Famous Emperors & Kings - List of Famous Emperors & Kings
When we talk of emperors and kings, the picture of a regal man dressed in resplendent attire reigning over some ancient land comes to our mind, for in today’s world what we know about emperors and kings comes primarily from folklores and history books. An emperor is the male sovereign ruler of an empire. There have been many vast empires worldwide which consisted of several states and countries. Kings were the rulers of their own kingdoms over which they exercised complete power. Being extremely powerful, the emperors and kings have played crucial roles in shaping the history of not just their own empires and kingdoms, but of the whole world. Titus, the ancient Roman Emperor might have had a short reign, but he secured his place in history as he completed the Colosseum and dealt with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Genghis Khan, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire conquered vast territories, four times the lands of Alexander the Great. Other rulers still revered today are Atilla the Hun, Timur the Lame and Charlemagne. Over the centuries, absolute monarchies gave way to several other forms of government and now only a handful of monarchies, that too ceremonial, remain in the world. Browse on to learn more about the great emperors and kings who had once walked on this earth.
The Most Famous Emperors & Kings | |||
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Name | Birthday | Nationality | Bio |
Sundiata Keita | August 20, 1217 | Central African | Sundiata Keita was the founder of the Mali Empire in West Africa |
Ashoka | 304 BC | Indian | Ashoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty and ruled almost the entire Indian subcontinent |
Murad IV | July 26, 1612 | Turkish | Murad IV was one of the mighty Sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire |
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia | August 1, 1924 | Saudi Arabian | Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the King of Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2015 and the third wealthiest head of state in the world |
Xerxes I | 519 BC | Iranian | Xerxes I (Xerxes the Great) was the fourth and the most famous king of the Archaemenid dynasty of Persia |
Sargon of Akkad | 2340 BC | Iraqi | Sargon of Akkad, also called ‘Sargon the Great’, ‘Sarru-Kan’ and ‘Shar-Gani-Sharri’, was the founder and first king of the Akkadian Empire |
Ibn Saud | January 15, 1876 | Saudi Arabian | King Abdulaziz al-Saud was the first monarch of Saudi Arabia |
Gia Long | February 8, 1762 | Vietnamese | Gia Long was the first emperor of the Nguyen dynasty as well as the founding father of the modern nation of Vietnam |
Flavius Odoacer | 435 | Ancient Roman | Flavius Odoacer was a soldier who went on to become the King of Italy |
Suleiman The Magnificent | November 6, 1494 | Turkish | Suleiman I, commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent, was the tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire |
Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou
Louis Alphonse of Bourbon-Segovia, Duke of Anjou is a member of the Royal House of Bourbon in Spain
Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is the 41st direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad and the present king of Jordan
King Willem-Alexander
King Willem-Alexander of Netherlands is the second-youngest monarch in Europe after Felipe VI of Spain
Henry II of France
Henry II of France was a monarch who ruled France from 1547 to 1559
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor as well as the King of the Romans and King of Italy
Napoleon III
Napoleon III was the Emperor of the Second French Empire from 1852-70