TOP 10 Military Commanders

10. Georgy Zhukov ( 1 December  1896 – 18 June 1974)

Georgy Zhukov

He lead the Red Army in liberating the Soviet Union from the Hitler’s occupation and advancing through much of Eastern Europe to conquer Berlin during World War II. He is one of the most decorated heroes in the history of both Russia and the Soviet Union. After the fall of Germany, Zhukov became the first commander of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany.

 9. Hannibal (247–183 or 182 BC)

Hannibal

Hannibal invaded the mighty Roman Empire through the Alps. He defeated the Romans in a series of battles at Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae. Never personally losing on the battlefield to the Romans, he maintained his Carthaginian army in Italy for more than a decade after the Second Punic War. He is considered one of the greatest military strategists ever, his Roman enemies even adopted some of his tactics for their own use.

8.  Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub  ( 1138 – March 4, 1193)

Saladin's Tomb in Damascus

He is better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant. At the height of his power, his sultanate included Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, Hejaz, and Yemen.

7. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Hitler

Hitler, as the dictator of the 3rd German Reich, conquered as many large parts of the Africa, Asia and Europe that there is no other example in History. During this action he started the 2nd world war in which about 35 million people died. His armies gained numerous victories through their mastering of the military tactic; Blitzkrieg. Hitler ultimately lost the war and committed suicide.

6. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821)

Napoleon

Napoleon as the emperor of France dominated Europe’s political and military horizon for more than two decades. He military talents he won most part of Europe and extended the French influence to Asia and Africa. His military and political theories affected the armies and governments all over the world and hence included himself among the most influential military leaders of history.

5. Tamerlane (8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405) 

Timur

Historically known as Tamerlane in English (“Timur the Lame"), was a fourteenth-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great, great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until 1857.

4. Alexander (July 356 – June 323 BC)



Alexander

Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon, a state in northern Greece. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time


3. Cyrus II of Persia ( 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC)

Cyrus

He is commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. He as ruler built the empire by embracing all the  civilized states of the ancient Near East. He expanded the empire very vast and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia, parts of Europe and Caucasus. Cyrus the Great created the largest empire from the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east.

2. Genghis Khan (1162 – 1227)

 Genghis Khan

Genghis also known as Temujin was the founder of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history after his death. The Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of central Asia. He achieved this through uniting many of the nomadic tribes and confederations in northeast Asia and strategically raided much of the area in China and throughout Asia. The Mongol Empire would go on to include most of Eurasia and substantial parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Ghengis Khan waged successful campaigns against the Western Xia and Jin dynastys as well as the Khwarezmid Empire through excellent military intelligence and tactics.
1. Khalid bin Walid (592–642)

Tomb of Khalid bin Walid

Khalid ibn al-Walid also known as the Drawn Sword of God, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He is a well known military commander for his military tactics and prowess and bravery. He was victorious in over a hundred battles and was never defeated. He fought against the numerically superior forces of the Byzantine-Roman Empire, Sassanid-Persian Empire, and their allies, in addition to other Arab tribes. His conquered Arabia, Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria within few years from 632 to 636.