Famous Military Leaders - List of Famous Military Leaders - page 2

Military Leaders are the leaders of the military forces—armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine—of a nation. Military leaders influence others by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission, and have the legal authority to lawfully exercise control over subordinates by virtue of their rank or position. Warlords who exercise absolute civil power and individual autonomy in regions where the government is weak are also considered to be military leaders. History is replete with the legends of military leaders and revolutionaries who left their indelible marks on human civilization. Alexander the Great, who established one of the largest empires of the ancient world, is undoubtedly one of the best known military leaders. Ancient China’s Sun Tzu was not just a brilliant military leader, but also the author of ‘The Art of War’, an ancient Chinese text on military strategy. While Saladin, William the Conqueror and Henry V were the famous military leaders who lived during the Middle Ages, Oliver Cromwell, Shivaji and Peter the Great were courageous warriors of the Early Modern Period. Even though a majority of military leaders throughout history have been men, brave ladies like Joan of Arc, Boudicca, Laskarina Bouboulina, and Lakshmibai have proven that women too can be powerful military leaders. Read on to discover about the life and works of various famous military leaders from all over the world.

The Most Famous Military Leaders

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
William Wallace1270ScottishWilliam Wallace was a Scottish knight who was a central figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence
Reinhard HeydrichMarch 7, 1904GermanReinhard Heydrich was a high-ranking German Nazi official during the World War II
Heinrich HimmlerOctober 7, 1900GermanHeinrich Himmler was a German Nazi military commander and a close associate of Adolf Hitler
Che GuevaraJune 14, 1928ArgentinianChe Guevara is one of the most revered and legendary political figures in world history
Vasili ArkhipovJanuary 30, 1926RussianVasili Arkhipov was a Soviet Navy officer who is credited for 'saving the world' from a nuclear war by casting the decisive vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike on U.S
Herbert SobelJanuary 26, 1912AmericanHerbert Sobel was a commissioned officer in the U.S
Joan of Arc1412FrenchJoan of Arc was a young woman who led the French army to victory over the British in a crucial battle during the Hundred Years' War
Ariel SharonFebruary 26, 1928IsraeliAriel Sharon was an Israeli general and politician who later on served as the eleventh Prime Minister of Israel
Crazy HorseAmericanCrazy Horse was one of the most celebrated Native American warriors to have ever lived
Ahmad Shah MassoudSeptember 2, 1953AfghanAhmad Shah Massoud, who was known in his native Afghanistan as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’, was a political and military leader
George Marshall

George Marshall

George Marshall was an American statesman and soldier who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army under two U.S

AmericanDecember 31, 1880117 views

Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco was a Spanish general who took control of Spain after the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and established a military dictatorship

SpanishDecember 4, 1892212 views

Juan José Flores

Juan Jose Flores was the first President of Ecuador

EcuadorianJuly 19, 1800140 views

Ahmad Shah Massoud

Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was known in his native Afghanistan as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’, was a political and military leader

AfghanSeptember 2, 1953408 views

Rudolf Hess

Rudolf Hess was the Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler and the third most important politician in Nazi Germany after Hitler and Hermann Göring

GermanApril 26, 1894219 views

Baji Rao I

Bajirao I was the Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu

IndianAugust 18, 1700206 views

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi was a patriot, military commander and a popular hero of the nineteenth century Italy

ItalianJuly 4, 180794 views

Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell

Lord Baden Powell was the founder of the Scout Movement

BritishFebruary 22, 1857119 views

Agustín de Iturbide

Agustin de Iturbide was the leader of the conservative faction of the Mexican independence movement who later served as the Emperor of Mexico

MexicanSeptember 27, 1783140 views

Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold was an American Revolutionary War general who originally fought for the American Continental Army but later defected to the British Army

BritishJanuary 14, 1741113 views