aviator and leader of the Flying TigersGeorge Armstrong CusterThe controversial cavalry commander of the Civil War and Indian Wars, known for his dramatGeorge DeweyThe only Admiral of the Navy, victor of Manila Bay.David FarragutFirst admiral of the U.S. Navy and hero of the Battle of Mobile BayNathan Bedford ForrestConfederate general, cavalry tactician, and first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux KlanUlysses S. Grant18th U.S. President and Commanding General of the Union ArmyRobert E. LeeConfederate general who led the Army of Northern Virginia.George C. MarshallOrganizer of victory and architect of European recoveryOliver NorthOliver North: Marine, Iran-Contra figure, NRA president.George S. PattonU.S. Army general who led Third Army across Europe in World War II.Colin PowellAmerican general, diplomat, and statesman; first Black U.S. secretary of stateJ. E. B. StuartThe eyes and ears of Lee's armyAhmad Shah MassoudLion of PanjshirVõ Nguyên GiápVietnamese general and communist revolutionaryBai ChongxiHui Muslim general, Guangxi warlord, and ROC defense minister.Chen Yi (marshal)Chinese Communist military commander, politician, and one of the Ten MarshalsLei FengThe model soldier whose diary and image became a lasting propaganda icon in China.Li ZongrenWarlord, general, and acting president of the Republic of China.Lin BiaoChinese military commander and politician, never wounded in battlePeng DehuaiChinese general and Minister of National Defense who led the Hundred Regiments Offensive aZhu DeFounding marshal of the People's Republic of ChinaChūichi NagumoImperial Japanese Navy admiral who led the Pearl Harbor attack.Nogi MaresukeJapanese general and governor-general of Taiwan, known for his role in the capture of PortŌyama IwaoJapanese field marshal and Meiji Restoration leaderTōgō HeihachirōThe Nelson of the EastIsoroku YamamotoAdmiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and commander of the Combined Fleet during World WarArchduke Charles, Duke of TeschenAustrian field marshal and reformer who handed Napoleon his first major defeat.Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of TunisBritish field marshal, viceroy, and last UK-born Governor General of Canada.John Jellicoe, 1st Earl JellicoeAdmiral who commanded at Jutland and served as First Sea LordT. E. LawrenceBritish officer, archaeologist, and writer known as Lawrence of Arabia.Lord MountbattenLast Viceroy of India and mentor to King Charles IIIDavid StirlingFounder of the SAS and post-war activist in Africa.Roland Garros (aviator)French aviation pioneer and World War I fighter pilot who made the first non-stop flight aPaul von HindenburgGerman military officer and statesman, President of Germany from 1925 to 1934.Manfred von RichthofenGerman fighter pilot and ace-of-aces of World War I.Karl DönitzGerman naval commander who briefly led Nazi Germany after Hitler's suicide.Alfred JodlGerman military officer and convicted war criminalWilhelm KeitelGerman field marshal and chief of the Wehrmacht high command.Erich RaederGerman grand admiral and convicted war criminalOtto SkorzenyAustrian-born SS commando who led daring operations including Mussolini's rescue and OperaPavel NakhimovRussian admiral who led at Sinop and Sevastopol.Semyon TimoshenkoSoviet Marshal and key commander in the Second World WarKliment VoroshilovSoviet marshal and head of state under Stalin and Khrushchev.Georgy ZhukovSoviet marshal who led decisive World War II victories.John MonashAustralian military commander and civil engineerSimon bar KokhbaJewish military leader who led the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Rome (132–135 CE)Abu MuslimPersian revolutionary who led the Abbasid Revolution and governed Khurasan.Lady GodivaLate Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and legendary figure who rode naked through Coventry to protesWat TylerLeader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England.José Gervasio ArtigasFather of the Nation of UruguayBartolomé de las CasasSpanish cleric and activist who fought colonial abuse of Indigenous peoples.HatueyTaíno chief who became Cuba's first national hero by resisting Spanish conquest.Miguel Hidalgo y CostillaFather of the Mexican Nation and leader of the Cry of DoloresPaul RevereAmerican silversmith, Patriot, and midnight riderThomas MüntzerGerman preacher and theologian of the early Reformation, leader in the German Peasants' WaWolfe ToneRevolutionary exponent of Irish independence and iconic figure for Irish republicanism.Guy FawkesEnglish Catholic conspirator in the failed Gunpowder Plot.William WilberforceBritish politician and abolitionist who led the campaign to end the slave tradeJacques Pierre BrissotFrench journalist, abolitionist, and Girondin revolutionaryPierre-Joseph CambonThe financial architect who helped end Robespierre's reign.Georges DantonThe Thunderer of the French RevolutionCamille DesmoulinsThe fiery journalist who sparked the Storming of the Bastille and later criticized the ReiJean-Paul MaratRadical journalist and martyr of the French RevolutionHonoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de MirabeauFrench writer, orator, and statesman; a prominent figure of the early French Revolution.Alexander SelkirkScottish castaway whose survival inspired Robinson CrusoeCharles Edward StuartStuart claimant who led the failed Jacobite Rising of 1745.Abd el-KrimRevolutionary leader of the Rif RepublicAyman al-ZawahiriEgyptian surgeon who led al-Qaeda after bin Laden.Albert LuthuliSouth African anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureateWinnie MandelaMother of the NationTerry FoxCanadian athlete and cancer research activist who ran the Marathon of Hope.William Lyon MackenzieScottish-born journalist and rebel leader who fought against the Family Compact and becameMarcus GarveyJamaican political activist and founder of the UNIA, advocating black nationalism and Pan-Camilo CienfuegosThe cheerful revolutionary who never declared his ideology.Mumia Abu-JamalPolitical activist and journalist convicted of murdering a police officerSusan B. AnthonyPivotal women's rights activist and suffragist
Browse Rulers & Leaders in the interactive codex →