Leader Timeline

By Jeff Corean
  • 356 BCE

    Alexander the Great

    Alexander the Great was considered one of the greatest military leaders of all time. Alexander was a student of the great philosopher Aristotle, who encouraged Alexander educationally (Adhikari, 2019). Alexander utilized his knowledge to overtake the great Persian Empire and establish himself as one of the greatest generals of all time. He served as a leader of Greece from 356-326 BC.
  • 1189

    King Richard I

    King Richard I was the king of England for ten years, but only spent six months residing in England. King Richard I was a spectacular military leader that led the Third Crusade. His military knowledge aligned with his political fortitude allowed King Richard I to capture many sites throughout the Holy Land, falling short of capturing Jerusalem from Saladin in 1191 (BBC, 2014). King Richard I ruled England until his death in 1199. His younger brother John was his heir.
  • 1507

    Martin Luther

    Martin Luther was the leader who formed the Protestant Religion. Luther who was born in Germany, translated the New Testament of the Bible from Latin to German, so people could read the Bible and not rely solely on what the church told them. Luther also stood up to the church in regards to sales of indulgences. In all, Luther published over 100 writings, mainly grievances against the Roman Catholic Church. Retrieved from:
    http://renaissance-reformation.weebly.com/martin-luther.html
  • 1523

    John Calvin

    John Calvin was an influential leader during the Renaissance Reformation. Calvin published many writings in favor of religious reformation. Calvin's writings were critical of the Roman Catholic church. He had to flee France and spent three years on the run. Calvin fled to Geneva and began preaching there, until he was asked to leave because of conflict of beliefs. Later, Calvin was asked to come back and stayed until his death. Retrieved from https://calvin.edu/about/history/john-calvin.html

  • John Locke

    John Locke is credited by many as the man who laid the groundwork for the Enlightenment. In 1689, Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" outlined a theory of human knowledge, identity and self-hood that would be hugely influential. To Locke, Knowledge was the accumulation of facts derived from sensory experience. Locke modeled facts off of rigorous scientific experiments that led to the Scientific Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/john-locke

  • Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and was vocal about his disagreement of slavery. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 paved the way for the abolition of slavery. In 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in the Ford Theater. Shortly after, the 13th amendment was created and slavery was abolished. President Lincoln became one of the greatest leaders in history. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln

  • Nelson Mandela

    Mandela was South Africa’s first elected democratic President. Mandela coordinated peaceful demonstrations in South Africa against racism and was even imprisoned for his actions in 1956. In 1963, Mandela received a life sentence and served 27 years of his sentence for political offenses. In 1990, Mandela was released from prison and appointed to the African National Congress. His efforts eventually helped end apartheid in South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 (ILN, 2020).

  • Li Wenliang

    Li Wenliang was detained by local Chinese authorities after he headed warnings of the COVID-19 outbreak. Within days of his release, Li went back to treating COVID patients and contracted the disease. In February 2020, Li succumb to the illness. Li's bravery in the face of the virus and Chinese authorities became an ispiration to the world to fight this terrible disease. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2020/li-wenliang/

  • Future Predictions

    Like many of the early leaders on this timeline, future leaders must master strategy. This time, military and/or political operations will have a much larger factor than ever before: Technology. I believe technology will continue to drive the world as we know it, and therefore drive our leaders. Technology will be the base of life in the future, with those who understand technology and use it to their advantage of good, will be the most successful leaders.