Leaders in Civilization VII

From an early age, Ada Lovelace viewed the world through the eyes of a scientist. She carved a path between intellectual rigor and imagination, applying her mathematical mind to the most cutting-edge experiments of the 19th century. She worked with mechanical computers, which performed calculations through gears and punch cards, and designed the first software program—illuminating the field of computing more than a century before technology would catch up with her vision.

From childhood, Ada Lovelace examined the world with the eyes of a scientist. She forged a path between intellect and imagination, applying her mathematical mind to the most cutting-edge experiments of the 19th century. She worked with mechanical computers that performed calculations through gears and punch cards, and designed the first software program—illuminating the field of computing more than a century before technology caught up with her vision.

Praised as a chakravartin, a “wheel-turning king,” for spreading Buddhism, Ashoka had a turbulent past. Known for his ferocity as emperor of the Maurya, Ashoka experienced a profound awakening after witnessing the slaughter at Kalinga in 260 BCE. He then spread a message of non-violence across his lands and abroad, seeking to steer others away from his own legacy of destruction.

After emerging from Rome’s civil wars, Augustus transformed the unruly republic into an Empire that stretched from the North Sea to Egypt. Despite the Romans’ fear of tyrants, he took sole power while preserving the structures of the old republic. He expanded Rome’s borders through client states and military reorganization, reformed the tax code, and established the imperial cult. The modern image of Imperial Rome largely reflects Augustus’ vision.

In colonial America, few figures shone as brightly as Benjamin Franklin. He began as a humble printer and soon became an influential newspaper editor. By 1747 he had moved into politics and became one of the Founding Fathers, helping draft and sign the Declaration of Independence. A restless polymath, Franklin also contributed to science in fields as varied as electricity and oceanography.

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, began his career as king of the Franks in the year 768 of the Common Era. After inheriting a diverse and restless population, he reinforced his kingdom by integrating old traditions with new forms of governance and built an empire that stretched across Europe. In addition to his political acumen, Charlemagne’s natural curiosity fueled the Carolingian Renaissance, turning his court into a nerve center for diplomats and scholars.

Born a German princess, Catherine the Great overthrew her husband in 1762 to become empress of Russia. Guided by a modernizing vision, she established new legislative and governmental models and oversaw a period of rapid expansion through war and diplomacy. Driven by intellectual curiosity and a love of the arts, Catherine also used her rule to support artists, scholars, and scientists, fostering the Russian Enlightenment and an atmosphere of innovation.

Confucius, or Kong Fu Zi, rose to prominence during the Zhou dynasty and devoted himself to writing after a life in government. In contrast to a political climate where rulers vied for power and fell into vice, Confucius cultivated a spirit of order, harmony, and tradition. His many writings emphasize hard work and knowing one’s place, whether ruler or subject, father or child. Confucian thought would influence East Asian society for centuries.

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate whose name struck fear into the hearts of captains across the Caribbean. In 1716, he joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, leader of the so-called Pirate Republic, and soon commanded his own ships. Of imposing stature, with a long beard (which he sometimes adorned with smoldering fuses) and a bloodthirsty reputation, Blackbeard stalked the sea lanes of the Caribbean and became the sailors’ nightmare. He survived the collapse of the Pirate Republic and moved his operations to the Outer Banks, in present-day North Carolina, where he was finally captured by pirate hunter Robert Maynard.

Frederick the Great rose to power in militarized Prussia, which might seem contradictory. In his youth, he was more interested in art and literature than in war. However, once on the throne, he showed a strong inclination for military theory and a taste for Prussian aggression. Frederick relentlessly expanded his borders and cemented Prussia’s martial reputation, but he never abandoned his love of the arts and combined his iron hand with the patronage of intellectuals.

Frederick the Great rose to power in militarized Prussia, which might seem contradictory. In his youth, he was more interested in art and literature than in war. However, once on the throne, he showed a strong inclination for military theory and a taste for Prussian aggression. Frederick relentlessly expanded his borders and cemented Prussia’s martial reputation, but he never abandoned his love of the arts and combined his iron hand with the patronage of intellectuals.

Temüjin—later known as Genghis Khan—achieved a feat that seemed impossible for someone of humble origins: uniting the Mongol nomadic tribes under his exceptional leadership. But his ambitions reached far beyond the steppe. He launched successive campaigns that secured control over northern China and the eastern stretches of the Silk Road. Despite the fame of his conquests, the exact cause of Genghis Khan’s death remains a mystery.

In the early 14th century BCE, Egypt flourished under the guidance of Hatshepsut. During her long reign, she expanded Egypt’s commercial empire, establishing networks and influence across the Mediterranean to the north and the rich land of Punt to the south. She channeled the resulting wealth into immense building projects that expressed her people’s rich heritage, ensuring that the power she built for Egypt—and for herself—would be immortal.

Queen Himiko of Yamatai—an early Japanese state—used her political authority (and, according to legend, her charisma as a shaman-queen) to bring the Japanese people under her rule. The Chinese kingdom of Cao Wei recognized her political power and named her a “Friend of Wei.” Her authority and legend would echo through Japanese folklore for more than a thousand years.

Ibn Battuta, a scholar and historian born into a Moroccan Berber family, journeyed from 1325 onward along the trade routes of Africa, Asia, and Europe. After performing the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, he continued to explore the Dar al-Islam (the known Islamic world). Through his extensive travel journals (his rihla), Ibn Battuta’s reflections on the world he lived in—and on the lives of the people he encountered—continue to inspire travelers who share his perspective to this day.

Isabella, Queen of Spain, had a singular vision: the expansion of her power. At home, she set out to write the next chapter of Spain’s history as a bastion of Catholicism through the Inquisition and the Reconquista. Abroad, she sponsored the expansion of Spanish power in the New World. Clever and ruthless, Isabella laid Spain’s future foundations on war and wealth.

Xerxes inherited the throne of the Achaemenid Empire in the middle of a crisis and led it to greatness. As soon as he took power, he crushed two rebellions and turned his gaze toward Greece, which he invaded in 480 BCE. His defeat at Salamis ended his ambitions in Europe, and Xerxes abandoned expansion to focus on enrichment, devoting his treasury to architectural masterpieces as a testament to the triumphs he gave his people and the fear he inspired in his enemies.

Xerxes inherited the throne of the Achaemenid Empire in the midst of a crisis and raised it to greatness. After a series of military campaigns at home and abroad, Xerxes abandoned expansion to focus on enrichment. He devoted his treasury to maintaining roads, establishing an extensive communications network, and building a palace at Persepolis. Both the monuments he raised and the literary works he inspired are a testament to the fear he instilled in his enemies and the luxuries he offered his people.

Considered a hero in the Philippines, José Rizal was a charismatic defender of the dignity and autonomy of his people. He gained a reputation as a political activist in Europe by criticizing his homeland’s Spanish colonial government. Although he always advocated for peaceful reform and equal rights, Rizal was tried and executed as a rebel by the Spanish. However, no one could contain his revolutionary spirit, which has inspired the Filipino people to this day.

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, is famous on two continents: he led troops in the American Revolution and was a voice of reason in France between the paired horrors of autocracy and revolutionary vengeance. While his legacy is impressive, his greatest feat might simply have been surviving, despite standing at the center of one of the greatest social upheavals of the era.

Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, was the ruler of a state that defied British power and became an emblem of courage and resistance. Ignoring social norms, Lakshmibai learned swordsmanship and marksmanship from an early age. When the British tried to establish direct rule, she defended Jhansi from repeated incursions. Today, she remains a symbol of rebellion.

Niccolò Machiavelli was a Florentine writer, diplomat, and philosopher whose name has become synonymous with hypocrisy and betrayal. He argued that the most effective ruler was the one capable of doing whatever was necessary, regardless of the consequences, to gain and keep power. This style of thinking put him at odds with the Catholic Church and the powerful Medici dynasty. His ideas survived through time in his posthumous work The Prince, giving him, ironically and in true Machiavellian fashion, the last word.

Napoleon Bonaparte remains one of the most famous leaders in history. Born in Corsica, his rapid rise through the French army culminated in a coup d’état that made him First Consul of France in 1799. Four years later, he crowned himself Emperor of the French and established the Continental System, aiming to revitalize France and weaken its enemies. His reign was marked by major civic reforms and wars that ravaged Europe from Spain to Russia.

Napoleon Bonaparte remains one of the most famous leaders in history. Born in Corsica, he enlisted in the French army as an artillery officer during the Revolution. His rapid rise culminated in a coup d’état that made him First Consul of France in 1799. Four years later, he crowned himself Emperor of the French and began a series of bloody wars across Europe, from Spain to Russia, showcasing his shrewd military tactics and innovative uses of artillery.

Pachacuti was crowned ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco around the year 1438, after successfully defending it from an invasion, and soon began to conquer the surrounding regions. He possessed equal political and military skill: those he could not conquer by force he showered with gifts, promising prosperity and autonomy in exchange for their loyalty. The Inca Empire would only last sixty years after his death, with the arrival of the Spanish, but Pachacuti’s legacy endures nonetheless.

When the Napoleonic Wars weakened Spain’s presence in the Americas, Simón Bolívar, “The Liberator”, led the forces to free the region. With tenacity and charisma, he led his armies to victory and his people to independence. But the instability of the new freedom proved difficult to overcome. First president and then dictator of Gran Colombia, he failed to fully realize his ambitions. Nonetheless, Bolívar remains an enduring symbol of South American rebellion.

Tecumseh, “the one who rises against the great expansion”, was a Shawnee chief who fought against the westward expansion of the early United States. Together with his brother Tenskwatawa, he spread a message of unity and resistance among Native American peoples. Although Tecumseh died during the War of 1812, his vision of cultural persistence lives on.

For a brief time in what is now Vietnam, two sisters, Trung Trắc and Trung Nhị, stood up to the might of the Han dynasty. When her husband was condemned to death, Trung Trắc and her sister fought back, winning independence for three years before the Han counterattack. They are still regarded as symbols of Vietnamese independence and deities in their own right.