Leaders Who Changed History

Leaders take many forms, from monarchs and dictators to social reformers and revolutionaries to prophets and spiritual guides. Styles of leadership are equally diverse, some achieving and sustaining their authority through fear and brutality, while others inspire loyalty through benevolence or shared ideals and aspirations. What unites all great leaders, however, is their ability to influence people, whether briefly, such as John F. Kennedy, or throughout their lifetime, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine during her 66-year reign over France and England. While the legacies of many leaders have faded over time, a notable few have left an indelible mark on the world. The most enduring of these legacies belong to spiritual leaders, such as Muhammad, Moses, and Jesus Christ, whose teachings continue to shape the lives of billions of followers around the world, millennia after their own lifetimes. A number of other leaders also live on in spiritual form as cherished national icons, such as Boudicca, Joan of Arc, and Saladin, whose achievements have become legendary. They endure in people’s minds as much for the principles they represent as for the historical facts of their stories.