1. Alexander the Great
Arguably one of the greatest generals of antiquity, Alexander’s conquests extended the Macedonian kingdom from Greece to India, almost the entire known world at the time. Born in 356 BC, his early years were spent under the tutelage of Aristotle.
His early military career was spent releasing Greece from the grasp of the Persians. Throughout his reign, the casualties of his troops compared to those of his enemies were considerably less, mostly due to his quick tactical thinking and his love for the men who fought under him.
2. Leonidas I
Best known for his heroic last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae. Leonidas’ early years have barely been documented although, legend has it that he was the descendant of Heracles.
His reign began somewhere around 490 BC, and he shared control with Leotychides, as was Spartan custom of the time.
Leonidas learned of the betrayal and sent away most of his men , keeping only the 300 Spartans that made up his personal guard. Leonidas’ 300 valiantly fought off the advancing Persians down to their last man.
Leonidas was killed, and his body beheaded and crucified, which only served to anger his fellow Spartans who expelled the Persians from Greece a few months later at the Battle of Plataea.
3. Sun
A Chinese General, Sun was the author of the first and most sophisticated book on military theory ever written, The Art of War.
While not much is known about the man, it is generally accepted that he was an accomplished General who served the King of Wu in the period of the Warring States in the 4th century BC.
In more recent times, The Art of War has been adopted by business students in Tokyo, New York and London as a text on business strategy.
4. Hannibal
A Carthaginian General, Hannibal was a master strategist who developed outflanking tactics.
Dubbed the father of strategy by military historian Theodore Dodge, he grew up with a fierce hatred of the Romans.
After the death of his brother-in-law, he took command of the army and set his sights on Rome.
He set out in the spring of 218 BC and fought his way through the Pyrenees and the Alps with a force of 46,000 soldiers and 37 war elephants.
5. Julius Caesar
The greatest general in Rome’s history, Caesar came to power first as a praetor before being elected as consul and proconsul in 59 BC and organizing the First Triumvirate with Pompey.
He distinguished himself by leading campaigns in Gaul, Britain and Germany, but his growing power scared the senate, and he was asked to disband his forces.
In 44 BC he became dictator for life, a title that was short-lived because on the Ides of March 15th 44 BC, he was stabbed to death by a group of his friends and protégés.
6. Miyamoto
The greatest sword fighter of his time, Miyamoto, is one of the best-known samurai in Japanese history. Born in 1584, he was raised by his uncle in temple.
By the time he was 13 he had already won his first duel against Kigei, a student of military arts. Later in his life, he became a master painter and writer.
His most famous written work is The Book of Five Rings, which covers the sum of his experience as a sword fighter, including strategy, tactics and philosophy.
7. Lieutenant Murphy
Born the son of a poor Texas sharecropper in 1924, he went on to become the most decorated American soldier of World War II.
In an attempt to free himself of his hardships, he joined the army as a private in 1942. With help from his friends, he penned an autobiography entitled To Hell and Back, which was later made into a movie in which he played himself.
While on a business trip, he died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors.
8. Saladin
Known to the western world as the antihero of the Third Crusade, he is revered in the Middle East as the hero who returned Jerusalem into Muslim hands.
The Kurdish Sultan was born in 1138 in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and grew up during the First Crusade. He was trained as a soldier by his uncle Shirkuh.
Early in his military career he worked on uniting Arab forces under his control, first in Egypt and then in Syria and Palestine. He then set his sights on Jerusalem and conquered King Guy de Lusignan at the Battle of Hatting.
9. Spartacus
Born in Thrace in 109 BC, Spartacus is most widely known as the gladiator who led the revolt against Rome during the Gladiatorial War.
It is not known for sure how Spartacus became a gladiator, but the leading theory is that he once fought for the Roman army but deserted and became a thief.
He was arrested and sold as a gladiator due to his strength. Spartacus was killed in a battle in 71 BC, and his men were killed.
He is remembered as a legendary commander not only for his successes in battle but for his own courage.
10. Richard I (Lion heart)
Richard I was given the nickname Lion heart for his exceptional fighting ability and courage.
The duke of Normandy, he ascended to the throne of England in 1198 after defeating his father Henry II with the help of his powerful mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Richard took the cross in 1188 when he heard of Saladin’s successful conquest of Jerusalem.
He spent his final five years reclaiming his throne from his brother John and fighting against Philip’s advances into Normandy.
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