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Skanderbeg -

Gjergj Kastrioti, more popularly known as Skanderbeg, remains one of the most iconic fighters and military commanders in Albanian history. Born in 1405, Skanderbeg was capture by the Ottoman Empire at a young age.

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Skanderbeg -

Skanderbeg spent the first half of his life under the control of the Ottoman Empire and became a noted military strategist for their army. Then, in 1443, he defected back to the army of his home country and spent the rest of his days fighting against the Empire in the name of Albania and Christianity.

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Alexander the Great -

The warrior king of Macedonia, commonly known as Alexander the Great, is widely considered by historians and military strategists to be the most important military leader in history.

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Alexander the Great -

Alexander the Great was named King of Macedon at the young age of 20, and over the course of his short life built an extensive empire that reached Egypt, India, and Greece.

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Spartacus -

Another figure from the world of gladiators, Spartacus is by far the most famous of these enslaved fighters from ancient Rome. Originally a soldier in the Roman auxiliary army, he was captured and put in the Colosseum after attempting to defect.

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Spartacus -

While living as a gladiator, Spartacus organized and led one of the largest slave revolts in history, rallying together tens of thousands of slaves who emancipated themselves and fought against the Roman oligarchy in the Third Servile War.

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Miyamoto Musashi -

Miyamoto Musashi is one of the most iconic samurai in history. Winning his first duel at the young age of 13, Musashi went on to claim the lives of another 60 individuals during his long life as a wandering ronin (a samurai with no lord or master).

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Miyamoto Musashi -

Miyamoto Musashi is one of the few Japanese sword fighters to earn the title of kensei, which directly translates to “sword-saint.” He also developed and perfect the two-sword fencing technique of nitō ichi-ryū.

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Boudica -

Boudica was a leading figure in the Celtic resistance against Roman rule in the early years of the first century. After her husband was killed by Roman forces, Boudica took it upon herself to lead the Britons’ fight for freedom.

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Boudica -

Leading an army that is said to have consisted of equal parts female and male troops, Boudica’s campaigns were largely successful. She even made it all the way to Londinium (present-day London) and burned the city to the ground.

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Leonidas I -

Best known as the leader of the Greek army in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE, Leonidas I was king of Sparta for 10 years. Leonidas I was killed by Persian forces during the battle.

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Leonidas I -

Although he lost his life and the Greek forces were ultimately defeated, Leonidas I is still remembered as a hero of Greek military history. He and his 7,000 troops fought valiantly against the 80,000 Persian soldiers, and were able to hold off the invading army long enough to buy the Greek armies waiting further inland time to prepare.

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Jack Churchill -

Jack Churchill was a member of the British infantry during WWII. The younger brother of Winston Churchill, Jack set himself apart from other British soldiers in a number of ways, and always made his presence known by playing his bagpipes while charging into battle.

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Jack Churchill -

Jack Churchill armed himself in a more traditional style than most 20th-century warriors, preferring his massive claymore sword and English long bow to the more common rifle and bayonet.

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Saladin -

Al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known by most simply as Saladin, was a legendary military leader who fought against the crusaders his whole life, always with scimitar in hand.

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Saladin -

Born in modern-day Iraq in 1137, Saladin became sultan of Egypt and Syria, with territory covering most of the Levant and stretching into western North Africa. He is most famous for retaking Jerusalem from Frankish occupiers in 1187.

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Flamma -

Flamma the Syrian (not pictured) was a legendary gladiator during the early years of the first century. Very little is known of Flamma’s life before he became a gladiator, but some historians believe he was a captured soldier from the Syrian revolutionary army.

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Flamma -

Flamma (not pictured) went on to become one of the most successful gladiators in the history of the Colosseum, taking part in 34 fights and winning 21 during his 30 years of life. He is also famous for winning his right to freedom four times, but choosing to remain an enslaved gladiator until the day he died.

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Shaka -

Shaka, legendary warrior king and founder of the Zulu Empire, only reigned for 12 years, between 1816 and 1828. Despite his short time as ruler, Shaka’s impact on the Zulu nation and the region of southern Africa that it controlled is difficult to overstate.

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Shaka -

Shaka completely reshaped and reorganized the Zulu military as soon as he gained power, and transformed his forces into a ruthless and fearsome army. He went on to wreak havoc on neighboring tribes and destabilize the entire region until he was assassinated by his brothers in 1828.

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Vlad the Impaler -

Vlad the Impaler was the ruler of the Wallachia kingdom, part of modern-day Romania, during the middle of the 15th century. To this day, the sound of his name is accompanied by images of savagery and ruthless violence.

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Vlad the Impaler -

Raised as a captive of the Ottoman Empire, Vlad III suffered frequent abuse and torture throughout his childhood. Once he rose to power in Wallachia, he used what he learned from those experiences at every opportunity. True to his nickname, he had an affinity for placing the heads of his enemies on stakes.

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Tomyris -

Tomyris was the queen of the Massagetai during the early 500s BCE, in the region that is now modern-day Kazakhstan. The tribal leaders below her were resistant to being ruled by a woman, and Tomyris was constantly having to prove her worth and strength to prevent uprisings.

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Tomyris -

In 530 BCE, Tomyris cemented herself as a great ruler and legendary warrior. During this time, Cyrus the Great and his army were plowing through the Eurasian steps on a brutal imperial campaign. His victories came to an abrupt end when he was beheaded by Tomyris on the battlefield.

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Genghis Khan -

Genghis Khan is known across the world as the brutal leader of the Mongols, and the father of the largest empire the world has ever known. Under Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire went from a small group of tribes to a sprawling polity that stretched from the shores of China all the way into Eastern Europe.

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Genghis Khan -

Genghis Khan is said to have had little interest in the surrender of his enemies, and preferred to raze enemy settlements to the ground no matter what. He left a massive wake of destruction behind him everywhere he went.

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Xiang Yu -

Xiang Yu, born in 232 BCE, was one of the most successful generals in ancient China. He changed the course of Chinese history during the short 30 years of his life, managing to put an end to the Qin dynasty in 207 BCE.

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Xiang Yu -

After his historic victory, Xiang Yu was named the hegemon-king of Western Chu, and battled against Han forces for the rest of his days before taking his own life on the battlefield–but not until he single-handedly slew 100 Han troops after his entire army had died and left him on his own.

Sources: (Ranker) (World History Encyclopedia) (Britannica)

See also: Meet history's most ruthless warriors

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