List of military commanders
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See also: Military History
Antiquity
Albania
- Agron (250 BC-230 BC) The first king to unite the Illyrian tribes together and form a kingdom. During his rule Illyria was a strong kingdom which had a strong military force, especially naval. He successfully stopped the attacks of the Roman Empire and the Aetolians by keeping his kingdom free till his death.
Armenia
Barbarians
Berbers
Carthage
China
Egypt
Gaul
Greece
- Miltiades the Younger (550 BC–489 BC), athenian general during the Persian Wars
- Callimachus, athenian general during the Persian Wars
- Themistocles (525 BC–460 BC), athenian admiral during the Persian Wars
- Leonidas (d. 480 BC), Spartan king, leader of the 300 Spartans in the Battle of Thermopylae
- Eurybiades, spartan general during the Persian Wars
- Pausanias (Spartan general during the Persian Wars)
- Mardonius (Persian general during the Persian Wars)
- Cimon (Athenian general)
- Callias (Athenian general)
- Pericles (Athenian politician and general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Pyrrhus of Epirus (king of the Greek tribe of Molossians(from ca. 297 BC), Epirus (306-301, 297-272 BC) and Macedon (288-284, 273-272 BC))
- Demosthenes (Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Cleon (Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Nicias (Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Thucydides (Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Brasidas (Spartan general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Alcibiades (Athenian general during the Peloponnesian War)
- Phormio (Athenian admiral during the Peloponnesian War)
- Thrasybulus (Athenian admiral during the Peloponnesian War)
- Lysander (Spartan admiral during the Peloponnesian War)
- Xenophon – Elected Commander of the Ten Thousand Greek mercenaries against Artaxerxes II of Persia
- Epaminondas (Theban general)
- Philip II of Macedon (Macedonian king and father of Alexander the Great)
- Alexander the Great (King of Macedon who conquered the Achaemenid Empire and the Punjab and Indus)
- Ptolemy I Soter, One of Alexander the Great's generals, founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, he was the first king
- Demetrius I of Bactria, a Greek-born king who conquered much of what is now Iran, Pakistan and northern India. He was nicknamed "The Invincible"
- Memnon (Greek mercenary in Persian service)
- Xanthippus Greek Mercenary General, fought for carthage against Pyrrhus of Epirus
- Antigonus I Monophthalmus Founder of the Antigonid Dynasty.
- Seleucus I Nicator Founder of the Seleucid Dynasty.
- The Diadochi
Huns
India
- Sudas (circa 15th century BC), Indian king who defeated the ten Rigvedic tribes in the Battle of the Ten Kings
- Chanakya (Kautilya) (c. 350-283 BC), Prime Minister of the Maurya Empire and author of the Arthashastra
- Chandragupta Maurya (Sandrocottus) (c. 340-293 BC), Maurya King who conquered the Nanda Empire and northern Indian subcontinent, and defeated Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid Empire and other former generals of Alexander the Great
- Ashoka the Great (c. 304 BC–232 BC), Maurya King who conquered Kalinga
- Samudragupta (a.k.a. the Napoleon of India) (4th century), Gupta king who conquered over 20 Indian, Scythian and Kushan kingdoms
- Chandragupta II (a.k.a. Vikramaditya or Raghu) (4th century), Gupta king who conquered 21 Indian, Greek, Persian, Huna, Kamboja, Kirata and Transoxianan kingdoms
Israel
Korea
Mesopotamia
- Hammurabi King of Babylon conquered many native peoples
- Nebuchadrezzar II King of the Chaldeans and conqueror of Judah.
- Tiglath-Pileser III King of Assyria. Conqueror of Israel, Syria, other lands that became Assyria, force Judah to pay tribute.
- Sargon King of Akkad. Created strong Akkadian kingdom.
- Ben-hadad King of Aram. Often fought Israel and, on occasion, Judah.
Persia
- Cyrus the Great (590 BC–529 BC), king of Persia who conquered the Median Empire, Neo-Babylonian Empire, Lydian Empire and Asia Minor
- Darius I of Persia (Darius the Great) (549 BC–486 BC), conquered all the territories between Asia Minor, Egypt, northern Greece and the Danube
- Xerxes I of Persia (519 BC–465 BC), conqueror of several Greek cities, including the mighty Athens
- Artaphernes, Persian general, brother of Darius I
- Mithridates the Great,expanded Parthia's control eastward by defeating King Eucratides of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. During his reign the Parthians took Herat (in 167 BC), Babylonia in (144 BC), Media in (141 BC) and Persia in (139 BC). In Persia in 139 BC, Mithridates I captured the Seleucid King Demetrius II, and held him captive for 10 years while consolidating his conquests. Demetrius II later married Mithridates I's daughter Rhodogune and had several children with her.
- Phraates II,defeated and killed Antiochus VII Sidetes in a battle in Media in 129 BC, which ended the Seleucid rule east of the Euphrates.
- Mithridates II,Parthia reached its greatest extent during his reign. He saved the kingdom from the Saka tribes, who occupied Bactria and the east of Iran and killed two of his his predecessors in battle. He defeated King Artavasdes I of Armenia and conquered seventy valleys, making the heir to the Armenian throne, prince Tigranes, a political hostage. In 123 BC and 115 BC he received Chinese ambassadors sent by the Han emperor Wu Di to reopen the Silk Road through negotiations.
- Surena, Parthian general who defeated the Romans at the Battle of Carrhae despite being outnumbered four to one.
- Phraates IV,initially lost territory to Roman general Mark Antony in 36 BC but quickly recovered Media Atropatene and drove Artaxes, the son of Artavasdes, back into Armenia when Mark Antony's war with Octavian broke out.
- Artabanus II, after a civil war with his predecessor Vonones I he succeeded to the throne and under him Parthia was no longer a Roman vassal.
- Vardanes I,In 43 he forced the city of Seleucia on the Tigris to submit.Civil war with his brother Gotarzes II of Parthia resulted in his assassination.
- Vologases IV,he reunited the two halves of the empire.He also reconquered the kingdom of Characene,he also might have been the king who began compiling the writings of Zoroaster.In about 155 BC with a dispute over the kingdom of Armenia war began with Rome which Parthia lost in 166
- Artabanus IV, defeated the Roman Empire under Marcus Opellius Macrinus at the Battle of Nisibis (217) after which the Romans gave up all their ambitions in the region, restored the booty, and paid a heavy contribution to the Parthians.
- Ardashir I,established the Sassanid Persian Empire by defeating the Parthian King Artabanus IV after several years of brutal warfare.Artabanus IV was killed in 216 BCE .Thus the 400-year rule of the Arsacid Dynasty came to an end.He conquered the provinces of Sistan, Gorgan, Khorasan, Margiana (in modern Turkmenistan), Balkh, and Chorasmia. Bahrain and Mosul were also added to Sassanid possessions later as well.He defeated Roman Emperor Alexander Severus in 232 at the Battle near Ctesiphon.
Rome
- Fabius Maximus (275 BC–203 BC), Roman general remembered for intimidating Hannibal with a stalking technique still known today as Fabian strategy
- Scipio Africanus (Scipio Africanus Major) (235 BC–183 BC), defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in Second Punic War)
- Lucius Aemilius Paullus, known as "Macedonicus" for subduing and annexing the Greek province of Macedonia
- Scipio Asiaticus (2nd century BC), he was a brother of Scipio Africanus Maior, he got his nickname "Asiaticus" when he defeated Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire
- Titus Quinctius Flamininus (228 BC–174 BC), Roman general
- Scipio Aemilianus Africanus (Scipio Africanus Minor) (185 BC–129 BC), adopted grandson of Scipio Africanus, he was active during the Third Punic War
- Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus (d. 115 BC), Roman Consul, conqueror of Macedon
- Gaius Marius (157 BC–86 BC), Roman general, reorganized the Roman Legion
- Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138 BC–78 BC), Roman general and dictator
- Quintus Sertorius (122 BC–72 BC), Roman general
- Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106 BC–48 BC), Roman general, Ceasars greatest rival and leader of the S.P.Q.R army during the civil war
- Julius Caesar (100 BC–44 BC), Roman military leader and dictator, conquered Gaul and defeated his rival Pompey in a civil war
- Mark Antony (83 BC–30 BC), Roman general and triumvir, served under Julius Caesar as his Master of Horse
- Augustus Caesar (63 BC–14 AD), the first Roman Emperor, successor of Julius Caesar, defeated Mark Antony in a civil war
- Marcus Agrippa (63 BC–12 BC), Roman general that was Augustus' leading general
- Trajan (53–117), Roman Emperor, extended the empire to its greatest extent
- Stilicho (359–408), a late Roman general
- Aurelian (215–275), Roman Emperor, Regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth
- Aëtius (396–454), Roman general, defeated Attila
- Constantine I (272)–337, Roman Emperor, Best know for being the first Christian Roman Emperor.Helped to put an end to institutionalized persecution of Christians in the Empire.
Middle Ages
Africa
Albania
- Scanderbeg (Albanian prince and general against the Ottoman encroachement in Europe 1443-1468)
Franks
Chinese
Korean
Bulgarian
Byzantine
Arabs
- Abu Bakr (First Caliph of Islam)
- Umar ibn al Khattab (Second Caliph of Islam)
- Uthman (Third Caliph of Islam)
- Ali ibn Abi Talib (Fourth Caliph of Islam)
- Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah- was Commander in Chief of the Rashidun army and the areas of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Southern Turkey.He defeated the Byzantine army in the Battle of Maraj-al-Rome and Yarmouk.He appointed Khalid ibn al-Walid as commander of his Mobile guard.
- Amr ibn al-Aas- defeated Byzantine forces in Egypt, under Theodore at the Battle of Heliopolis and the subsequent capitulation of Alexandria in November 641, Arab troops had taken over what was Roman Egypt.Later he defeated Manuel at Battle of Nikiou.
- Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas- defeated the Persian Sassanid Empire at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah.
- Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan
- Muawiyah I - sacked Caesarea Mazaca in 647 AD,Salamis of Cyprus in 650 AD and re-invaded the island in 654 AD and taking Rhodes as well.His initial naval campaigns were very successful defeating the Roman navy off the coast of Lycia (655).
- Shurhabil ibn Hasana
- Qa'qa ibn Amr
- Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr - under leadership of Abdullah ibn Saad marched to Sbeitla,Tunisia, the capital of exarchate of Carthage, King Gregory. Gregory was defeated and killed in the Battle of Sufetula in 647 CE.
- Zirrar ibn Azwar
- Walid ibn Uqba - quelled a rebellion in Azerbaijan
- Asim ibn Amr
- Hakam ibn Amr - conquered Makran in 644 after defeating Hindu King of Sind Raja Rasal at a battle near River Indus.
- Majasha ibn Masood - In 652, Balochistan (Iran) was re-conquered during the campaign against the revolt in Kermān.
- Abdul Rehman ibn Samrah - crushed a revolt in Zarang, Afghanistan.He conquered Kabul and Ghazni. At the same time another column moved towards the Quetta District in the north-western part of Balochistan (Pakistan) and in 654 conquered an area up to the ancient city of Dawar and Qandabil today known as Bolan.
- Abdullah ibn Aamir
- Khalid ibn al-Walid- won numerous battles for Arab Muslims in the Roman Syria,Roman Egypt and Persian fronts.He helped defeat the Byzantine forces at the Battle of Yarmouk.This battle is also considered to be one of Khalid ibn al-Walid's most decisive victories, and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest military strategists and cavalry commanders of the Medieval Ages.
- Abdullah ibn Saad - Tripolitania was taken, followed by Sufetula, 150 miles south of Carthage. Abdallah's booty-laden force returned to Egypt in 648 AD.He defeated Constans II at the Naval Battle of the Masts in 655 AD.
- Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays - helped complete the conquest of Khurasan by bringing Tustar and Marwir-Rawdh into the fold of Muslim Arab Empire and pushed Yazdgerd III all the way to Merv in Turkmenistan where he died bringing the Persian Sassanian Imperial family to an end.
- Al-Nu'man ibn Muqarrin al-Muzani defeated the PersianYazdgerd III at the Battle of Nihawānd.
- Salman ibn Rabiah
- Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rabiah
- Ayadh ibn Ghanam - raided Armenia
- Habib ibn Muslaimah - was sent for a full-scale invasion up to the Black sea. He conquered Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia during Caliph Umar's reign the territories emerged as an autonomous principality within the Muslim Arab Empire. During Caliph Uthman ibn Affan's reign, a revolt broke out, and Uthman commissioned Habib ibn Muslaimah again to re-conquer Armenia and Georgia.
- As-Saffah - established the Abbasid empire after defeating the Umayyads at Battle of the Zab in 750.
- Ziyad ibn Salih - defeated the Chinese Tang Dynasty at the Battle of Talas in 751 and took control of Syr Darya (Central Asia).
- Abu Muslim Khorasani
- Asad ibn al-Furat - began a major campaign for the conquest of Sicily.
- Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan was defeated at the Battle of Rayy in March 811
- Tahir ibn Husayn, a Persian general served under al-Ma'mun and led the armies that would defeat Caliph al-Amin at the Battle of Rayy in March 811 CE, followed by the Siege of Baghdad in which Caliph al-Amin was killed and al-Ma'mun became the next Caliph.
- Abdullah ibn Tahir al-Khurasani, most famous for pacifying the lands of the Caliphate following the civil war between al-Amin and al-Ma'mun.
- Simjur al-Dawati received the surrender of Zaranj from al- Mu'addal.
- Ghassan ibn Abbad crushed a rebellion in Sind in 831-832 CE.
- Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Tusi is defeated by Babak Khorramdin, a Persian revolutionary leader of the Khurramiyyah in 831 CE.
- Al-Afshin laid Siege to Babak Castle, he brought up siege machinery and naphtha-throwers, and finally stormed Babak Castle in August 837 defeating and capturing Babak Khorramdin who was later executed.
- Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Mu'sab defeated the Khurramiyyah at Hamadan in 833 CE.
- Ujayf ibn Anbasah
- Caliph Al-Mu'tasim defeated Byzantine emperor Theophilus with the help of general Al-Afshin on July 21, 838 at the Battle of Anzen taking Ancyra followed by the Siege of Amorium the same year in which the city fell.
- Bugha al-Kabir helped Calpihs Al-Wathiq and Al-Mutawakkil crush revolts. He attacked and burned Tiflis in 851-852 CE.
- Caliph Al-Mutawakkil defeated Byzantine emperor Michael III at Dazimon in 860 CE.
- al-Qummi crushed the Bujah African rebellion of Upper Egypt in 856 CE
- Al-Muwaffaq along with Musa bin Bugha defeated Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari at the Battle of Dair al-'Aqul in Iraq in 876.
- Ahmad ibn Tulun declared his independence from the Abbasid Caliphate in 874, amid chaos in Iraq due to the Zanj Rebellion establishing the Tulunid Dynasty of Egypt. In 877 he defeated Abbasid forces under Musa bin Bugha
- Muhammad bin Sulayman with naval support from frontier forces based in Tarsus invaded Egypt and Shaiban ibn Ahmad ibn Tulun was forced to retreat with his army to Fustat, where on 10 January 905 he surrendered unconditionally thus bringing an end to the Tulunid Dynasty of Egypt.
- Nasir ad-Daula the Hamdanid ruler of Al-Jazira supported Caliph Al-Muttaqi by restoring order in Baghdad between 940-941.
- Tuzun the Turk took Baghdad and removed Caliph Al-Muttaqi in 944 CE. He defeated the Buwayhids in a Battle at Wasit.
- Ahmad Mu'izz al-Daula the Buwayhid, took power in Baghdad after appeal from Caliph Al-Mustakfi to restore order in the city.
Mashriq Muslim Dynasties Generals
Zengid dynasty 1127-1250
Ayyubid dynasty 1171-1246
Mamluks 1250-1517
Maghreb Muslim Dynasties Generals
- Abd ar-Rahman ibn Rustam
- Ubaydallah al-Mahdi Billah ,founder of Fatimid Empire
- Idris I
- Jawhar as-Siqilli,conquered Egypt for the Fatimids and founded the city of Cairo
- Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Almoravid General,defeated King Alfonso VI of Castile and the combined armies of León, Aragón and Castile on October 23, 1086, at the Battle of az-Zallaqah,the Christian advance was halted for four generations in the Iberian Peninsula.
- Abd al-Mu'min, Almohad General and founder of the Almohad Empire.
- Yaqub al-Mansur, the Almohad General and Amir, defeated Castilian King Alfonso VIII at the Battle of Alarcos, on July 18, 1195.
- Al-Afdal Shahanshah was Fatimid vizier and commander of Egyptian forces during the First Crusade
- Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi, annihilated the much larger Portuguese army under Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi and King Sebastian I of Portugal at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir on August 4, 1578
- Ahmad al-Mansur
- Judar Pasha, defeated Askia Ishaq II of the Songhai Empire at The Battle of Tondibi, a decisive confrontation in Morocco's sixteenth-century invasion of the Sub-Saharan Empire.
- Al-Rashid, In 1666 he took Fes and ended the rule of the Saadi dynasty. Later he captured Marrakech in 1669 and occupied the Sus and the Anti-Atlas.
- Ahmed Bey
- Abd al-Qadir
- Lalla Fatma N'Soumer
- Omar Mukhtar
Afghan Generals
Ghaznavid empire
Durrani Empire
Turkic Muslim Generals
Seljuks