Famous Historical Personalities - List of Famous Historical Personalities

Historical Figures are the famous people in history who have played a significant role in shaping human progress. Philosophers over the past several centuries have debated upon the roles played by historical figures in influencing the history of human civilization and progress. While Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle felt that the study of legendary figures is a key to understanding history, English philosopher Herbert Spencer was of the belief that historical individuals were of little importance. Irrespective of the philosophical debates on the subject, it cannot be denied that studying about the famous men and women in world history is truly an enriching experience. Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of Christianity, is often regarded as the most important historical figure. While most modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically, several facts about his life are shrouded in mystery. Another important religious historical figure is Muhammad who unified Arabia into a single religious polity under Islam. Many historical figures are believed to have greatly influenced world politics and the major ones among these are Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler. Read on to discover about the life and works of various famous historical figures from all over the world.

The Most Famous Historical Personalities

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Sundiata KeitaAugust 20, 1217Central AfricanSundiata Keita was the founder of the Mali Empire in West Africa
Jetsun PemaJune 4, 1990BhutaneseJetsun Pema is the Queen consort of Bhutan
Ashoka304 BCIndianAshoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty and ruled almost the entire Indian subcontinent
Murad IVJuly 26, 1612TurkishMurad IV was one of the mighty Sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire
Abdullah of Saudi ArabiaAugust 1, 1924Saudi ArabianAbdullah 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 I519 BCIranianXerxes I (Xerxes the Great) was the fourth and the most famous king of the Archaemenid dynasty of Persia
Sargon of Akkad2340 BCIraqiSargon of Akkad, also called ‘Sargon the Great’, ‘Sarru-Kan’ and ‘Shar-Gani-Sharri’, was the founder and first king of the Akkadian Empire
Ibn SaudJanuary 15, 1876Saudi ArabianKing Abdulaziz al-Saud was the first monarch of Saudi Arabia
Gia LongFebruary 8, 1762VietnameseGia Long was the first emperor of the Nguyen dynasty as well as the founding father of the modern nation of Vietnam
Flavius Odoacer435Ancient RomanFlavius Odoacer was a soldier who went on to become the King of Italy
Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou

Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou

Louis Alphonse of Bourbon-Segovia, Duke of Anjou is a member of the Royal House of Bourbon in Spain

SpanishApril 25, 1974182 views

Empress Dowager Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi was a Chinese empress dowager and regent of the Qing Dynasty

ChineseNovember 29, 1835292 views

Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin was a communist revolutionary who led the famous October revolution in Russia

RussianApril 22, 1870226 views

Zoroaster

Zoroaster was a prophet who started a new movement, which eventually developed into a new religion called Zoroastrianism

Iranian185 views

Abdullah II of Jordan

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is the 41st direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad and the present king of Jordan

JordanianJanuary 30, 1962127 views

King Willem-Alexander

King Willem-Alexander of Netherlands is the second-youngest monarch in Europe after Felipe VI of Spain

DutchApril 27, 1967125 views

Leonidas I

Leonidas I was a king of the ancient Sparta

Greek540 BC184 views

Henry II of France

Henry II of France was a monarch who ruled France from 1547 to 1559

FrenchMarch 31, 1519159 views

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor as well as the King of the Romans and King of Italy

ItalianFebruary 24, 1500126 views

Napoleon III

Napoleon III was the Emperor of the Second French Empire from 1852-70

FrenchApril 20, 1808187 views