The Most Influential Political Leaders in History
Statesmen, revolutionaries and rulers who changed the course of nations. These are history's most influential political leaders.
- 1 97
Confucius
Philosopher · 551 BC – 479 BC
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and teacher whose ideas on ethics, family and good government became the foundation of Confucianism and shaped East Asian civilization for over two thousand years.
- 2 97
Siddhartha Gautama
Spiritual Leader · 563 BC – 483 BC
Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a spiritual teacher of ancient India whose insights into suffering and liberation founded Buddhism, now one of the world's major religions.
- 3 96
Alexander the Great
Military Leader · 356 BC – 323 BC
Alexander the Great was the king of Macedon who built one of the largest empires in history by his early thirties, spreading Greek culture across three continents.
- 4 95
Julius Caesar
Military Leader · 100 BC – 44 BC
Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman whose conquest of Gaul and victory in civil war made him dictator of Rome, ending the Republic and paving the way for the Empire.
- 5 94
Augustus
Emperor · 63 BC – 14
Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.
- 6 94
Napoleon Bonaparte
Military Leader · 1769 – 1821
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose during the French Revolution, crowned himself Emperor, and dominated European affairs for over a decade.
- 7 93
Genghis Khan
Military Leader · 1162 – 1227
Genghis Khan was the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, a military genius who united the nomadic tribes of the steppe and forged the largest contiguous land empire in history.
- 8 93
Mahatma Gandhi
Activist · 1869 – 1948
Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of India's independence movement, who pioneered the philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience and inspired movements for civil rights across the world.
- 9 92
Abraham Lincoln
President · 1809 – 1865
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, who led the nation through its Civil War, preserved the Union, and abolished slavery before his assassination in 1865.
- 10 92
Nelson Mandela
Statesman · 1918 – 2013
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and statesman who, after 27 years in prison, became the country's first democratically elected president and a global symbol of reconciliation.
- 11 92
Qin Shi Huang
Emperor · 259 BC – 210 BC
Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China, who standardized the state, began the Great Wall, and built the Terracotta Army.
- 12 91
George Washington
Statesman · 1732 – 1799
George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolution and the first President of the United States, whose leadership and restraint shaped the new republic.
- 13 91
Hannibal Barca
Military Leader · 247 BC – 183 BC
Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian general regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history, famed for crossing the Alps with war elephants to invade Italy during the Second Punic War.
- 14 90
Ashoka the Great
Emperor · 304 BC – 232 BC
Ashoka was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire who, after a devastating war, embraced Buddhism and non-violence, becoming one of history's most remarkable rulers.
- 15 90
Benjamin Franklin
Inventor · 1706 – 1790
Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath — a founding father, scientist, inventor, writer and diplomat — whose work on electricity and statesmanship made him one of the most admired figures of the 18th century.
- 16 90
Cleopatra VII
Ruler · 69 BC – 30 BC
Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, a shrewd and learned monarch whose alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony placed her at the center of Roman politics.
- 17 90
Cyrus the Great
Ruler · 600 BC – 530 BC
Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire the ancient world had yet seen, remembered for his military genius and his tolerance toward conquered peoples.
- 18 90
Marcus Aurelius
Emperor · 121 – 180
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, the last of the "Five Good Emperors", whose private journal, the Meditations, is the most cherished work of Stoic thought.
- 19 90
Suleiman I
Sultan · 1494 – 1566
Suleiman the Magnificent was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who led it to the height of its power through military conquest, legal reform and a brilliant flowering of art and architecture.
- 20 89
Charlemagne
Emperor · 748 – 814
Charlemagne was the King of the Franks who united much of Western Europe and was crowned Emperor in 800 AD, reviving the idea of a Roman empire in the West and sparking a cultural revival.
- 21 89
Elizabeth I
Queen · 1533 – 1603
Elizabeth I was Queen of England from 1558 to 1603, whose long and stable reign — the Elizabethan era — saw a golden age of culture, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and England's rise as a sea power.
- 22 88
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar
Emperor · 1542 – 1605
Akbar was the third Mughal emperor, who expanded the empire across much of the Indian subcontinent and is remembered for his administrative reforms, religious tolerance and patronage of the arts during a long and powerful reign.
- 23 88
Cicero
Statesman · 106 BC – 43 BC
Cicero was a Roman statesman, orator and philosopher whose speeches and writings defined Latin prose, transmitted Greek philosophy to Rome, and championed the values of the Roman Republic.
- 24 88
Niccolò Machiavelli
Philosopher · 1469 – 1527
Niccolò Machiavelli was a Renaissance Italian diplomat, political philosopher and writer whose treatise The Prince founded modern political science and gave his name to ruthless statecraft.
- 25 87
Catherine II of Russia
Empress · 1729 – 1796
Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia for more than three decades, an enlightened despot who expanded the empire, modernized its administration, and made her court a brilliant centre of art and learning.
- 26 86
Hammurabi
Ruler · 1810 BC – 1750 BC
Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon who united Mesopotamia under his rule and issued the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest and most complete written law codes in history.
- 27 86
Saladin
Military Leader · 1137 – 1193
Saladin was a Kurdish Muslim sultan who founded the Ayyubid dynasty, united Egypt and Syria, and famously recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, earning renown even among his enemies for his chivalry.
- 28 85
Chandragupta Maurya
Emperor · 350 BC – 295 BC
Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire, who united most of the Indian subcontinent for the first time and established one of the ancient world's great states.
- 29 85
Joan of Arc
Military Leader · 1412 – 1431
Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who, believing herself guided by divine visions, led French forces to crucial victories in the Hundred Years' War before being captured, tried and burned at the stake — and later made a saint.
- 30 83
Hatshepsut
Pharaoh · 1507 BC – 1458 BC
Hatshepsut was one of the few women to rule ancient Egypt as pharaoh in her own right, a peaceful and prosperous reign marked by ambitious building projects and far-reaching trade.
- 31 80
Hernán Cortés
Conquistador · 1485 – 1547
Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that overthrew the Aztec Empire, bringing much of Mexico under Spanish rule and inaugurating centuries of colonial domination.