Since the history of mankind is in some way the history of wars, one of its most significant figures is the military leaders. The names of the great commanders, as well as the exploits of bloody battles and difficult victories occupy a special niche in world history. The tactics and strategy of waging wars by these talented people in their field are still considered significant theoretical material for future officers. Below in the article we will present to your attention the names of people who are included in our list of “Great World Leaders”.
Cyrus II the Great
Starting an article on the topic “The Great Leaders of the World,” we want to tell you exactly about this man. The brilliant military leader - King of Persia Cyrus II - was considered a wise and valiant ruler. Before Cyrus was born, his fortuneteller predicted to his mother that her son would become the ruler of the whole world. Hearing about this, his grandfather - the king of Medes Astiagus, was scared in earnest and decided to destroy the baby. However, the boy was hidden among the slaves and survived, and after taking the throne, he fought with his crowned grandfather and was able to defeat him. One of the most significant conquests of Cyrus the Second was the capture of Babylon. This great commander was killed by warriors from nomadic Central Asian tribes.
Guy Julius Caesar
An outstanding public figure, a brilliant commander, Gaius Julius Caesar was able to achieve the fact that even after his death, the Roman Empire for five centuries was considered the greatest and most influential country in the world. By the way, the words “Kaiser” and “tsar”, which are translated from German and Russian as “emperor,” came precisely from his name. Caesar, of course, is the greatest commander of his time. The years of his reign became a golden period for the Roman Empire: the Latin language spread throughout the world, in other countries when administering states, Roman laws were taken as a basis, many peoples began to follow the traditions and customs of subjects of the emperor. Caesar was a great commander, but his life was cut short by the dagger of his betrayal friend Brutus.
Hannibal
This great Carthaginian commander is called the "father of strategy." His main enemies were the Romans. He hated everything that was connected with their state. On his account - hundreds of battles that coincided in time with the period of the Punic Wars. The name of Hannibal is associated with a tremendous passage through the Pyrenees and the snowy Alps with an army, which included not only warriors on horseback, but also riders on elephants. He also owns the phrase that later became winged: "The Rubicon is passed."
Alexander the Great
Speaking of the great commanders, one cannot fail to mention the name of the ruler of Macedonia - Alexander, who came with his army almost to India. On his account - eleven years of continuous battles, thousands of victories and not a single defeat. He did not like to quarrel with a weak enemy, therefore, among his main enemies were always great military leaders. His army consisted of different units, and each of them perfectly owned its combat craft. Alexander's reasonable strategy was that he knew how to distribute forces between all his warriors. Alexander wanted to unite the West with the East and spread the Hellenistic culture in all his new possessions.
Tigran II the Great
The greatest commander who lived before the birth of Christ was King of Armenia Tigran the Second Great (140 BC - 55 BC). He made the most significant gains in the history of the state. A tigran from the Arshakid clan fought with Parthia, Cappadocia, the Seleucid empire. He was captured Antioch and even the Nabatean kingdom on the shores of the Red Sea. Thanks to Tigran, Armenia at the turn of the millennium has become the most powerful power in the Middle East. It included Antropatena, Medes, Sofen, Syria, Cilicia, Phenicia, etc. In those years, the Silk Road from China passed through Greater Armenia, heading to Europe. Tigran was able to conquer only the Roman commander Lucullus.
Charlemagne
The French descended from the Franks. Their king Karl for his courage, as well as for grand battles received the title "Great". During his reign, the Franks conducted more than fifty military campaigns. He is the greatest European commander of his time. All major battles were led by the king himself. It was during the reign of Charles that his state doubled and absorbed the territories that today belong to the French Republic, Germany, some parts of modern Spain and Italy, Belgium, etc. He freed the Pope from the hands of the Lombards, and in gratitude he elevated him to the rank of Emperor .
Genghis Khan
This truly great military leader, thanks to his fighting skills, was able to conquer almost all of Eurasia. His troops were called the horde, and the soldiers - barbarians. However, these were not wild unorganized tribes. These were completely disciplined military units, which went to victory under the leadership of their wise boss. It was not brute force that won, but the moves calculated to the smallest detail, not only of their own army, but also of the enemy. In short, Genghis Khan is the greatest tactical commander.
Tamerlan
Many know this commander under the name Timur Lromoy. This nickname was given to him for the mutilation received during clashes with the khans. His name alone terrified the peoples of Asia, the Caucasus, the Volga region and Russia. He founded the Timurid dynasty, and his state stretched from Samarkand to the Volga itself. However, his greatness consisted solely in the power of authority, so immediately after the death of Tamerlane his state collapsed.
Attila
The name of this barbarian leader, with whose light hand the Roman Empire fell, is surely known to everyone. Attila is the great Hagan of the Huns. His large army consisted of Turkic, Germanic and other tribes. His power stretched from the Rhine to the Volga. The oral Germanic epic tells the stories of the great feats of the great Attila. And they are certainly admirable.
Salah ad-Din
The Sultan of Syria, who, due to the irreconcilable struggle with the crusaders, was called the "defender of the faith", is also an outstanding commander of his time. Saladin’s army captured cities such as Beirut, Acre, Caesarea, Ashkalon and Jerusalem.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Many Russian commanders of the Great War (World War 1812) fought against the army of Napoleon - the emperor of France. For 20 years, Napoleon was engaged in the implementation of the most daring and daring plans aimed at expanding the borders of his state. All of Europe was under his subordination. But he did not stop there and tried to conquer some of the countries of Asia and Africa. Napoleon’s Russian campaign, however, was the beginning of the end.
Russia and its great military leaders: photos and biographies
We begin to talk about the exploits of the Russian commanders with a description of the military achievements of this ruler. Prince of Novgorod and Kiev Oleg is considered the unifier of Ancient Russia. He expanded the borders of his country, being the first Russian ruler who decided to strike at the Khazar Kaganate. In addition, he managed to conclude contracts favorable to his country with the Byzantines. It was about him that Pushkin wrote: "Your shield is on the gates of Constantinople."
Nikitich
We learn about the valor of this governor (as the great commanders of Russia in ancient times were called) from the epics. He was one of the most important figures in the whole of Russia, and sometimes his glory exceeded the glory of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.
Vladimir Monomakh
Everyone probably heard about the Monomakh hat. So, she is a relic, a symbol of power, which belonged precisely to Prince Vladimir. His nickname is of Byzantine origin and translates as "martial artist." He was considered the best commander of his era. For the first time Vladimir stood at the head of his army at the age of 13, since then he won one victory after another. He has 83 battles.
Alexander Nevskiy
The great Russian commander of the Middle Ages, Prince Alexander of Novgorod, received his nickname as a result of the victory over the Swedes on the Neva River. Then he was only 20 years old. After 2 years on Lake Peipsi, he defeated the Order of German Knights. The Russian Orthodox Church ranked him as a saint.
Dmitry Donskoy
On another Russian river, the Don River, Prince Dmitry defeated the Tatar army under the leadership of Khan Mamaia. He is also considered one of the greatest Russian commanders of the XIV century. Known under the nickname Don.
Ermak
Not only princes and tsars are considered the greatest Russian commanders, but also Cossack chieftains, for example Yermak. He is a hero, a strong man, an invincible warrior, a conqueror of Siberia. He led troops to Khan Kuchum, defeated him and annexed Siberian lands to Russia. There are several versions of his name - Yermolai, Yermilk, German, etc. However, he went down in history as the legendary and great Russian commander, Ataman Yermak.
Peter the Great
Surely everyone will agree that Peter the Great - the greatest of the kings who incredibly changed the fate of our state - is also a skilled military leader. The great Russian commander Pyotr Romanov won dozens of victories both on the battlefield and on the seas. Among his most significant campaigns are the Azov and Persian ones, as well as the Northern War and the famous Battle of Poltava, during which the Russian army defeated the King of Sweden Karl the Twelfth.
Alexander Suvorov
In the list of "Great commanders of Russia" this commander occupies a dominant position. He is a true hero of Russia. This commander was able to participate in a huge number of wars and battles, but he never suffered defeats. Significant in the military career of Suvorov are the campaigns of the Russian-Turkish war, as well as Swiss and Italian. The great commander Suvorov today is an example to follow for young children - students of the main military school of the Russian Federation.
Grigory Potemkin
Of course, when we mention the name of this Most Holy Prince , we immediately have an association with the word “favorite”. Yes, indeed, he was a favorite of Empress Catherine the Great (Second), however, he was also one of the best generals in the Russian Empire. Even Suvorov himself wrote about him: “I would be happy to die for him!”
Mikhail Kutuzov
The best Russian commander of the late XVIII - early XIX centuries - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, went down in history as the first Russian generalissimo, since military units of different nations served in his army. He is a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. It was he who owned the idea of creating light cavalry and infantry.
Bagration
Another of the heroes of the war against Napoleon - the Georgian prince Bagration - was a descendant of the throne of his country. However, at the beginning of the XIX century, Alexander the Third introduced the name Bagrationov among the Russian-princely families. This warrior was called the “lion of the Russian army”.
20th century warlords
As is known from history, the political situation in Russia has changed dramatically since the beginning of the 20th century: several revolutions occurred, the First World War began, then the Civil War, etc. The Russian army was divided into two parts: the “White Guards” and the “Reds”. Each of these units had their own military leaders. The “White Guards” - Kolchak, Vrungel, the “Reds” - Budenny, Chapaev, Frunze. Trotsky is considered to be a politician, but not a military one, but in fact he is also a very wise military leader, because he is the one who merits the creation of the Red Army. He was called the Red Bonaparte, and the victory in the Civil War belongs to him.
Generals of the Great Patriotic War
The leader of the Soviet people Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin is known throughout the world as a wise and very powerful ruler. He is considered the winner of World War II in 1945. He drove into fear all his subordinates. He was a very suspicious and suspicious person. And the result of this was that at the beginning of World War II, many experienced commanders were not alive. Perhaps because of this, the war lasted as long as 4 years. Among the legendary military leaders of that time were Ivan Konev, Leonid Govorov, Semyon Timoshenko, Ivan Baghramyan, Ivan Khudyakov, Fedor Tolbukhin, and, of course, the most outstanding of them - George Zhukov, a great commander of world significance.
Konstantin Rokossovsky
I want to talk about this warlord separately. He is rightfully on the list of the most prominent commanders of the Second World War. His strength was that his strategy was good both in defense matters and in the offensive. In this he has no equal. Konstantin Rokosovsky commanded the legendary Victory Parade on Red Square in 1945.
George Zhukov
In who should be called the winner of the Great Patriotic War, opinions differ. Some believe that this, of course, is Stalin, because he was the supreme commander. However, there are political figures (not only in Russia, but also in the world as a whole) who believe that it was not Joseph Dzhugashvili who earned the honorary title, but the great commander Georgy Zhukov. He is still the most illustrious of Soviet marshals. It was only thanks to his broad outlook that the idea of uniting several fronts during the war became possible. This led to the victory of the Soviet Union over the fascist invaders. After all this, how can one not recognize that the great commander Georgy Zhukov is the main “culprit” of the Victory?
In conclusion
Of all the outstanding commanders in the history of mankind, of course, it is impossible to tell in the framework of one short article. In every country, every nation has its own heroes. In this material, we mentioned the great commanders - historical figures who were able to change the course of events on a global scale, and also talked about some of the most prominent Russian commanders.