The Greatest Conquerors In World History

Conquerors may not live up to the moral standards of the modern world, but they are still sources of fascination for anyone with an interest in history. With a bit of distance, we are able to admire them for what they accomplished, even while in our heads we know that their warmongering, empire-expanding ways are not exactly a good way to make for a better, more peaceful world.

Nonetheless, history is what it is, and there is plenty of wonder and delight to be found reading about people who aren’t exactly saints. We can still respect them for their bold actions, however problematic, that changed the course of history and made the world we live in today. Read on for four of history’s greatest conquerors.

Tamerlane

“Timur the Lame” may not sound like a name that inspires fear into his enemies, but the Turco-Mongol ruler Tamerlane was a force to be reckoned with and one of the most important figures of the past millennium. The 14th century Uzbekistan born conqueror amassed an empire that spanned from Persia to parts of Russia and included modern day territories of Georgia and Armenia within it. His disability from birth, which rendered him partially paralyzed, was no impediment for his rule, and despite not being able to read he was known for his brilliant mind (he was actually a chess lover who had his own variant, and he was also trilingual) that made him a natural for politics.

He rose in the ranks and became the senior minister for the Mongol Khan. He eventually wrested control from the Khan and became the ruler himself. His bloodline, or so he says, descends from the second son of Genghis Khan himself, and he was a worthy successor to the legendary conqueror. Samarkand was his home base where he oversaw the rise of the Timurid dynasty, which was responsible for the deaths of roughly 17 million people. The Mongols were back, and this was the greatest Muslim dynasty in existence at the time. He died in 1405, and his architecturally important tomb can be visited in Samarkand today. When the Soviets opened his tomb in WW2, they were so scared of being cursed that they made sure Tamerlane was reburied.

Hannibal

In 247 BC, Hannibal was born, and the Roman Republic would never be the same. Hailing from Carthage, he famously led his Carthiginian forces against the Romans in the Second Punic War, with his legendary elephant journey over the Alps in 218 BC being one of the greatest military maneuvers of all time. It was just one of many examples of his great strategic mind, though, which on numerous occasions saw him getting the upper hand on the Romans even though he had neither the men nor the equipment that his opponents did. For this reason, Hannibal’s methods have been the subject of study by militaries around the world.

Just as Hannibal is the military master to study, Hannibal himself was constantly studying the other side, with a focus on analysis over where they are strong and where they are lacking. It was only through knowing the enemy that he could defeat them, and he carefully planned out his attacks and defenses. His approach led to him spending 15 years with much of southern Italy under his control. Ultimately, his reforms did not make him popular with the aristocracy, and he was exiled in 195 BC. He spent around a dozen years traveling to different courts while staying out of Rome’s grasp before he killed himself with poison, choosing to die on his own terms rather than the Romans’.

Napoleon Bonaparte

When it comes to European history from the past five hundred years, Napoleon Bonaparte is a figure that stands tall above the rest. Well, not literally, as Napoleon, who was born in 1769, is famously known for being vertically challenged, with some estimates putting him at five feet and two inches. However, the man was brilliant, and as an artillery commander he made a name for himself during the French Revolution. He quickly rose to the top, and by 1804 he was Emperor of France. Never one to settle for anything less than the entire world, in just a year he became King of Italy, and over the next few decades he went to war with the entire continent, winning some of history’s greatest battles to rule over much of Europe and have over 70 million people living under his reign.

What goes up must come down, though, and there were a series of battles that went poorly for him. The army was in a diminished state when in 1814 Paris was overtaken and Napoleon was sent into exile. He eventually got France back, but he saw his demise with the Battle of Waterloo, after which he was exiled to Saint Helena under imprisonment of the British until his death in 1821 at the age of 51. It was said to be stomach cancer that killed him, though many doubt the official story given by his physician. A few hundred years later, Napoleon is still a figure that many are utterly fascinated by, and four million people come to see his tomb at Les Invalides in Paris each year.

Cyrus The Great

Achaemenid Empire founder Cyrus the Great was born in 600 BC, and in 546 BC he became the ruler of the first empire of the Persians which was the biggest global empire to date, with territory that spanned Europe, Asia, and Africa. He was able to come to power by bringing the tribes of the Persians and the Medes together, and he also freed the Jews while conquering Babylon. It was not all bloody battles of territorial expansion for Cyrus, though, and he also promoted many principles which were compiled into the Cyrus Cylinder, which can be seen at the British Museum and is said to be the world’s first document supporting human rights. 

Cyrus understood the importance of respecting diversity, as was a necessity for a successful ruler of a massive portion of land and a huge range of people. He knew that efforts to impose his will would fail, and only in allowing people to live as they wished could he run a successful empire. Cyrus died in 530 BC, likely in battle, though the details are uncertain. His tomb can be found in Pasargadae, Iran, and to this day countless people visit it, with the Iranian New Year as well as Cyrus the Great Day being especially popular occasions to pay tribute to one of the great rules in world history.