30 Legendary Warriors Throughout History

The fierce leader of a tribal empire of nomadic peoples from central Asia, Attila the Hun sacked and terrorized Roman cities as he expanded his empire. One of the most feared enemies Rome had ever faced, Attila combined a terrifying demeanor with judicious leadership skills that afforded him the allegiance of many Germanic and Turkic tribes, who joined him in battle against the Romans.

A Hunkpapa Lakota leader, Sitting Bull killed his first buffalo at age 10, and by 14 was participating in raids. In the face of U.S. imperialism, he led raiding parties and attacks on forts and settlements and became the first chief of the entire Sioux nation. He is known for leading the united Sioux in their defense of their lands in battle against the U.S. Army.

Known from Old Norse poetry and Icelandic sagas, Ragnor Lodbrok was a Viking warrior whose exploits became legendary in medieval literature. He led successful raids from the Arctic north to the British Isles and France, eventually becoming king of Denmark and Sweden.

A Sunni Muslim Kurd, Saladin was an ambitious military leader and politician who became the sultan of Egypt before conquering Syria. He then captured Palestine, including the city of Jerusalem, from the Christians in 1187 and led a Muslim army against the Crusader states during the Third Crusade.

A military general during the Eastern Han dynasty, Xiahou Dun has reached legendary status as a fierce warrior. At just 13, he killed a man for insulting his teacher. He is most famous for losing his left eye to an arrow during battle. Centuries later, the story was embellished to include the general pulling the arrow out and eating his own eye off it.

One of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, Achilles killed many of Troy’s best warriors during the Trojan war, including the Trojan prince Hector, before he was finally slain by an arrow to the heel. His conquests, however, helped turn the tide of the war, and set the stage for eventual Greek victory.

Considered one of the greatest military leaders in antiquity, Hannibal Barca was the son of a Carthaginian general, and eventually became a general and military strategist in his own right. He spent his life fighting against the Roman Empire and is remembered for leading his troops, including a team of elephants, across southern Europe and through the Alps to invade Rome.

A Scottish knight during the First Scottish War of Independence, Sir William Wallace led his forces against the larger and more well-equipped English army and was granted the title Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland. Although he was eventually captured and brutally executed, his efforts united the people of Scotland against England and helped usher in their eventual freedom.

An artist, soldier, and eventually rōnin (masterless samurai), Miyamoto Musashi was a skilled swordsman who invented a new style of fencing with two swords. He remained undefeated in duals at the time of his death and is widely regarded as the sword saint of Japan.

Also called Cyrus II of Persia, Cyrus the Great conquered the Median, Babylonian, and Lydian empires and founded the Achaemenid Empire (also called the First Persian Empire). Although a cunning conqueror, he is remembered as a tolerant monarch who accepted and incorporated the various ethnicities and customs of the people in his empire.

A Spartan king during the second Persian War, Leonidas is remembered for exhibiting bravery against insurmountable odds when he held his ground against the invading Persian Army at the battle of Thermophylae. However valiant their efforts, he and his royal guard could not hold off the Persian forces and were wiped out.

The protagonist of the Mahabharata and a key figure in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna was a mythical warrior prince skilled at archery as well as music and dance. Through his many victorious battles, Arjuna followed the advice of the god Krishna and struggled through various ethical and moral dilemmas, including the prospect of killing his family members who were part of an opposing army.

One of the most feared and successful conquerors in history, Genghis Khan united the nomadic tribes of Mongolia into a military force that he used to create an empire that stretched from China to Central Europe. His tactics of pillage, and utter destruction dramatically altered the history of Eurasia, causing drastic demographic changes, population declines, and famines.

The King of Wessex during the time of Viking raids, Alfred the Great fended off raiders for years. He finally won a massive victory against the army of Guthrum, the Viking ruler of East Anglia, at the Battle of Edington. Known as a level-headed and merciful king, Alfred proceeded to negotiate a peace treaty that defined the boundaries between his and Guthram’s territories.

A military general and philosopher during the Eastern Zhou period, Sun Tzu is widely attributed with writing the military strategy treatise “The Art of War.” He preferred cunning over brute force, and advocated the use of spies, delays, deceit, alliances, and even temporary submission to a more powerful foe in order to strike at the most opportune moment.

Boudicca became queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe at age 18 when she married King Prasutagas. When the king died and Roman forces annexed his kingdom, Boudica formed an army of Iceni and other Celts and staged a revolt, destroying multiple cities that were under Roman control. In a final losing battle, she poisoned herself to avoid being captured.

Rollo was a Viking warrior who conducted raids in the Kingdom of West Francia until he eventually took over Normandy, becoming the first ruler of the region. He ruled by a strict Viking code of law that emphasized personal honor and responsibility; petty crimes were punishable by death. Rollo’s descendants maintained control over Normandy until 1204.

Born into slavery in Jamaica, Sam Sharpe became a Baptist preacher and leader who planned and led the Christmas Rebellion, an 1831-1832 slave revolt that was instrumental in ending slavery not only on the island but in the whole of the British Empire. Sharpe was hanged for his part in the rebellion but was named a National Hero of Jamaica in 1975.

As a teenager obsessed with the crusades, T.E. Lawrence ran away from home to join the British Army. He eventually re-enlisted and went on to lead the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, using unconventional tactics that have earned him a place among the godfathers of modern guerrilla warfare.

A direct descendant of Rollo of Normandy, William I was the Duke of Normandy and the mightiest nobleman in France. He changed the course of England’s history when he sailed across the English Channel and invaded Anglo-Saxon territory. After his victory at the Battle of Hastings, he became the first Norman king of England.

The third emperor of the Mughal empire, Akbar I was a brilliant military general who expanded his kingdom to include most of the Indian subcontinent through both war and diplomacy. He unified and maintained general peace among Hindu and Muslim subjects by enacting policies of cooperation and religious tolerance and is remembered for stabilizing the economy and encouraging arts and culture.

As king of England, Richard I had little interest in sedentary rule, but dedicated his life to commanding an army during the Third Crusade. He won many battles against Saladin, who had taken control of Jerusalem. Despite his lack of royal responsibility, Richard was revered by his subjects for his courage and tenacity as a crusader.

Born to a peasant family during France’s Hundred Years’ War with England, Joan of Arc began having “holy visions” as a teenager. She convinced King Charles VII to renew his fight against the English and to lend her armor and let her lead troops into battle. Although she was wounded and eventually captured and burned at the stake for heresy, witchcraft, and dressing like a man, she was subsequently exonerated and canonized, becoming a patron saint of France in 1922.

Brother to Arjuna, Bhima was a central character in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, and the greatest warrior of the five Pandavas (sons of Pandu). Ferocious with a mace and talented at archery, he is said to have single-handedly killed over 100 men in the Kurukshetra war.

A legendary leader in British folklore, King Arthur is said to have led the Welsh resistance against invading Saxon forces in the 6th century. According to the Welsh historian Nennius – who drew upon Welsh poetry as a source – Arthur fought in 12 battles, including the Battle of Badon, where he killed 960 men.

Also known as the Liberator, Simon Bolivar was a Venezuelan revolutionary who helped numerous Latin American countries gain independence from Spanish colonial rule. He won multiple decisive victories against the Spanish Royalist forces, securing independence for New Grenada (comprising what is now Colombia and Panama, as well as parts of Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.)

A Thracian man who’d previously served in the Roman army, Spartacus was eventually sold into slavery. As a gladiator slave, he helped over 70 gladiators escape captivity and went on to lead a slave revolt with an army of tens of thousands of men. They defeated Roman forces numerous times until Spartacus was finally killed in 71 B.C.

Born into slavery in Southampton County, Virginia, Nat Turner was an educated preacher who united his free and enslaved Black neighbors in a multi-day rebellion that would be the most deadly slave revolt in U.S. history. Over 50 white slave owners and others were killed, sparing some of the poorer households. The rebellion was quickly suppressed and the retaliation severe. Turner was eventually captured, tried, and hanged, but he stood by his principles and later became a hero and an icon for the ’60s Black power movement.

A Macedonian King and brilliant military leader, Alexander the Great created the largest empire that the ancient world had ever seen and ushered in the Hellenistic Period of Greek influence. He led his armies from the front line and inspired such loyalty in his men that they were willing to follow him anywhere.

A skilled imperialist military commander, Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and helped Rome transition from a republic to an empire. He was so revered by his troops and his contemporaries that he became the first Roman granted divine status by the state.