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 | |||
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Name | Birthday | Nationality | Bio |
William Wallace | 1270 | Scottish | William Wallace was a Scottish knight who was a central figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence |
Reinhard Heydrich | March 7, 1904 | German | Reinhard Heydrich was a high-ranking German Nazi official during the World War II |
Heinrich Himmler | October 7, 1900 | German | Heinrich Himmler was a German Nazi military commander and a close associate of Adolf Hitler |
Che Guevara | June 14, 1928 | Argentinian | Che Guevara is one of the most revered and legendary political figures in world history |
Vasili Arkhipov | January 30, 1926 | Russian | Vasili 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 Sobel | January 26, 1912 | American | Herbert Sobel was a commissioned officer in the U.S |
Joan of Arc | 1412 | French | Joan 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 Sharon | February 26, 1928 | Israeli | Ariel Sharon was an Israeli general and politician who later on served as the eleventh Prime Minister of Israel |
Crazy Horse | American | Crazy Horse was one of the most celebrated Native American warriors to have ever lived | |
Ahmad Shah Massoud | September 2, 1953 | Afghan | Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was known in his native Afghanistan as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’, was a political and military leader |
Charles George Gordon
General Charles Gordon was a British soldier and administrator, who rose to prominence for defending Khartoum from the Mahdists
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle was a military leader and the 18th President of France
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan is the one of the most famous emperors in history, who founded the Mongol empire
Manuel González Flores
Manuel Gonzalez Flores was a liberal politician and military general who served as the 31st president of Mexico
Thein Sein
Thein Stein is the current President of Myanmar, in office since March 2011
Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán
Joaquin Eufrasio Guzman served as the President of El Salvador in 1845-1846
Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak is a political leader who served as the President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011
Sam Manekshaw
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was the first Indian Army Officer to become the Field Marshal
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War