© Getty Images

Leonidas I (died 480 BCE) -

In one of antiquity's most infamous military encounters, Sparta's King Leonidas I led 300 soldiers allied with Greece against the vastly superior Persian army of Xerxes I at the Battle of Thermopylae. Fought in 480 BCE over the course of three days, Leonidas perished along with his men. Their heroic stand is seen as the perfect illustration of the power of an army defending its native soil, and the action is still referred to today as a prime example of the advantages of training, equipment, and use of terrain as force multipliers (factors that provide personnel or weapons with a clear edge).

© Getty Images 

Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE) -

By the age of 30, Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, had conquered almost all the then known world. One of his most decisive victories was the overthrow of the Persian empire. He triumphed over Darius III at the Battle of Issus in November 333 BCE, which resulted in Alexander's troops defeating the Persian forces. The Roman mosaic pictured here features Alexander the Great at Issus. It was unearthed at Pompeii and is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

© Getty Images

Hannibal (247–c.181 BCE) -

Scholars regularly cite Hannibal as one of the greatest military commanders in history. A leading Carthaginian general during the First Punic War (264–241 BCE)—the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage—Hannibal quickly became Rome's "public enemy number one." Hannibal's triumph at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE is widely regarded as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history, and one of the worst defeats ever suffered by the Romans.

© Getty Images 

Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) -

Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman, and one of the most charismatic and controversial figures of the era. Conqueror of Gaul (58–50 BCE) and victor in the civil war of 49–45 BCE, Caesar dispatched Rome's enemies with ruthless efficiency to launch ancient Rome on the long road of imperial glory.

© Getty Images 

Khalid Ibn al-Walid (died 642) -

Khalid ibn al-Walid was an Arab Muslim commander in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his successors. A fierce warrior and accomplished horseman, Khalid was victorious in over 100 battles, against the forces of the Byzantine-Roman Empire, Sassanid-Persian Empire and their allies, in addition to other Arab tribes. He is especially remembered for his decisive victory at the Battle of Yamama in 632, though the bloody encounter resulted in over 1,200 Muslim deaths.

© Public Domain 

William the Conqueror (c. 1028–1087) -

William, Duke of Normandy is forever remembered as the man who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, one of medieval Europe's most famous and decisive encounters, which led to the Norman conquest of England.

© Getty Images 

Genghis Khan (1162–1227) -

Mongol leader Genghis Khan established history's largest contiguous empire by uniting nomadic tribes and conquering huge swathes of central Asia and China.

© Getty Images 

Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) -

One of the most powerful figures in medieval feudal Japan, Takeda Shingen, known as the "Tiger of Kai" after his Kai province homeland, was distinguished by his aggressiveness in battle and his skill as a strategist and military leader. He is especially well known for his series of mid-16th-century clashes with the feared warrior Uesugi Kenshin, battles that have gone down in the annals of Japanese history and are much celebrated in the country's drama and folklore.

© Getty Images 

Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596) -

While he is celebrated for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, Francis Drake was also a hugely influential English naval officer. He was second-in-command of the English fleet in the victorious battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

© Getty Images 

Gustavus Adolphus (1594–1632) -

Gustavus Adolphus was King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history for his development of a professional army based on a combination of arms—mobile artillery, and improved infantry and cavalry formations: the basis in the modern era of aircraft, infantry, and armor working together. Adolphus' tactical and strategic expertise is credited with the rise of Sweden as a great European power in the 17th century.

© Getty Images 

Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) -

Prince Eugene of Savoy made a name for himself as a general and diplomat during the Habsburg dynasty and is regarded as one of the most important military commanders and statesmen in Austrian history. He served three emperors: Leopold I, Joseph I, and Charles VI. His fame was secured with his decisive victory against the Ottomans at the Battle of Zenta in 1697, earning him Europe-wide prominence.

© Getty Images 

Frederick the Great (1712–1786) -

King of Prussia from 1740 until 1772, Frederick the Great was an exceptional military campaigner and accomplished battlefield tactician— qualities that led him to defeat numerous coalition enemies, notably during the Silesian Wars against Hapsburg Austria for control of the Central European region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland).

© Getty Images 

George Washington (1732–1799) -

George Washington served as commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution (1775–1783). He led American forces (allied with France) in the defeat and surrender of the British at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, which prompted negotiations to bring about the end of the conflict. One of America's founding fathers, Washington later served as the first president of the United States, from 1789 to 1797.

© Getty Images 

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) -

Horatio Nelson is considered to be one the greatest naval commanders in history. Applauded for his inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional military tactics, he claimed several decisive British naval victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. In 1805, Nelson commanded the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. The French-Spanish fleet was destroyed, but victory cost Nelson his life.

© Getty Images 

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) -

Napoleon is regarded as one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in world history. Shrewd, ambitious, and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon conquered much of Europe in the 19th century. One of his finest hours was at the Battle of Austerlitz, fought on December 2, 1805, when the Grande Armée of France defeated a far larger Russian and Austrian army.

© Getty Images 

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) -

England’s most renowned commander of the Napoleonic Era, Arthur Wellesley, the "Iron Duke" of Wellington, rose to prominence as a general during the Peninsular campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. His greatest victory was at Waterloo in 1815, when he defeated Napoleon.

© Getty Images 

Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) -

Venezuelan military and political leader Simón Bolívar became known as El Libertador, or "The Liberator," for securing the independence from Spain of Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela during a long and bitter struggle against Madrid's colonial ambitions in South America.

© Getty Images 

Geronimo (1829–1909) -

For 25 years, fearless Apache leader Geronimo resisted anyone— Mexican or American—who dared try to remove his people from their lands. He carried out numerous raids against the US Army, using stealth-like guerrilla tactics to outsmart his opponents. Geronimo was finally captured in 1886. He died at Fort Sill in Oklahoma in 1909 as a prisoner of war, and it's where he is buried.

© Shutterstock 

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) -

Victories at Vicksburg and at Chattanooga in 1863 persuaded Abraham Lincoln to promote Ulysses S. Grant to lieutenant general. By the time the Civil War ended, Grant was Commanding General of the US Army. He eventually served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877.

© Getty Images 

Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) -

Confederate general Robert E. Lee was the overall commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. A skilled military tactician, Lee was revered by his troops, as well as respected and feared by his Union Army adversaries. Lee and his men were eventually defeated at Gettysburg in 1863.

© Getty Images 

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) -

Field marshal, revolutionary statesman, and the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk led the successful but bloody repulse of the Allied invasion of Gallipoli in 1915 during the First World War. Atatürk is commemorated by numerous memorials and places named in his honor in Turkey and throughout the world recognizing his political and military accomplishments.

© Getty Images 

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888–1935) -

T.E. Lawrence, known the world over as Lawrence of Arabia, achieved lasting fame for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918) against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. His ability to describe his military endeavors vividly in writing in books such as 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' (1926) are still pored over today by those seeking insight on insurgencies.

© Getty Images 

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) -

As supreme commander of the Allied forces in Western Europe during the Second World War, Dwight D. Eisenhower bore enormous responsibility for the military campaigns planned and executed from 1943 to 1945. He planned and supervised the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–1943 and the successful invasion of Normandy in 1944–1945, and defeated the last-gasp German Ardennes offensive, the so-called Battle of the Bulge. Eisenhower later served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

© Getty Images 

Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) -

A career soldier, Douglas MacArthur commanded in three wars—the First World War, Second World War, and Korea. His greatest victories were achieved in the Pacific Theater. In one iconic photo, he is seen wading ashore with his officers during the American landing at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, in the Philippines on January 9, 1945.

© Getty Images 

George S. Patton (1885–1945) -

Colorful and controversial, General George Patton is especially remembered for his remarkable dash across France when he led the US Third Army in an operation to relieve beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which he continued the thrust into the very heart of Nazi Germany.

© Getty Images 

Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976) -

Affectionately known as "Monty" to his men, Bernard Montgomery was Britain's most famous military figure during the Second World. As field marshal, he led British forces to victory in 1942 against Erwin Rommel at the Battle of El Alamein. Two years later, he commanded Allied ground forces at Normandy.

© Getty Images 

Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) -

Erwin Rommel was a German army officer who rose to the rank of field marshal. His leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign during the Second World War established his reputation as one of the ablest tank commanders of the conflict, and earned him the nickname "Desert Fox." Gaining the respect of his enemies and popular at home, Rommel was later implicated in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. On October 14, 1944, he took his own life, having been offered the opportunity by Hitler himself so as to avoid a public trial.

© Getty Images 

Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974) -

Soviet general Georgy Zhukov oversaw some of the Red Army's most decisive victories against the Nazis during the Second World War. He organized the defense of Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad, was instrumental in planning the Battle of Kursk—the largest tank battle in history—and took part in the Battle of Berlin, which led to the fall of the Third Reich.

© Getty Images 

Moshe Dayan (1915–1981) -

Moshe Dayan was born on Israel's first kibbutz, Degania Alef. His military acumen became apparent as commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War—the first of many dramatic victories for Israel over its Arab neighbors. Dayan's most stunning victory was as defense minister in 1967 when Israel triumphed over a coalition of Arab states primarily comprising Jordan, Syria, and Egypt in what became known as the Six-Day War. 

© Getty Images 

Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (1934–2012) -

US Army general Norman Schwarzkopf became a familiar face on television screens around the world during the Gulf War (1990–91). A career soldier, he commanded all coalition forces during the conflict and was considered by many military historians as an exceptional leader for his abilities as a military diplomat and his easy-going rapport with the press.

Sources: (World History Encyclopedia) (History) (Military Times) (EyeWitness to History)

See also: History's cruelest despots and dictators

© Getty Images