Famous Military Leaders - List of Famous Military Leaders - page 4

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
Charles George Gordon

Charles George Gordon

General Charles Gordon was a British soldier and administrator, who rose to prominence for defending Khartoum from the Mahdists

BritishJanuary 28, 183389 views

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle was a military leader and the 18th President of France

FrenchNovember 22, 1890139 views

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan is the one of the most famous emperors in history, who founded the Mongol empire

Mongolian1162206 views

Anton Haus

Anton Haus was an Austrian naval officer

AustrianJune 13, 1851135 views

Manuel González Flores

Manuel Gonzalez Flores was a liberal politician and military general who served as the 31st president of Mexico

MexicanJune 18, 1833175 views

Thein Sein

Thein Stein is the current President of Myanmar, in office since March 2011

BurmeseApril 20, 1945160 views

Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán

Joaquin Eufrasio Guzman served as the President of El Salvador in 1845-1846

Salvadoran1801121 views

Hosni Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak is a political leader who served as the President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011

EgyptianMay 4, 1928112 views

Sam Manekshaw

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was the first Indian Army Officer to become the Field Marshal

IndianApril 3, 1914105 views

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War

AmericanJuly 13, 1821120 views