Military Leaders
The generals, conquerors and commanders whose strategy and ambition redrew the map of history.
Military leaders have toppled empires and founded new ones. This page ranks history's greatest commanders by their strategic genius and lasting impact on the world.
Key Takeaways
- Great commanders combined battlefield genius with political ambition.
- Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon are perennial examples.
- Their campaigns reshaped borders, cultures and political systems.
Alexander the Great
96Alexander 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.
Julius Caesar
95Julius 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.
Napoleon Bonaparte
94Napoleon 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.
Genghis Khan
93Genghis 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.
Qin Shi Huang
92Qin 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.
George Washington
91George 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.
Hannibal Barca
91Hannibal 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.
Cyrus the Great
90Cyrus 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.
Suleiman I
90Suleiman 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.
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.
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.
Saladin
86Saladin 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.
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.
Joan of Arc
85Joan 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.
Hernán Cortés
80Hernán 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the greatest military commander in history?
Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte are among the most frequently cited greatest commanders in history.