The Collector Surveys 12 Infamous Historical Leaders Who Shaped the Modern World
A recent survey by The Collector highlights 12 infamous leaders from history, covering a wide timeline from the 5th century BC to the 20th century AD. Notable figures include Cyrus the Great (around 600 BC), who founded the Achaemenid Empire, and Alexander the Great (334-323 BC), famous for his Persian conquests. Ashoka the Great (268-232 BC) ruled the Mauryan Empire and was a key figure in spreading Buddhism. Augustus (63 BC) became Rome's first emperor, while Constantine the Great (272 AD) made Christianity legal and founded Constantinople. The Islamic faith was established by Prophet Muhammad (570-632 AD). Genghis Khan (c. 1160-1227) united Mongol tribes, and Ferdinand II and Isabella I (1469-1492) completed the Reconquista. George Washington (1732-1797) was the first U.S. president, and Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) led the Bolshevik Revolution, with Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founding the People's Republic of China.
Key facts
- Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire and established the world's first postal relay system.
- Alexander the Great invaded Persia in 334 BC and died in Babylon in June 323 BC at age 32.
- Ashoka the Great renounced military conquest after the Kalinga War and spread Buddhism through Dhamma edicts.
- Emperor Augustus defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and became Rome's first emperor in 27 BC.
- Emperor Constantine the Great founded Constantinople in 324 AD and convened the Council of Nicaea in 325.
- Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes in 1206 and died in 1227 during the campaign against the Western Xia.
- George Washington served as the first U.S. president from 1789 to 1797 and voluntarily left office after two terms.
- Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, and launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966.
Entities
Artists
- Cyrus the Great
- Astyages
- King Croesus
- Queen Tomyris
- Darius the Great
- Alexander the Great
- Philip II of Macedon
- Darius III
- Parmenion
- Aristotle
- Homer
- Achilles
- Heracles
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Ashoka the Great
- Chandragupta
- Bindusara
- Augustus
- Julius Caesar
- Mark Antony
- Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
- Cleopatra
- Varus
- Constantine the Great
- Constantius I
- Diocletian
- Maxentius
- Eusebius
- The Prophet Muhammad
- Khadija
- Archangel Gabriel
- Genghis Khan
- Zoljargal Nyambuu
- King Ferdinand II
- Queen Isabella I
- Christopher Columbus
- Catherine of Aragon
- Henry VIII
- Joanna
- Philip the Handsome
- Charles V
- George Washington
- Alexander Hamilton
- Vladimir Lenin
- Alexander Ulyanov
- Tsar Alexander III
- Julius Martov
- Tsar Nicholas II
- Joseph Stalin
- Mao Zedong
- Sun Yat-Sen
- Chiang Kai-Shek
- Richard Nixon
- Hua Guofeng
- Deng Xiaoping
Institutions
- The Collector
- British Museum
- British Library
- National Archeological Museum of Naples
- Capitoline Museums
- David Collection
- University of Edinburgh
- Brooklyn Museum
- Royal Collections Trust
- Google Arts & Culture
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- State Historical Museum
- US Library of Congress
- National Public Radio
- Achaemenid Persian Empire
- Median Empire
- Macedonian Empire
- Mauryan Empire
- Roman Empire
- Byzantine Empire
- Mongol Empire
- Spanish Kingdoms
- United States of America
- Soviet Russia
- People's Republic of China
- Chinese Communist Party
- Kuomintang
- Habsburgs
- Continental Army
- Bank of the United States
- The British Museum
- Musei Vaticani
Locations
- Persia
- Lydia
- Babylon
- Jerusalem
- Sardis
- Ionia
- Greece
- India
- Alexandria
- Egypt
- Bactria
- Central Asia
- Macedonia
- Anatolia
- Pakistani Punjab
- Kalinga
- China
- Thailand
- Sri Lanka
- Sarnath
- Pakistan
- Nepal
- Afghanistan
- Rome
- Teutoburg Forest
- Constantinople
- Istanbul
- Serbia
- York
- Mecca
- Medina
- Arabia
- Mongolia
- Korea
- Central Europe
- Western Xia
- Tangut Empire
- Zhongdu
- Beijing
- Qara Khitai
- Khwarazmian Empire
- Baghdad
- Spain
- Granada
- Iberian Peninsula
- Virginia
- Mount Vernon
- Philadelphia
- Valley Forge
- Simbirsk
- Ulyanovsk
- Volga River
- St Petersburg
- Switzerland
- Russia
- Hunan
- Yan'an
- Portugal
- Macedon
- United States