The Five Greatest Conquerors Of The Ancient World
In ancient times, no one had the same sort of wealth, respect, or power as conquerors. They were gods among men, and they were often worshipped as saviors by their people.
Conquerors are remembered as “great” because of the amount of land they conquered and controlled. But, revered as they are, it often slips people’s memory that these men murdered thousands and destroyed countless homes.
With that being said, in ancient times, that is the exact thing that made someone great.
So, with that in mind, here is the list of the five greatest conquerors of the ancient world.
5) Thutmose III
Known as Thutmose the Great, the eventual pharaoh of Egypt would be born in 1481 BC to Thutmose II and his concubine Iset.
Part of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, Thutmose III was destined to rule the land one day. But that day came sooner than everyone thought.
At the age of two, Thutmose III’s father passed away. However, due to his extremely young age, he would serve as co-regent with his stepmother and aunt Hatshepsut, who was queen during Thutmose II’s reign.
The pair would serve as co-regents for 22 years, right up until Hatshepsut’s death. Thutmose III would then become the official pharaoh of Egypt.
Thutmose III would earn the title of “Great” many times over the next 30 years, conquering over 350 cities throughout 17 known military campaigns.
He would conquer much of the Near East, expanding from the Euphrates River to Nubia.
Thutmose the Great is also credited with the formation of the Egyptian Navy, marking the first naval force of the ancient world.
Sometimes referred to as the “Napoleon of Egypt”, Thutmose the Great is remembered as the greatest warrior pharaoh of all time, not only for his conquests but also for his military innovation.
A military genius, commander, and infamous warrior, there was nothing Thutmose III couldn’t do. Widely regarded as the greatest pharaoh of the New Kingdom Period, the warrior-king rightfully earned his spot on this list.
4/ Attila the Hun:
When most people think of Attila the Hun, all they see is some Neanderthal from the “Night at The Museum” movies.
However, what most people don’t know is that Attila once ruled an empire comparable to that of the Romans.
While the exact birth date of Attila the Hun is unknown, historians estimate it to be around the year 407.
Born to Mundzuk, a Hunnic chieftain who happened to be the brother of the King of the Huns Regila, both Attila and his brother Bleda were born to take the throne one day.
Following Regila’s death in the year 435, Attila and Bleda shared the throne as co-rulers.
The throne became Attila’s alone 10 years later, following Bleda’s death.
During his reign, Attila was feared by all, including the Eastern (Byzantine) Roman Empires as well as the Western Roman Empires.
Attila would lead his forces across the Danube River, conquering the Bulkans with ease.
Attila would then attempt to raid Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
He wouldn’t succeed but would return to attack the Eastern Roman Empire just a few months later. He subsequently invaded the Western Roman Empire.
Following his success in Central Europe, Attila would lead the Hunnic forces to modern-day France, where they would cross the Rhine River and attempt to conquer Roman Gaul, a provincial territory of the Roman Empire.
Attila would ultimately be defeated, but not before he marched to Aurelianum, mere miles away from Roman Gaul.
Following this defeat, Attila would invade Italy, looking to crumble the Roman Empire once and for all.
The Huns would steamroll through the northern provinces but were unable to take Rome due to the widespread famine that engulfed Italy at the time.
Attila planned to return to take Rome but never saw the chance.
He would die in 453, and the Hunnic Empire collapsed shortly after.
Looking back on Attila’s life, it’s clear that he was so much more than just a side character in a Hollywood movie.
He was a fearless warrior, a renowned conqueror, and a revered ruler. At his peak, he controlled the entirety of Central and Eastern Europe, firmly cementing himself among the best conquerors of the age.
3) Sargon the Great
Sargon of Akkad, popularly known as Sargon the Great, was the pioneer of the art of conquest.
Historians accredit Sargon as being the first true ruler of an empire.
He founded and ruled over the Akkadian Empire, the first empire to ever rule over Mesopotamia and the surrounding region.
Sargon is best known for his conquest of the Sumerian people, the previous residents of Mesopotamia.
He reigned over his people for 56 years, a miraculously long time for 2000 BC.
During his tenure, Sargon conquered several major states, including Elam and Gutium.
At the end of his reign, the Akkadian Empire engulfed almost the entire Arabian Peninsula and parts of Southern Europe.
The Empire had claims to regions in modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
Sargon often referenced himself as the “emperor of the world” and the “king of the universe.”
While clearly a little arrogant, there’s no denying his importance to history. He founded the world’s first true empire, and he ruled over a significant portion of the ancient world.
The father of all conquerors, the creator of the art of conquest, and the ruler of Akkad, Sargon the Great is one of the greatest to ever lead.
2. Cyrus the Great
Born to the king of Assyria, one would assume Cyrus would’ve taken the throne of the Median Empire, which is the throne his father sat upon.
However, this is not the case.
King Astyages, his father, ordered the boy to be killed as a baby. This was a result of a dream he deemed to be a bad omen.
He entrusted his closest general Harpagus to complete the mission, but the courtier couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He instead gave the young boy to a shepherd, who gave him the name Cyrus.
The shepherd, known as Mitradates, would raise Cyrus into a man, a leader, and a strategist.
Cyrus would eventually gather several nomadic tribes together, into a group he called the Persians.
The Persians eventually laid siege to the Median empire, forcing Astyages to retreat to his palace at Ecbatana.
It was at this time that Harpagus betrayed Astyages, who killed his son following the general’s failure to kill the king’s child.
Harpagus let the Persians inside the palace walls, defecting to Cyrus’ cause.
Cyrus would imprison his father for the rest of the former king’s life, and the Persian leader would take the throne.
Cyrus immediately inherited all the land the Medes had controlled, making him the most powerful man in the Ancient East.
However, Cyrus wasn’t content with just inheriting land.
He would serve as leader of the now Persian Empire for over a decade, conquering the entirety of the Arabian Peninsula as well as much of Greece and Egypt.
Persia is known as the world’s first global empire, and Cyrus built it. That’s what not only makes him great, it makes him the Great.
1) Alexander the Great
To no one’s surprise, Alexander the Great takes his rightful place atop this list.
Alexander of Macedon was born to then Macedonian king Philip II, who was a competent but unadventurous ruler.
Alexander was tutored by the famous philosopher Aristotle, who was almost like a second father.
In the year 336 BC, a 20-year-old Alexander would take the throne of Macedon.
Alexander the Great earned his title through several military campaigns, the first of which was in the Balkans, where he conquered lost Macedonian territories Thrace and Illyria.
Following his conquest of the Balkan territories, Alexander would return home and lead the League of Corinth in what became known as the pan-Hellenic project, where they would assume control over all Greeks.
Now with a massive army, Alexander and his Macedonian Empire would march into Persia looking to conquer the largest empire in the world.
At the time, the Persian King was Darius III, whom many deemed unfit to lead the empire.
Those claims were proven when Alexander was able to conquer major Persian province Asia Minor in less than a year.
After nearly a decade of war, Alexander successfully crumbled the Persian Empire, defeating Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela.
After his defeat of Darius III and the Persian Empire, Alexander inherited not only the throne of Persia but also the title of pharaoh in Egypt.
Following this conquest, Alexander vowed to conquer all territory until the “ends of the world.”
He intended to honor that promise, invading modern-day India in 326 BC, where it took him only a year to defeat Porus, the king of the Indian kingdom.
He intended to keep marching, but his troops wished to return home to Macedonia.
It was there where he would meet his untimely death, dying from malaria in 323 BC.
In a life that spanned just 30 years, Alexander the Great made the Greeks the most powerful they had ever been, controlling the majority of Europe and Western Asia, as well as the Arabian peninsula.
Alexander held not only the title of King of Macedonia, but he was also hailed as the King of Persia, the Pharoah of Egypt, and Hegemon of The Hellenic League.
Throughout his short stint on Earth, he left arguably the largest legacy out of anyone in the ancient world. He was the closest thing to a god, and that’s why he is number one on this list. You can’t beat the great Alexander.
