Famous Leaders in The World, Your Students, Should Know About

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, great personalities have impacted the world. Whether it was MK Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, many such great brains have enlightened us and achieved some incredible achievements that are still remembered today.

Famous people from all over the world have a wide range of leadership styles. Their excellence is exemplified in a variety of domains. Let us enlighten ourselves by shining a light on some of the world’s great leaders. This list is far from exhaustive, but it does include a diverse group of well-known international leaders from around the world.

Cyrus the Great

Cyrus established the first Persian Empire, the world’s largest at the time. He governed from the Balkans to India, respecting the traditions and beliefs of the peoples he subjugated.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, an anti-apartheid revolutionary, philanthropist, politician, and one of the world’s most outstanding leaders, served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Nelson Mandela has seen it all, from being jailed for life to winning the Nobel Peace Prize for ending apartheid in South Africa. 

Qin Shi Huang

He was a harsh, oppressive tyrant as the first emperor of a united China. Despite this, he is best known for uniting the Chinese states and developing a uniform currency and writing style. He also began building on China’s Great Wall.

Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi was a rebel of several rallies aiming at liberating India, and he was born into an ordinary Indian family in Gujrat. Civil disobedience, the Dandi March, and Quit India were all his ideas, bearing his name. He was then given the title of “Father of the Nation.”

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar aided in expanding Rome’s empire, putting all of Gaul (France) under Roman control. He established himself as the dictator of Rome, enacting land reform and providing citizenship to people from all over the empire. Because the governing class did not trust Julius Caesar, murder him on the Ides of March was devised.

Martin Luther King Jr

MLK is one of the most celebrated people globally and is listed among the world’s great leaders, thanks to his speech “I Have a Dream” in Washington. He, like Gandhi, continued his campaign for Afro-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. He was a devout Christian who practiced nonviolence to the fullest extent possible.

Genghis Khan

The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, who brought together the nomadic peoples of Northeast Asia. He was a ruthless conqueror who slaughtered entire cities that stood in his way. Millions died in combat, starvation, or mass extermination during his reign. Despite his terrifying image, many people admired him for his generosity in sharing his money and making other contributions to Mongol civilization.

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, presided over the Mongol Empire at its peak. Today, it spanned the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, Siberia to Afghanistan. He established China’s Yuan dynasty and erected the Xanadu Palace, which Marco Polo saw during his travels.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was a reformer who sparked the ‘free country’ ethos in the United States. He was an award-winning lawyer who later entered politics. Because of his heroic journey leading the country to victory in the Civil War, words like democracy, liberty, equal rights, etc., are frequently used as synonyms for his name.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman, the Ottoman Empire’s longest-serving Sultan, aspired to conquer Europe. His grandiose siege of Vienna eventually failed, igniting a centuries-long rivalry between the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs.

On the other hand, Suleiman enlarged the empire in the Middle East and North Africa. He presided over a golden age, revamping the legal system and being a significant arts patron.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa, born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, has left an indelible mark on humanity. She has earned a place on the list of the world’s best leaders due to her unwavering commitment to strengthening vulnerable communities.

In her support, she led a global community that worked tirelessly to open orphanages, clinics, and other facilities worldwide, including India. She was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to alleviate poverty.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was a well-known French military leader who later became a famous politician during the Great French Revolution. He is best known as the Emperor of France for his pivotal role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Adolf Hitler

Hitler is unquestionably one of the most recognized world leaders of all time, yet he is also notorious. He began World War II by ruthlessly seizing control of much of Europe. During the Holocaust, he put almost six million Jews to death in detention camps. Ultimately, his arrogance led to a loss, and Hitler committed suicide while hiding from Allied forces.

Many of history’s most notable world leaders were remarkable men and women who inspired and assisted others. However, this is not always the case. Any list of prominent world leaders includes some contentious, if not outright infamous, characters. Still, these are people whom children should study more about to grasp history and our present world.