Icons of Influence, Leadership & Power
List of Leadership Heroes and Villains from History

“The search after the great man is the dream of youth and the most serious occupation of manhood. We travel into foreign parts to find his works, if possible, to get a glimpse of him.”
Learning from the Biographies of Heroic Historical Figures, Infamous Demagogues and Despots, and Other Famous People from the Pages of the Past
The ability to learn from and build on the lessons learned from the past, to accumulate the knowledge and wisdom gained from our predecessors, is one of the key factors that differentiates us from every other species on Earth. As Duke University professor of neuroscience Brian Hare explains, this is a critical part of what enabled homo sapiens to beat out the other species of humans (including Neanderthals and homo erectus), some of which were bigger, and had bigger brains.
In their book, Survival of the Friendliest, Hare and Woods write, “What allowed us to thrive while other humans went extinct was a kind of cognitive superpower: a particular type of friendliness called cooperative communication.” Not only does this allow us to “synchronize [our] behavior,” and “coordinate different roles,” but it also allows us to “pass on [our] innovations.” (p. xxv)
“We develop all of these skills before we can walk or talk, and,” Hare and Woods write, “they are the gateway to a sophisticated social and cultural world. They allow us to plug our minds into the minds of others and inherit the knowledge of generations.”(p. xxv)
List of Famous Historical Leaders by Time Period
Leaders and Influencers from Ancient History
The span of recorded history (or written history) is only about 5,000 years. What we refer to as “ancient history” covers the history of people on all continents beginning from approximately 3000 B.C. until the Middle Ages. Ancient history can be further divided into the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, Classical Antiquity, and Late Antiquity.
Leaders and Influencers from the Bronze and Early Iron Age

Narmer (Menes) (c. 3200 B.C.)

Fu Hsi (c. 2900 B.C.)

Yellow Emperor (2697–2597 B.C.)

Gilgamesh (c. 2500 B.C.)

Sargon the Great (2270-2215 B.C.)

Abraham (1812-1637 B.C.)

Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 B.C.)
Hammurabi was the first king of the Babylonian Dynasty. He began as a successful military leader, but is most famous for establishing the first set of recorded laws, known as Hammurabi’s Code.

Moses (c. 1592 or 1391-1271 B.C.)

Hatsheput (1508-1458 B.C.)

King Tutankhamun ("King Tut") 1342-1324 B.C.)

King David I (c.1035 - 972 B.C.)
Leaders and Influencers from Classical Antiquity

Ashurnasirpal II (c. 9th cent.. B.C.)
Ashurnasirpal II was the third king and a brutal conqueror of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Along with his successful military conquests, he is also known for the consolidation of the Assyrian Empire. He is, however, also known for his unsuccessful siege of Tyre (unlike Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.). More than anything, however, Ashurnasirpal is remembered for the wickedly evil treatment of those he defeated. As he said himself,
“I built a pillar over against the city gate and I flayed all the chiefs who had revolted and I covered the pillar with their skins. Some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes and others I bound to stakes round the pillar. I cut the limbs off the officers who had rebelled. Many captives I burned with fire and many I took as living captives. From some I cut off their noses, their ears, and their fingers, of many I put out their eyes. I made one pillar of the living and another of heads and I bound their heads to tree trunks round about the city. Their young men and maidens I consumed with fire. The rest of their warriors I consumed with thirst in the desert of the Euphrates.”

Hoshea (732-721 B.C.)

Solon (638-558 B.C.)
Solon was an Athenian leader, statesman, lawmaker and poet. He is often credited as the founder of Athenian democracy. The name Solon means “wise lawmaker,” and Solon more than lived up to the name with his efforts to fight against the tyranny of Athenian leaders, and political and moral decline in ancient Athens.

Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 B.C.)
Cyrus II was the founder of the Persian Empire. Cyrus was a great conquerer, but he is most remembered for uniting different tribes (the Medes and the Persians) and for his religious tolerance as well as his magnanimity and generosity toward those he conquered.

Cleisthenes (570-508 B.C.)
Cleisthenes was a leader in Ancient Athens. He is credited with bringing democracy to Athens through his reformations of the Athenian constitution. He is known by historians today as “the father of Athenian democracy.”

Sun Tzu (544-496 B.C.)

Cimon (510-450 B.C.)

Pericles (495 - 429 B.C.)
Pericles was a prominent Greek statesman, orator, and general of ancient Athens during its Golden Age, who is often (though not universally) categorized by 20th century scholars as a populist. Plutarch writes that Pericles, to his own credit, given his aristocratic background, “…took his side, not with the rich and few, but with the many and poor…” Pericles is often remembered for his legendary oratory and for his influence on Athenian society, which earned him the title “the first citizen of Athens.” Pericles said: “We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all.”
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.)


Hannibal (c. 248-182 B.C.)

Catiline (108-62 B.C.)

Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.)
Named “Dictator for Life,” Julius Caesar was one of the most prominent leaders of ancient Rome and a significant agent of the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
Mark Antony (83-30 B.C.)
Cleopatra VII Philopator (69-30 B.C.)
Frequently depicted as a sexy femme fatale, Cleopatra stands as one of the most famous female rulers in recorded history. Flying in the face of popular myth, however, Cleopatra was not the stunning beauty that most people think. In contrast, it was her charisma and cunning political instincts, her hustle, savvy and self-belief that enabled Cleopatra to make an indelible mark on the world.

Augustus (63 B.C.-14 A.D.)
Born Octavian, Augustus was the first emperor of Rome.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (c. 63-12 B.C.)
Tiberius Caesar Augustus (42 B.C.-37 A.D.)
Tiberius
Jesus Christ (0-33 A.D.)
Boudicca (c. 1st cent.-60 A.D.)
Caratacus (c. 10-50 A.D.)

Caligula (12-41 A.D.)
Nero (37-68 A.D.)
Leaders and Influencers from Late Antiquity

Constantine (280-337 A.D.)
Leaders from the Middle Ages
(circa 2nd to 15th century)
Leaders and Influencers from the Dark Ages or the Early Middle Ages

Alaric the Visigoth (c. 370-410 A.D.)

Pope Leo I (400-461 A.D.)
Known as Leo the Great, or Saint Leo, Pope Leo I is considered by many to be one of the most important leaders in the long history of the Catholic Church. Most famously, he persuaded Attila the Hun to abandon his plans to invade Italy. Rather than surrounding himself with intellectually inferior sycophants, Leo surrounded himself with learned men who were capable of informing his decisions and improving and strengthening his judgment. He is known as “the Great” because, as Catholic Exchange writes, Leo “took on just about every major heresy of his time, established the dogmas of Christ as being fully man and fully God, asserted the [primacy] of the papacy, and staved off a barbarian invasion of Rome.”

Attila the Hun (405-453 A.D.)
Odoacer the Ostrogoth (433-493)
Justinian I "Justinian the Great" (482-565)
Wu Zetian (624-705)
Khosrau II (c. 570-628)

Charlemagne (742-814)
Ragnar Lothbrok (circa 9th century)

King Alfred the Great (849-899)

Rollo, Count of Rouen (c. 860-930)
Rollo was a great Viking leader who became the first ruler of Normandy, a region in northern France. Following the Siege of Chartres in 911, Charles the Simple, the king of West Francia, signed a treaty with Rollo, which included the gifting of large tracts of land. In exchange, Rollo had to convert to Christianity swear allegiance to Charles, and pledge to defend West Francia from Viking raiders. Rollo became the Count of Rouen, and his offspring and that of his followers became known as Normans.

Cnut the Great (c. 990-1035)

Leaders and Influencers from the High Middle Ages

Macbeth, King of Scotland (c.1005-1057)
Edward the Confessor (c.1005-1066)

William the Conqueror (1027-1087)
William I was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066, when he defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, until his death in 1087. The Normans (or House of Normandy) originates from the Duchy of Normandy, which grew out of the 911 A.D. treaty between Charles the Simple of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo.

Lady Godiva (circa 1066-1086)
David I of Scotland (1083-1153)
Zhu Xi (1130-1200)
Richard I "Richard the Lionheart" (1157-1199)
“Richard the Lionheart”
Genghis Khan (1162-1227)

William Wallace (1270-1305)
Leaders and Influencers from the Late Middle Ages (Renaissance)

John Wycliffe (1328-1384)
Wycliffe was an Oxford professor and and influential critic within the Roman Catholic Church. He is considered an important figure in the lead up to the Protestant Reformation. Wycliffe supported the translation of the Bible into common vernacular so that it would be accessible to the masses. In 1415, decades after his death, the Council of Constance declared Wycliffe a heretic and banned his writings.

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (1360-1429)
Joan of Arc (1412-1431)


Vlad the Impaler "Dracula" (1431-1476)

Alexander VI (1431-1503)
Born Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI was one of the most corrupt and controversial popes of Renaissance popes, a period marked by a number of less than virtuous church leaders. Nevertheless, Alexander VI was a master strategist and through his foreign policy he gained a number of advantages for his family and allies.
Leaders from the Early Modern Period
(circa 16th to 17th century)
Leaders and Influencers from the Age of Discovery, Age of Exploration

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504)
Ferdinand II (1452-1516)

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
Niccolò Machiavelli is often considered the father of modern political philosophy and political science. He was an Italian diplomat, author, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He was a contemporary of the Borgia Pope, Alexander VI, and he is most famous for his book, The Prince, which many historians believe is based on the power and leadership of Pope Alexander’s bastard son, Cesare Borgia.
Cesare Borgia (1475-1507)
An Italian born son of Pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia came of age at the height of the Italian Renaissance. The military and political leader, and one-time cardinal, is believed to be the inspiration behind the infamous 16th century political treatise, The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli, who was briefly at the Borgia court.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)
Leaders and Influencers from the Reformation

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Henry VIII of England (1491-1547)
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Ivan IV "Ivan the Terrible" (1530-1584)

Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1533-1603)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)

Pocahontas (1596-1617)
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)
Charles I of England (1600-1649)
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1621-1683)
Louis XIV (1638-1715)
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722)
Leaders and Influencers from the Late Modern Period
(circa 17th to 20th century)
Leaders and Influencers from the Age of Reason (Enlightenment)

Peter the Great (1672–1725)

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Frederick the Great (1712-1786)
Samuel Adams (1722-1803)
Adam Smith (1723-1790)
Robert Clive (1725-1774)
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Catherine the Great (1729-1796)
George Washington (1732-1799)
George Washington was the first President of the United States. After twice being unanimously elected president—the only president to have been elected with 100% of the electoral votes in both his 1st and 2nd term—despite the protests of his exceptionally broad base of supporters, the “American Cincinnatus” again relinquished power at the end of his second term as the first President of the United States, refusing a 3rd term for the good of the American experiment—the bold idea of a government of, by and for the people. To learn more about Washington, check out Classic Influence podcast episode #17: Leverage the Paradox of Self-Reliance: General George Washington Wins the War By First Building Belief and Rapport
John Adams (1735-1826)
Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
John Hancock ( 1737-1793)
Leaders and Influencers from the Age of Revolution
King George III (1738-1820)
George Clinton (1739-1812)
Joseph II (1741-1790)
Samuel Chase (1741-1811)
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
John Jay (1745-1829)
James Madison (1751-1836)
Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755-1804)

Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)
John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)
Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)
Henry Clay (1777-1852)

Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831)
Clausewitz was a Prussian military general and one of the greatest military theorists in history. His writings, most famously On War, are still studied at leading military academies around the world.
Daniel Webster (1782-1852)
John C. Calhoun (1782-1850)
Martin Van Buren (1782-1862)
Zachary Taylor (1784-1850)

Davy Crockett (1786-1836)
Known as the “King of the Wild Frontier,” Davy Crockett was an American folk hero, frontiersman, a colonel in the local militia, and a politician from Tennessee. Crockett was a gifted storyteller and his exploits became the subject of numerous plays during his lifetime. He died defending the Alamo during the Texas Revolution.
Lord Byron (1788-1824)
James Polk (1795-1849)
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)
Lord Macaulay (1800-1859)
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
British Prime Minister
William Gladstone (1809-1898)
British Prime Minister
Otto Von Bismarck (1815-1898)
Genius German statesman
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)
Leading American abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman, Frederick Douglass was the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti from 1889 to 1891. Demonstrating an early sense of self-reliance and a willingness to defy authority, Frederick Douglass first began to set himself apart at age 12 when he began teaching himself to read. Initially, his master’s wife was teaching him the alphabet, but after she was reprimanded for teaching a slave to read, Douglass was on his own. He soon found other ways to teach himself to both read and write; including interacting with white children, observing the writing of the men he worked with, and struggling through any reading materials he could get his hands on. Through reading, Douglass became well aware of the world around him and, in 1838, now about 20, he escaped the shackles of slavery, landing in Massachusetts. In time, the spoken and written word enabled Frederick Douglass to gain considerable renown. Along with his work as a prominent abolitionist, he became an outstanding orator, a bestselling author, and a newspaper publisher. He later became the President of the Freedman’s Savings Bank and marshal of the District of Columbia. In 1888, Douglass became the first African American to receive a vote at the Republican National Convention as a nominee for the President of the United States.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Leading American philosopher and poet, author of the book Walden and the celebrated essay “Civil Disobedience.”
Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885)
A military general and one of the greatest heroes of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States.
Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913)
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
Leaders and Influencers from the World War I and World War II Era
Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924)
Louis Brandeis (1856-1941)
William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)
Jane Addams (1860-1935)
David Lloyd George (1863-1945)
The Wright Brothers—
Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948)
Orville and Wilbur Wright were two American aviation pioneers who are today credited with the first successful piloted, powered, “heavier than air” airplane flight in history. In competition with some of the greatest minds in science and technology at the time, few could have expected that the Wright brothers would emerge as such successful, pioneering aviators. They lacked education, formal training, and financial support and, yet, they had everything they needed to succeed. To learn more check out Classic Influence episode #37: Escalate the Intensity, Increase the Stakes: Orville and Wilbur Wright’s Extraordinary Obsession with Flight.
Mary Parker Follet (1868-1933)
Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940)
Emma Goldman (1869-1940)
Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)
Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922)
Ernest Shackleton was an Irish-born Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. Shackleton is remembered as one of the key figures in the Heroic Age of Exploration. The story of Shackleton and his crew’s quest to cross the South Pole is one of the greatest sagas of survival in history. It is also a astounding reminder of the power of optimism, endurance, and hope. To learn more, check out Classic Influence Podcast episode #28: Hammer Optimism into Your Plans: Ernest Shackleton’s Miracle Trip from Elephant Island.
Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964)
Joseph Stalin (1878-1953)
Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)
George Marshall (1880-1959)
Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945)
Fiorello H. La Guardia (1882-1947)
Fiorello La Guardia was the mayor of New York City from 1934 to 1945. Prior to becoming mayor, La Guardia was a Congressman from New York’s 20th district. Historians widely consider La Guardia to be one of New York’s best mayors. In addition to La Guardia airport, a number of other institutions and streets are named in his honor. Standing 5 feet 2 inches tall, La Guardia is remembered as a force to be reckoned with. The New York Times wrote in his obituary: “Dynamite and aggressive, he appeared to be everywhere at once, rushing to fires at times and at other times flying all over the country by airplane. A fighter by nature he was always ready to take on all comers, big or little, from Hitler to the man in the street.” Obituary (1947, September 21). “La Guardia is Dead; City Pays Homage to 3-Time Mayor.” New York Times. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s Obituatry
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)
Clement Attlee (1883-1967)
Harry Truman (1884-1972)

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
George Patton (1885-1945)
A charismatic, courageous, and flamboyant hero of World War II, General George Patton possessed a relentless will to win. He was also a man who struggled with self-doubt and fear. Check out Classic Influence episode #039 to learn how his willingness to accept the distinct likelihood of death forever changed the arc of his destiny: Find Courage Under Fire—Count the Costs, Then Forge Ahead: General George S. Patton’s Greatest Nightmare and Moment of Truth.
Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975)
James Farley (1888-1976)
American politician and key figure in the rise of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Farley was also known as a political kingmaker, and an early expert in the use of polling data.
Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
Dale Carnegie was an American writer and lecturer and, ultimately, a successful businessman. He was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, one of the best-selling books in publishing history. Born in poverty on a small farm in Missouri, Carnegie was nearly 50 before he finally figured out the key to his blockbuster success. To learn more about how Carnegie became “The Father of Self-Help,” and, in time, the head of a thriving personal development empire the likes of which the world had never before seen, listen to this episode of Classic Influence: CIP 038. Make Your First Dollar, Profit from the Power of Proof: Dale Carnegie’s Baby Steps Rise to Blockbuster Success.
John Foster Dulles (1888-1959)
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (1888-1969)
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964)
Charles De Gaulle (1890-1970)
Charles De Gaulle was a French general who helped to fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. After the war, de Gaulle formed his own political party (Rally of the French People). He was later elected the first president of the Fifth (and current) Republic of France. To this day, Charles de Gaulle is widely seen as a great hero of France’s modern era.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969)
Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969)
Earl Warren (1891-1974)
Francisco Franco (1892-1975)
Wendell Wilkie (1892-1944)
Huey Long (1893-1935)
A populist champion of the downtrodden, the oppressed, and the poor, Huey Long grew up in Louisiana during the Gilded Age and became involved in politics in the years leading up to the Great Depression. Despite the financial hardships he faced during his upbringing in Louisiana, and the fierce political opposition he faced throughout his rise to the pinnacle of power in the Pelican State, Huey Long rose to become one of America’s greatest political stars. To learn more about how Huey overcame his humble origins and built a reputation for himself as a political force to be reckoned with, check out this episode of Classic Influence: Dare to Defy the Established Order, Risk to Skip Ahead: Huey Long Cuts a Barrier-Breaking Path to the Top.
Leaders and Influencers from the Atomic Age and the Cold War Era
Mao Zedong (1893-1976)
Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971)
Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier (1907-1971)
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908-1972)
Joseph R. McCarthy (1908-1957)

Lyndon Johnson (1908-1973)
Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36th President of the United States. He was President John F. Kennedy’s Vice President until Kennedy was assassinated, whereupon LBJ was sworn in. Johnson could be very persuasive and, contrary to his presence before large audiences, he had a personal charisma that helped him to build relationships and power in Washington. Known as “The Johnson Treatment,” in this photo we see LBJ using his physical confidence and imposing stature to emphasize his point.

Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)
Nelson Rockfeller (1908-1979)
Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)
Thomas Philip O'Neill Jr. (1912-1994)
Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
Richard Nixon (1913-1994)
Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006)
Robert McNamara (1916-2009)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)
Indira Gandhi was the first and, so far, only woman to be prime minister of India. She was the daughter of the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. She also served as prime minister twice, first from 1966 to 1977, and then from 1980 until 1984 when she was struck down by the bullets two of her own bodyguards.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Eva Peron (1919-1952)

Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)
McGeorge Bundy (1919-1996)
Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
As Bishop of Rome from 1978 to 2005, John Paul II was the second longest serving pope.
Henry Kissinger (1923- )
Jimmy Carter (1924- )
Malcolm Little "Malcolm X" (1925-1965)
Robert Francis Kennedy (1925-1968)
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Hero. Leader. Icon. Legend. Martin Luther King Jr. stands as one of history’s greatest revolutionary leaders. Confronted with one of the most difficult, deep-rooted problems, opposed by some of the most vicious, hate-filled racists, Dr King was able to find a path forward again and again. Revealing a key secret to Dr. King’s effectiveness as a strategist, this episode also explores a simple, but powerful, reflective practice, and the close connection between writing, reflecting, and leading.