Famous Historical Personalities - List of Famous Historical Personalities - page 8

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
Moctezuma II

Moctezuma II

Montezuma II was the ninth emperor of the Aztec Empire who ruled from 1502 to 1520

Mexican1466212 views

Lucrezia Borgia

Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Renaissance Pope Alexander VI and belonged to the influential Nobel family of the House of Borgia

ItalianApril 18, 1480108 views

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor

Francis I served as the Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1740s until his death in 1765

GermanDecember 8, 170896 views

Emperor Yang of Sui

Yangdi, also known as Emperor Yang of Sui, was the second emperor of China's Sui dynasty

Chinese56986 views

Mary II of England

Mary II served as the joint sovereign of England, Scotland and Ireland along with her husband, William II

BritishApril 30, 1662110 views

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

Joseph II was the Holy Roman Emperor of the Austrian Habsburg dominion from 1765 to 1790

HungarianMarch 13, 1741104 views

Mary I of England

Mary I was the Queen of England and Ireland from 1553 until 1558

BritishFebruary 18, 1516104 views

Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II was the second King of the Belgians and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State

BelgianApril 9, 1835111 views

Emperor Wu of Han

Wudi was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of China, ruling from 141–87 BC

Chinese102 views

Charles VII of France

Charles VII was the King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461

FrenchFebruary 22, 140394 views