Emperor · 76 – 138
Hadrian
If you're interested in Hadrian, these historical figures share a similar impact, discipline, philosophy, or era. Each recommendation explains why the connection exists.
Similar Impact & Significance
Trajan
81Trajan was a Roman emperor under whom the Roman Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, a soldier-emperor remembered as one of the "Five Good Emperors" and celebrated by Romans as the best of all rulers.
Why His predecessor and kinsman, whose conquests Hadrian chose to consolidate.
Marcus Aurelius
90Marcus 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.
Why A later philosopher-emperor in the line of able rulers Hadrian belonged to.
Augustus
94Augustus 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.
Why The founder of the empire whose institutions Hadrian carefully maintained.
Ashoka the Great
90Ashoka 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.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Chandragupta Maurya
85Chandragupta 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.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Charlemagne
89Charlemagne 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.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Justinian I
84Justinian I was the Byzantine emperor who sought to restore the glory of Rome, reconquering lost western lands, codifying Roman law in the Corpus Juris Civilis, and building the magnificent church of Hagia Sophia.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Kangxi Emperor
81The Kangxi Emperor was the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history, a ruler of the Qing dynasty who consolidated Manchu rule over China, expanded the empire, and presided over an era of prosperity, stability and learning.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar
88Akbar 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.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Atahualpa
78Atahualpa was the last independent ruler of the Inca Empire, who had just won a civil war for the throne when he was captured and executed by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, ending Inca rule over the Andes.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Babur
81Babur was the Central Asian conqueror who founded the Mughal Empire, a descendant of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan who, after losing his ancestral lands, invaded India and established one of the greatest empires in its history.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Charles V
83Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor and king of Spain who ruled the largest European empire since Charlemagne, struggling to hold together a vast realm against the rise of Protestantism, France, and the Ottoman Empire before abdicating his crowns.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Emperor Taizong of Tang
82Emperor Taizong of Tang was one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, whose reign launched the golden age of the Tang dynasty, combining military conquest with wise, benevolent government that became a model for later rulers.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Frederick Barbarossa
80Frederick Barbarossa was the Holy Roman Emperor who sought to restore imperial power over Germany and Italy, a towering figure of the 12th century whose long reign and legendary death on crusade made him a German national myth.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Haile Selassie I
85Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia who modernized his country, became the symbol of African resistance to European colonialism after surviving Mussolini's invasion, championed African unity at the UN and as founder of the African Union, and is venerated as a messiah by the Rastafari movement.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Kaiser Wilhelm II
82Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, whose erratic and belligerent foreign policy helped plunge Europe into World War I, ending with his abdication in 1918 and the collapse of the German Empire.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Kublai Khan
83Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan who completed the Mongol conquest of China and founded the Yuan dynasty, ruling the largest realm of his age and welcoming travelers such as Marco Polo to his fabled court.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Liu Bang
83Liu Bang was a peasant who rose to become the founder of the Han dynasty, one of the longest and greatest dynasties in Chinese history, establishing a model of imperial government that would endure for two thousand years.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Mansa Musa
82Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire at its height in the 14th century, remembered as one of the wealthiest individuals in history and famed for a lavish pilgrimage to Mecca that announced West Africa's riches to the world.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Montezuma II
79Montezuma II was the ninth ruler of the Aztec Empire, who presided over its greatest extent and splendor before the arrival of the Spanish under Hernán Cortés led to his death and the empire's fall.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Napoleon III
79Napoleon III was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte who became the first elected president of France and then its last emperor, modernizing Paris and French industry before his empire collapsed with defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Same Field or Discipline
Constantine the Great
87Constantine the Great was the Roman emperor who became the first to embrace Christianity, ended its persecution, and founded Constantinople as a new capital — decisions that reshaped the Roman world and the future of Europe.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Active in the same era
Nero
78Nero was the fifth Roman emperor, remembered as a byword for tyranny and excess, whose reign saw the Great Fire of Rome, the persecution of Christians, and a descent into cruelty that ended in his suicide and the fall of his dynasty.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Active in the same era
Boudicca
80Boudicca was the queen of the Iceni tribe who led a major uprising against Roman rule in Britain around 60–61 CE, sacking Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium before being defeated by the Roman governor Paulinus.
Why Also a ruler · Active in the same era