Famous Military Leaders - List of Famous Military Leaders - page 9

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
William Wallace

William Wallace

William Wallace was a Scottish knight who was a central figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence

Scottish1270596 views

Rick Rescorla

Rick Rescorla was a United States Army officer as well as private security officer of British origin

BritishMay 27, 1939407 views

Joan of Arc

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

French1412461 views

George Washington

George Washington was the first President and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States

AmericanFebruary 22, 1732120 views

Wang Jingwei

Wang Jingwei (Wang Ching-wei) was a Chinese politician, initially a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang (KMT), but later became an anti-communist

ChineseMay 4, 1883161 views

John Graves Simcoe

John Graves Simcoe was the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada

BritishFebruary 25, 1752175 views

Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur was an American general and Chief of Staff of the United States Army

AmericanJanuary 26, 1880222 views

Hermann Fegelein

Hermann Fegelein was a high-ranking Waffen-SS commander in Nazi-ruled Germany

GermanOctober 30, 1906311 views

Colin Powell

Colin Powell is a former U.S Joint Chief of Staff and Secretary of State

AmericanApril 5, 1937271 views