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Japan: Empress Jingu (c.169 - 269 CE), supposedly setting foot in Korea, scroll painting by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861), 1880. Empress Jingu was the consort to Emperor Chuai, she also served as Regent from the time of her husband's death in 209 until her son Emperor Ōjin acceded to the throne in 269.
Mehmed II or Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire twice, first for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/> At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire, transforming the Ottoman state into an empire. Mehmed continued his conquests in Asia, with the Anatolian reunification, and in Europe, as far as Bosnia and Croatia. Mehmed II is regarded as a national hero in Turkey, and among other things, Istanbul's Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Fatih University and Fatih College are all named after him.
Tariq ibn Ziyad (15 November 689 – 11 April 720) was a great Muslim Umayyad general who led the conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711 under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. Tariq ibn Ziyad is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in Iberian history. He was initially the deputy of Musa ibn Nusair in North Africa, and was sent by his superior from the north coast of Morocco to launch the first thrust of a conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom (comprising modern Spain and Portugal).<br/><br/> The name 'Gibraltar' derives from the Arabic Jebel Tariq, or 'Mountain of Tariq', and is named for Tariq ibn Ziyad.
William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of the Viking Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward.<br/><br/> After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son Robert.
William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of the Viking Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward.<br/><br/> After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son Robert.
William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of the Viking Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward.<br/><br/> After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son Robert.
Anonymous painting from the Sarayi Album or 'Conqueror's Album'. This minature by an unknown painter is one of the two portraits that give their name to the 'Conqueror's Album'.<br/><br/> Mehmed II or Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (30 March 1432 – 3 May 1481) (Ottoman Turkish: محمد ثانى, Meḥmed-i s̠ānī; Turkish: II. Mehmet; also known as el-Fātiḥ, الفاتح, 'the Conqueror' in Ottoman Turkish; in modern Turkish, Fatih Sultan Mehmet; also called Mahomet II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire twice, first for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481.<br/><br/> At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire, transforming the Ottoman state into an empire. Mehmed continued his conquests in Asia, with the Anatolian reunification, and in Europe, as far as Bosnia and Croatia. Mehmed II is regarded as a national hero in Turkey, and among other things, Istanbul's Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Fatih University and Fatih College are all named after him.
The Greek historian Herodotus records than Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae defeated Cyrus the Great in battle and ordered his corpse to be beheaded.
Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: Kuruš (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BCE), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.<br/><br/> Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.<br/><br/> His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World. He also pronounced what some consider to be one of the first historically important declarations of human rights via the Cyrus Cylinder sometime between 539 and 530 BCE, although this has been disputed by some scholars.
Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: Kuruš (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BCE), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.<br/><br/> Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.<br/><br/> His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World. He also pronounced what some consider to be one of the first historically important declarations of human rights via the Cyrus Cylinder sometime between 539 and 530 BCE, although this has been disputed by some scholars.
Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: Kuruš (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BCE), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.<br/><br/> Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.<br/><br/> His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World. He also pronounced what some consider to be one of the first historically important declarations of human rights via the Cyrus Cylinder sometime between 539 and 530 BCE, although this has been disputed by some scholars.
Cyrus II of Persia (Old Persian: Kuruš (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BCE), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire.<br/><br/> Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.<br/><br/> His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four corners of the World. He also pronounced what some consider to be one of the first historically important declarations of human rights via the Cyrus Cylinder sometime between 539 and 530 BCE, although this has been disputed by some scholars.
Timur (from the Perso-Arabic Tīmur, ultimately from Chagatai (Middle Turkic) Temur 'iron'; 8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), often known as Tamerlane (from Tīmur-e Lang) in English, was a fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire in India.
Timur (from the Perso-Arabic Tīmur, ultimately from Chagatai (Middle Turkic) Temur 'iron'; 8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), often known as Tamerlane (from Tīmur-e Lang) in English, was a fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire in India.
A scene from the account of the Greek historian Herodotus, who records that Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae defeated Cyrus the Great in battle and ordered his corpse to be beheaded.
Tiglath-Pileser III was a prominent king of Assyria in the eighth century BCE (ruled 745–727 BCE) and is widely regarded as the founder of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.<br/><br/> Tiglath-Pileser III seized the Assyrian throne during a civil war and killed the royal family. He made sweeping changes to the Assyrian government, considerably improving its efficiency and security. Assyrian forces became a standing army. Tiglath-Pileser III subjected Babylonia to tribute, severely punished Urartu (Armenia), and defeated the Medes and the Hittites. He reconquered Syria (destroying Damascus) and the Mediterranean seaports of Phoenicia. Tiglath-Pileser III also occupied Philistia and Israel. Later in his reign, Tiglath-Pileser III assumed total control of Babylonia.<br/><br/> Tiglath-Pileser III discouraged revolts against Assyrian rule, with the use of forced deportations of thousands of people all over the empire. He is considered to be one of the most successful military commanders in world history, conquering most of the world known to the Assyrians before his death.
Timur (from the Perso-Arabic Tīmur, ultimately from Chagatai (Middle Turkic) Temur 'iron'; 8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), often known as Tamerlane (from Tīmur-e Lang) in English, was a fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire in India.<br/><br/> Mughal period miniature painting from an album featuring portraits of Timur the Great and his descendants, mid-17th century.
Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481) or, in modern Turkish, Sultan Mehmet Fatih; known as Mahomet or Mohammed II in early modern Europe) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1444 to September 1446, and later from February 1451 to 1481. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire.<br/><br/> Sultan Mehmet Fatih seized power in Constantinople in 1471. He commissioned the painter Bellini to travel in 1479 from Venice to the Turkish capital to paint portraits for two years.<br/><br/> For centuries Venice was Europe’s prime trading partner with the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire in particular. Venetian naval and commercial power was unrivalled in Europe until it lost a series of wars to the Ottoman armies in the 15th century.
Tariq ibn Ziyad (15 November 689 – 11 April 720) was a great Muslim Umayyad general who led the conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711 under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I. Tariq ibn Ziyad is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in Iberian history. He was initially the deputy of Musa ibn Nusair in North Africa, and was sent by his superior from the north coast of Morocco to launch the first thrust of a conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom (comprising modern Spain and Portugal). The name 'Gibraltar' derives from the Arabic Jebel Tariq, or 'Mountain of Tariq', and is named for Tariq ibn Ziyad.
Timur (1336—1405) was the conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire in India.
Wood carving of Empress Jingu dated 1326, Hatimangu Shrine, Shimane prefecture. Consort to Emperor Chuai, she also served as Regent from the time of her husband's death in 209 until her son Emperor Ōjin acceded to the throne in 269.No firm dates can be assigned to this historical figure's life or reign. Jingū is regarded by historians as a "legendary" figure because of the paucity of information about her. Legend has it that she led an army in an invasion of Korea and returned to Japan victorious after three years. However, this theory is widely rejected even in Japan as there is no evidence of Japanese rule in any part of Korea. Some believe that Empress Jingū's conquest is only based on the Gwanggaeto Stele (in Jilin, China). But the legend of Jingū's invasion of the Korean peninsula also appears in the ancient Japanese chronicles Kojiki written in 680 and Nihon Shoki written in 720.
Timur (from the Perso-Arabic Tīmur, ultimately from Chagatai (Middle Turkic) Temur 'iron'; 8 April 1336 – 18 February 1405), often known as Tamerlane (from Tīmur-e Lang) in English, was a fourteenth-century conqueror of Western, South and Central Asia, founder of the Timurid Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, and great great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire in India.
Timurid relations with Europe developed in the early 15th century, as the Mongol ruler Timur and European monarchs attempted to operate a rapprochement against the expansionist Ottoman Empire. Although the Timurid Mongols had been Muslim since the early 14th century, a strong hostility remained between them and the Ottoman Turks as well as the Egyptian Mamluks. Ironically considering his self-proclaimed title of ghazi (or 'Warrior for Islam'), Timur maintained relatively friendly relations with Europe. Europe at the time was threatened by the invading armies of the Ottoman Turks and was desperate for allies. Timur likewise saw the European states as allies to help him destroy his Ottoman enemies.
Selim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), nicknamed Yavuz 'the Stern' or 'the Steadfast', but often rendered in English as 'the Grim' (October 10, 1465/1466/1470 – September 22, 1520), was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520.<br/><br/> He was also the first Ottoman Sultan to assume the title of Caliph of Islam. He was granted the title of 'Hâdim ül Haramain ish Sharifain' (Servant of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), by the Sharif of Mecca in 1517.<br/><br/> Selim carried the empire to the leadership of the Sunni branch of Islam by his conquest of the Middle East. He represents a sudden change in the expansion policy of the empire, which had worked mostly against the West before his reign. The Ottoman Empire almost trebled in size during Selim's relatively short reign.
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Mégas Aléxandros), was a king of Macedon, a state in the north eastern region of Greece, and by the age of thirty was the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalaya.<br/><br/> He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time.