For many centuries, and even a few millennia, men and women have explored the globe, forcing entire tribes and civilisations to bow at their feet. These people conquered last stretches of terrritory, influencing and impacting the lives and cultures of the conquered lands for centuries after their deaths. Although their vocations were violent ones, their exploration led to the spread of language and philosophy. These tradesmen are now called military commanders.
Alexander III of Macedon
Alexander III of Macedon is often regarded as one of history's greatest military masterminds. His life consisted of many battles, all of which he was the victor in, and building an empire that stretched from Greece to India. Alexander The Great was born in 356 BC in the city of Pella, Greece to Phillip II of Macedon, and Olympias, Phillip's fourth wife.
As a child, the young Alexander seemed destined to achieve great things. Aged 10, he famously tamed a horse brought by a trader from Thessaly, before his father told him that he was destined to overcome the Persian Empire. He named the horse Bucephalus and would ride to and fight every battle upon this very horse. At the age of 13, he began tuition under the great scientist and philosopher Aristotle who taught him medicine, logic, art, religion, philosophy and morals. The teenage Alexander became deeply engrossed in the literature of Homer and was given an annotated copy of the Illiad, which Alexander carried with him on his invasions.
But what Alexander is most commonly known for is his ruthless empire expansion and his impressive battle record. Alexander led his first battle against the Thebans and Athenians at Chaeronea aged 18. In the thirteen years that followed, Alexander conquered everything from Macedon and Greece to the Indian border, including Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt. He won a total of eight times against the Achaemenid Empire. and spent a large portion of his life conquering lands that were seen as far-fetched. By the time, Alexander had finished his expansion, he had complete control over the Eastern region of the Mediterranean.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was born with the Italian name Napoleone di Buonaparte, as he was born on the Italian island of Corsica, into a family of minor nobility. Aged 9, he moved to mainland France and attended a school in Autun. Five years later, four years after beginning to learn French, the young Napoleone was admitted to the prestigious École Militaire. He graduated one year early, in 1785, and became the first Corsican to do so.
The young Corsican spent the first few years of the French Revolution in Corsica, in a three-way battle between Corsican nationalists, like himself, royalists (supporters of Louis XVI) and republican revolutionaries. In 1793 Augustin Robespierre, younger brother of Maximilien Robespierre, made him artillery commander of the revolutionaries at the Siege of Toulon. His bravery and battle genius led to Republican victory and promotion after promotion ensued.
After the Revolution, Napoleon became the ruler of France and led many expeditions across the continent, conquering Italy, and becoming the country's King. Napoleon won battles in places as far from France as Egypt, and over the course of his career, won 54 battles, losing just 9, including the famous Battle of Waterloo.
Shaka Zulu
Shaka kaSenzangakhona, who is commonly referred to as Shaka Zulu in the West, was born as an illegitimate child who rose to be the greatest power in the south of Africa. Shaka was born circa to 1787, around the time that the United States was founded, and spent the majority of his childhood in the settlements of his mother, and became part of a fighting unit, or ibutho lempi. Shaka's rise to power was quite a diplomatic one, as far as military commanders are concerned. The Zulu set up pacts with local tribes and villages, to prepare for the invasion of the Ndwandwe from the north of what is now, South Africa.
Shaka revolutionised the way his tribe, the Zulus, played the bloody game of warfare. Shaka introduced new weapons and is widely regarded, as a creative commander who used many variants of the spear. He also toughened his troops; he enforced tough punishments for minor infringements of rules; warriors who objected to marching without sandals were killed. Shaka's troops were incredibly mobile, some historians assert that they were able to travel up to 50 miles per day.
Even against the advanced technology of the European settlers, Shakan methods fared well. Shaka admitted the guns were more useful than spears, but he asserted that before a bullet had been loaded, the European would have been killed by a pack of Zulu warriors. After Shaka's death, the Zulu warriors crushed the Voortrekkers at the Battle of Blood River.
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC, in the capital of the eponymous Empire, Rome. Like Alexander the Great, he was born into immense wealth and power. His father governed the province of Asia (modern-day West Turkey) and Caesar was born into a patrician family, who claimed to be descendants of the deities. His father died when he was around 16, around the time that a civil war broke out between his uncle, Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. A large portion of what we know about Caesar is derived from his own accounts of his military campaigns, as well the biographies of him written by Suetonius and Plutarch.
After Sulla's death, Caesar returned to Rome and acquired a house in a lower-class area of Rome (his inheritance had been confiscated). He became a legal advocate and was soon famed for his oratory skill. He was elected to the consulship in 59 BC and formed an alliance with Pompey and Crassus, that is now referred to as the First Triumvirate.
Caesar conquered Gaul (modern-day France) in the Gallic Wars, in which the Roman Republic overcame the Gallic and Germanic "barbarians" over the course of 8 years. He crushed rebels in the Civil War and is regarded by many modern historians as one of history's greatest military commanders.
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, as he is commonly known, was in fact named Temujin at his birth, which was circa to 1162. As King Shaka would do in Southern Africa, a few centuries later, Genghis formed many alliances, offering himself as an ally to Toghrul, Khan of the Keraites. Eventually, this alliance became invalidated, and by 1206, Temujin was the sole ruler of the Mongolian plains. It was at this point, aged 44, that he gave himself the name of Genghis Khan.
After uniting the nomadic tribes of northeastern Asia, Genghis set his sights on more land and glory. His multiple military campaigns led to the creation of the largest contiguous empire in history, and the second largest empire of any size (second only to the British Empire). It is estimated that Khan's belligerent nature and battle malice killed around 40 million people. His number of children is placed at 1000-2000, and it is often said that 1 of every 200 people alive today are direct descendants of the 13th-century warlord. Although Khan died in 1227, his generals managed to expand his territory; at its largest, it stretched from north-east China to the Caspian Sea. It is unlikely that the Silk Road would have stretched so far and flourished in such a manner if it were not for the Mongol Empire.
As shown, many conquerors have changed countries and continents. Men like Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan established new trade routes and others, like Shaka Zulu, invented new battle technology. Even if they were brutal in their way of spreading their culture and philosophy, it is undeniable that the world would be similar without them.
Alexander III of Macedon
Alexander III of Macedon is often regarded as one of history's greatest military masterminds. His life consisted of many battles, all of which he was the victor in, and building an empire that stretched from Greece to India. Alexander The Great was born in 356 BC in the city of Pella, Greece to Phillip II of Macedon, and Olympias, Phillip's fourth wife.
As a child, the young Alexander seemed destined to achieve great things. Aged 10, he famously tamed a horse brought by a trader from Thessaly, before his father told him that he was destined to overcome the Persian Empire. He named the horse Bucephalus and would ride to and fight every battle upon this very horse. At the age of 13, he began tuition under the great scientist and philosopher Aristotle who taught him medicine, logic, art, religion, philosophy and morals. The teenage Alexander became deeply engrossed in the literature of Homer and was given an annotated copy of the Illiad, which Alexander carried with him on his invasions.
But what Alexander is most commonly known for is his ruthless empire expansion and his impressive battle record. Alexander led his first battle against the Thebans and Athenians at Chaeronea aged 18. In the thirteen years that followed, Alexander conquered everything from Macedon and Greece to the Indian border, including Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt. He won a total of eight times against the Achaemenid Empire. and spent a large portion of his life conquering lands that were seen as far-fetched. By the time, Alexander had finished his expansion, he had complete control over the Eastern region of the Mediterranean.
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| Alexander's empire. Photo from By Thomas Lessman (Contact!) - Own work See the source info for East-Hem 323bc.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4095845 |
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was born with the Italian name Napoleone di Buonaparte, as he was born on the Italian island of Corsica, into a family of minor nobility. Aged 9, he moved to mainland France and attended a school in Autun. Five years later, four years after beginning to learn French, the young Napoleone was admitted to the prestigious École Militaire. He graduated one year early, in 1785, and became the first Corsican to do so.
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| Photo of Napolean Bonaparte in his early 20s. |
The young Corsican spent the first few years of the French Revolution in Corsica, in a three-way battle between Corsican nationalists, like himself, royalists (supporters of Louis XVI) and republican revolutionaries. In 1793 Augustin Robespierre, younger brother of Maximilien Robespierre, made him artillery commander of the revolutionaries at the Siege of Toulon. His bravery and battle genius led to Republican victory and promotion after promotion ensued.
After the Revolution, Napoleon became the ruler of France and led many expeditions across the continent, conquering Italy, and becoming the country's King. Napoleon won battles in places as far from France as Egypt, and over the course of his career, won 54 battles, losing just 9, including the famous Battle of Waterloo.
Shaka Zulu
Shaka kaSenzangakhona, who is commonly referred to as Shaka Zulu in the West, was born as an illegitimate child who rose to be the greatest power in the south of Africa. Shaka was born circa to 1787, around the time that the United States was founded, and spent the majority of his childhood in the settlements of his mother, and became part of a fighting unit, or ibutho lempi. Shaka's rise to power was quite a diplomatic one, as far as military commanders are concerned. The Zulu set up pacts with local tribes and villages, to prepare for the invasion of the Ndwandwe from the north of what is now, South Africa.
Shaka revolutionised the way his tribe, the Zulus, played the bloody game of warfare. Shaka introduced new weapons and is widely regarded, as a creative commander who used many variants of the spear. He also toughened his troops; he enforced tough punishments for minor infringements of rules; warriors who objected to marching without sandals were killed. Shaka's troops were incredibly mobile, some historians assert that they were able to travel up to 50 miles per day.
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| Sketch of King Shaka from 1824. |
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC, in the capital of the eponymous Empire, Rome. Like Alexander the Great, he was born into immense wealth and power. His father governed the province of Asia (modern-day West Turkey) and Caesar was born into a patrician family, who claimed to be descendants of the deities. His father died when he was around 16, around the time that a civil war broke out between his uncle, Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. A large portion of what we know about Caesar is derived from his own accounts of his military campaigns, as well the biographies of him written by Suetonius and Plutarch.
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| Bust of Caesar. Photo from By Ángel M. Felicísimo from Mérida, España - Retrato de Julio César, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51254904 |
Caesar conquered Gaul (modern-day France) in the Gallic Wars, in which the Roman Republic overcame the Gallic and Germanic "barbarians" over the course of 8 years. He crushed rebels in the Civil War and is regarded by many modern historians as one of history's greatest military commanders.
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan, as he is commonly known, was in fact named Temujin at his birth, which was circa to 1162. As King Shaka would do in Southern Africa, a few centuries later, Genghis formed many alliances, offering himself as an ally to Toghrul, Khan of the Keraites. Eventually, this alliance became invalidated, and by 1206, Temujin was the sole ruler of the Mongolian plains. It was at this point, aged 44, that he gave himself the name of Genghis Khan.
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| Genghis Khan |
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| The Mongol Empire |
As shown, many conquerors have changed countries and continents. Men like Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan established new trade routes and others, like Shaka Zulu, invented new battle technology. Even if they were brutal in their way of spreading their culture and philosophy, it is undeniable that the world would be similar without them.
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