© Getty Images

Skanderbeg -

Skanderbeg is one of the most iconic fighters and military commanders in Albanian history. Born Gjergj Kastrioti in 1405, he is celebrated as a legendary fighter and military leader. Skanderbeg was taken captive by the Ottoman Empire in his youth.

© Public Domain

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. In 1443 he defected, returning to his homeland's army. He spent the rest of his days fighting against the Empire, in the name of Albania and Christianity.

© Getty Images

Alexander the Great -

Historians and military strategists widely regard the warrior king of Macedonia, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, as the most significant military leader in history.

© Getty Images

Alexander the Great -

At just 20 years old, Alexander the Great became the King of Macedon and, over his short lifespan, built a vast empire that stretched across Egypt, India, and Greece.

© Public Domain

Spartacus -

Spartacus is widely recognized as the most prominent of the enslaved warriors in ancient Rome. Initially serving as a soldier in the Roman auxiliary army, he was captured and put in the Colosseum after attempting to defect.

© Getty Images

Spartacus -

During his time as a gladiator, Spartacus organized and led one of the largest slave revolts in history. He united tens of thousands of slaves, empowering them to emancipate themselves and to fight against the Roman oligarchy in the Third Servile War.

© Public Domain 

Miyamoto Musashi -

Miyamoto Musashi is one of the most iconic samurai in history. At just 13 years old, he won his first duel and went on to claim the lives of another 60 individuals during his lifetime as a wandering ronin (a samurai with no lord or master).

© Getty Images

Miyamoto Musashi -

Miyamoto Musashi is one of the few Japanese sword fighters to earn the title of kensei, meaning "sword-saint." He also developed and pioneered and perfected the two-sword fencing technique known as nitō ichi-ryū.

© Getty Images

Boudica -

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

© Public Domain

Boudica -

Leading an army with an equal number of female and male troops, Boudica's campaigns were largely successful. She even reached Londinium (present-day London) and burned the city to the ground.

© Getty Images

Leonidas I -

Leonidas I, renowned as the commander of the Greek army in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE, reigned as Sparta's king for a decade. Persian forces killed Leonidas I in battle.

© Getty Images

Leonidas I -

Despite losing his life and the defeat of the Greek forces, Leonidas I is honored as a hero in Greek military history. He and his 7,000 troops fought bravely against 80,000 Persian soldiers. Their resilience enabled them to delay the invading Persian army, providing valuable time for inland Greek armies to prepare.

© Getty Images

Jack Churchill -

Jack Churchill was a member of the British infantry during WWII. The younger brother of Winston Churchill, Jack distinguished himself from other soldiers in a number of ways. One of these ways was by playing his bagpipes while charging into battle.

© Public Domain

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.

© Public Domain

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.

© Getty Images

Saladin -

Saladin, born in present-day Iraq in 1137, became the sultan of Egypt and Syria. His rule extended across the Levant and reached into western North Africa. Notably, he is renowned for recapturing Jerusalem from the Frankish occupiers in 1187.

© Getty Images

Flamma -

Flamma the Syrian (not pictured) was a legendary gladiator during the early years of the first century. Details about Flamma's life before becoming a gladiator are scarce. However, some historians believe he was a captured soldier from the Syrian revolutionary army.

© Getty Images

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.

© Getty Images

Shaka -

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

© Public Domain

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.

© Getty Images

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.

© Getty Images

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.

© Getty Images

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.

© Public Domain

Tomyris -

In 530 BCE, Tomyris established herself as a great leader and legendary warrior. During this time, Cyrus the Great and his army were ruthlessly conquering the Eurasian steps. However, Tomyris put an end to his triumphs by beheading him on the battlefield.

© Getty Images

Genghis Khan -

Genghis Khan is internationally recognized 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.

© Getty Images

Genghis Khan -

Genghis Khan's lack of interest in enemy surrender is well-known; instead, he preferred to completely raze enemy settlements. He left a massive wake of destruction behind him everywhere he went.

© Getty Images

Xiang Yu -

Born in 232 BCE, Xiang Yu was one of the most successful generals in ancient China. During his brief 30 years of life, he changed the course of Chinese history by toppling the Qin dynasty in 207 BCE.

© Public Domain

Xiang Yu -

Xiang Yu, victorious, became the hegemon-king of Western Chu. He spent his remaining days fighting against Han forces before choosing to end his life on the battlefield. But not before single-handedly killing 100 Han soldiers after his army had died and left him on his own.

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

See also: Legendary weapons from history and beyond

© Public Domain