Famous Military Leaders - List of Famous Military Leaders - page 6

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
Hayreddin Barbarossa

Hayreddin Barbarossa

Hayreddin Barbarossa was one of the most successful naval commanders of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century

Turkish1478358 views

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Kemal Ataturk was an army officer, statesman and the first President of Turkey.

TurkishMay 19, 1881287 views

Moshe Dayan

Moshe Dayan was a former Israeli military leader, minister of defense and minister of foreign affairs

IsraeliMay 20, 1915214 views

Marc Antony

Mark Antony was a famous Roman general and politician

Joshua Chamberlain

Joshua Chamberlain was an American college professor, war hero and Governor of Maine

Horatio Nelson

Horatio Nelson was a British flag officer, known for his service during Napoleonic Wars.

BritishSeptember 29, 1758109 views

Enoch Powell

Brigadier J

BritishJune 16, 1912150 views

Cao Cao

Cao Cao was a Chinese warlord and one of the greatest Generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty during its final years

ChineseMarch 18, 155159 views

Pompey

Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus), a key figure in ancient Roman history, was a politician and a military commander who was active during the late Roman Republic.

Italian72 views

Karl Von Clausewitz

Carl Von Clausewitz was a (German) Prussian soldier and military theorist who authored the work, ‘On War’

GermanJuly 1, 1780102 views