25 Greatest Leaders of All Time

If you are fond of history and biographies then you ought to read our list of 25 greatest leaders of all time.

History is filled with extraordinary tales of heroes and villains that resemble fiction stories we like watching so much. In fact, a great deal of these stories or movies and TV shows are based on actual events and feature historical personalities and great leaders. I enjoy watching such shows because it’s an amazing feeling to be able to see those people talk and act considering how we only learn about them from books and documentaries. Some of these leaders are infamous and some of them were amazing, and thanks to these shows and movies, they come to life for a few hours and we get the chance to meet them.

But what does it mean to be a great leader? Is there a specific set of skills that one must possess in order to become a leader, let alone a great one? Well, certainly so. Not anyone can be a leader. It takes a lot more than it may seem to us but when you really think about it, it’s a lot harder. I think it’s pretty safe to say that all great leaders have some personality traits in common. First of all, to be a good leader, one must be a visionary, you must believe you can achieve great things. Not only do good leaders have great ideas and goals but they also possess the analytical skills to develop strategies to achieve those goals. They must be insightful and hard-working as well. But there is so much more than that. Great leaders must have strong personal integrity and willingness to commit to what is the most important. And perhaps above all else, a great leader must know how to inspire people and make them wish to achieve more. They can guide us and instruct us so that we can follow their example and do great things.

The world’s history is filled with conquests and leaders. Some of them are remembered by good and some by bad doings. There were evil leaders who took advantage of their positions and made people miserable. If you like to know more about it, then I suggest reading our list of 30 most evil people in history. On the other hand, there were also leaders that we still cherish and talk about with admiration and respect. Such leaders were truly influential and inspiring and so they became eternal thanks to history books.

Today, we will deal with the latter, the greatest leaders that the world has ever known, and who knows, perhaps this article will inspire some of you into working harder to achieve your goals. I know, I may be over the line here, but you never know what might motivate you. Since there are so many good examples of leaders in the history of the world, our task to narrow the number down to 25 was not an easy one. The way we appreciate their results greatly depends on our personal opinion, the length of their reign and the type of leaders they were since not all of them were rulers. They were revolutionaries, statesmen, and political activists. On Reddit, we found several discussions on this topic and these suggestions inspired our list of greatest leaders. Additionally, we found inspiring discussions on Quora about famous leaders as well as on Universal Class, and we incorporated some of the names mentioned often. We ranked the leaders according to the number of suggestions and we made a list of 25 greatest leaders of all time.

25. William The Conqueror

William the Conqueror or William I was the first Norman King of England. He led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and ruled from that date until his death in 1087. He was also known as William the Bastard, as his father never married so he was an illegitimate son.

24. Catherine II of Russia

We are continuing our list of greatest leaders of all time with Catherine II (Yekaterina Alexeevna) who was the longest-ruling female leader of Russia. She reigned from 1762 until she died in 1796. She was certainly one of the greatest leaders as her reign was known as Russia’s golden age.

23. Otto Von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold was the Prince of Bismarck and the Duke of Lauenburg. He was a Prussian statesman who had the major role in German and European affairs in the period between the 1860s and 1890s. He managed to unite German states and create the powerful German Empire. He is known for skillfully using the balance of power diplomacy to make sure Germany maintains its position in Europe.

22. George Washington

The 22nd on our list of  25 greatest leaders of all time is George Washington, one of the Founding Fathers and the first President of the United States.  He served as Commander-in-Chief during the American Revolutionary War, and he became known as the father of the country.

21. Thomas Jefferson

The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, was an American Founding Father. He was a spokesman for democracy and he strongly believed in republicanism and served as the third President of the United States.

20. Constantine The Great

Constantine the Great, who’s up next on our list of greatest leaders of all time, was a Roman Emperor who ruled between 303-337 AD, and the first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity. He named a city after himself (renamed Byzantium to Constantinople) and he was praised by people as well as the medieval church.

19. Elizabeth I of England

The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I of England, was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. She managed to become queen despite the fact that she was declared illegitimate after her father’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was annulled. She established the English Protestant Church and her reign is known as the Elizabethan era, a period when theater flourished and famous playwrights emerged such as William Shakespeare.

18. Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He fought for civil rights but in a nonviolent way. He was an American Baptist minister and an activist who led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for fighting against racial inequality.

17. Mother Teresa

Blessed Theresa of Calcutta was a Roman Catholic nun and missionary who devoted her life to helping people. She spent most of her life in India after she founded the Missionaries of Charity which operated in 133 countries managing homes for those suffering from AIDS and other deadly diseases. She was admired by many and she received a number of prizes including a Nobel Peace Prize.

16. James Madison

James Madison, Jr. was the fourth President of the United States. He was a political theorist, a statesman, and he is known as the Father of Constitution due to his crucial role in drafting the U.S. Constitution.

15. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 but he was so much more than that. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary and philanthropist who fought against racism, poverty, and inequality.

14. Abraham Lincoln

The number 14 on our list of greatest leaders of all time is Abraham Lincoln tht was the 16th President of the United States who had an important role in the American Civil War. Apart from that, Lincoln also campaigned for the emancipation of slaves and he was known as a humble and honest man.

13. Charlemagne

Charles the Great (or Charles I) was the king who laid the foundation for establishing modern countries of France and Germany. He was the king of the Franks, and he is known for uniting the greatest part of Western Europe during his reign in the Middle Ages. He was also King of Italy and the first Holy Roman Emperor.

12. Thomas Paine

Up next on our list of greatest leaders of all time is Thomas Paine that was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and he was the one who inspired rebels to declare independence from the British. He was a philosopher and a revolutionary.

11. John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States who served from 1961 to 1963 when he was assassinated. He served during the Cold War and his short presidency mainly concentrated on managing relations with the Soviet Union. He was a war hero in World War II and a member of the Democratic Party.

10. Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a leading author, politician, and also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a scientist, an inventor, political theorist and so many other things for which we consider him to be one of the greatest leaders of all time.

9. Peter The Great

Peter I (Pyotr Alexeyevich) was the ruler of Russian Tsardom which later became the Russian Empire, one of the major European powers. He ruled together with his half-brother and managed to expand his Tsardom to create a powerful empire. He is responsible for leading a cultural revolution which replaced traditional social and political system.

8. Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is an important character in Roman history. He was a general, a statesman, and a Consul, but he is also known for writing prose. Julius Caesar is an important character in Roman history. He was a general, a statesman, and a Consul, but he is also known for writing prose. He was an important figure in the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning and rise of the Roman Empire.

7. Napoleon Bonaparte

We are continuing our list of greatest leaders of all time with this controversial military leader that may be many things but his greatness cannot be denied. He is considered by many to be a great leader and that’s not surprising considering the fact that he became a general when he was only 24 years old. The French conquered a great part of Europe under Napoleon’s command.

6. Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro had a crucial role in the Cuban Revolution and managed to become the President and the Prime Minister of Cuba in the years to follow. He was a visionary, and it was thanks to his struggles that Cuba became the country we know today. He was a victim of many attempts of assassination.

5. Che Guevara

Together with Fidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara that ranks 5th on our list of greatest leaders of all time, was one of the leading men of the Cuban Revolution. A trained doctor and a guerrilla warfare leader, he was known for his compassion and love for doing good, and today he is the symbol of rebellion worldwide.

4. Alexander The Great

We are continuing our list of greatest leaders of all time with Alexander the Great or Alexander III of Macedon that managed to create one of the biggest empires of the ancient world by the age of 30. He was the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. His tutor was no other than Aristotle, and he is considered to be one of the greatest military commanders.

3. Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a leader of Indian independence movement which was then ruled by the British. He inspired civil rights movements all across the world and influenced many people to follow his footsteps. He employed nonviolent civil disobedience and led India to independence.

2. Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill, the next one on our list of greatest leaders of all time, was the British Prime Minister and leader in the World War II. He is remembered as a leader able to motivate people to fight against the Nazis. He was a patriot who pushed the British to win the war.

1. Genghis Khan

The first place on our list of greatest leaders of all time goes to Genghis Khan (born Temujin) that founded the Mongol Empire by uniting nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. This empire became known as the largest empire in history after his death. He conquered the most of Eurasia, although he often caused great bloodshed during these conquests.