World Rulers Chronology

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Ancient Rulers (Pre-500 CE) Mesopotamia & Egypt Narmer (c. 3100 BCE): First Pharaoh of unified Egypt. Sargon of Akkad (c. 2334-2279 BCE): Founder of the Akkadian Empire, one of the first empires in history. Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BCE): King of Babylon, famous for his legal code. Hatshepsut (c. 1479-1458 BCE): Female Pharaoh of Egypt, oversaw a period of prosperity and monumental building. Akhenaten (c. 1353-1336 BCE): Pharaoh of Egypt, attempted to introduce monotheistic worship of Aten. Ramesses II (the Great) (c. 1279-1213 BCE): Pharaoh of Egypt, known for military campaigns and vast building projects. India (Ancient) Chandragupta Maurya (c. 322-298 BCE): Founder of the Mauryan Empire, one of the largest empires in ancient India. Ashoka the Great (c. 268-232 BCE): Mauryan Emperor, converted to Buddhism and promoted its spread. Kanishka I (c. 127-150 CE): Emperor of the Kushan Empire, patron of Buddhism. Chandragupta I (c. 320-335 CE): Founder of the Gupta Empire, marking the "Golden Age of India." Samudragupta (c. 335-375 CE): Gupta Emperor, known for military conquests and cultural patronage. Greece & Rome Cyrus the Great (c. 559-530 BCE): Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Pericles (c. 495-429 BCE): Athenian statesman during its Golden Age. Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE): King of Macedon, created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE): First Roman Emperor, founded the Roman Principate. Constantine the Great (306-337 CE): Roman Emperor, legalized Christianity and founded Constantinople. Medieval Rulers (500-1500 CE) Europe Justinian I (527-565 CE): Byzantine Emperor, known for legal reform (Corpus Juris Civilis) and reconquests. Charlemagne (768-814 CE): King of the Franks, unified much of Western Europe, crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Alfred the Great (871-899 CE): King of Wessex, defended England against Viking incursions. William the Conqueror (1066-1087 CE): Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066. Genghis Khan (c. 1162-1227 CE): Founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Saladin (1174-1193 CE): First Sultan of Egypt and Syria, led Islamic forces against Crusaders. Edward III (1327-1377 CE): King of England, initiated the Hundred Years' War. Mehmed II (the Conqueror) (1444-1446, 1451-1481 CE): Ottoman Sultan, conquered Constantinople in 1453. India (Medieval) Harsha Vardhana (606-647 CE): Emperor of Northern India, a patron of arts and Buddhism. Rajaraja Chola I (985-1014 CE): Chola Emperor, expanded the empire and built the Brihadeeswarar Temple. Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030 CE): Sultan, led Ghaznavid incursions into India. Prithviraj Chauhan (c. 1178-1192 CE): King of the Chahamana dynasty, known for resistance against Ghurids. Qutb al-Din Aibak (1206-1210 CE): Founder of the Delhi Sultanate (Mamluk dynasty). Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316 CE): Sultan of Delhi, known for military conquests and administrative reforms. Harihara I & Bukka Raya I (reigned together c. 1336-1356 CE): Founders of the Vijayanagara Empire. Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529 CE): Emperor of Vijayanagara, considered one of the greatest South Indian rulers. Early Modern Rulers (1500-1800 CE) Europe Henry VIII (1509-1547 CE): King of England, initiated the English Reformation. Charles V (1519-1556 CE): Holy Roman Emperor, ruler of vast territories in Europe and the Americas. Elizabeth I (1558-1603 CE): Queen of England, presided over the Elizabethan Era. Louis XIV (the Sun King) (1643-1715 CE): King of France, epitomized absolute monarchy. Peter the Great (1682-1725 CE): Tsar of Russia, modernized and expanded the Russian Empire. Frederick the Great (1740-1786 CE): King of Prussia, transformed Prussia into a major European power. Catherine the Great (1762-1796 CE): Empress of Russia, oversaw a golden age of the Russian Empire. India (Early Modern) Babur (1526-1530 CE): Founder of the Mughal Empire in India. Akbar the Great (1556-1605 CE): Mughal Emperor, expanded the empire and promoted religious tolerance. Shah Jahan (1628-1658 CE): Mughal Emperor, built the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb (1658-1707 CE): Mughal Emperor, expanded the empire to its greatest extent but faced rebellions. Shivaji Maharaj (1674-1680 CE): Founder of the Maratha Empire. Nader Shah (1736-1747 CE): Shah of Persia, sacked Delhi in 1739. Tipu Sultan (1782-1799 CE): Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, resisted British expansion. East Asia & Other Regions Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) (1368-1398 CE): Founder of China's Ming Dynasty. Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722 CE): Fourth Emperor of China's Qing Dynasty, longest-reigning Chinese emperor. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1603-1605 CE): Founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan. Modern Rulers (1800-Present) Europe Napoleon Bonaparte (1804-1814, 1815 CE): Emperor of the French, dominated European affairs for over a decade. Queen Victoria (1837-1901 CE): Queen of the United Kingdom, presided over the British Empire at its height. Otto von Bismarck (1862-1890 CE as Minister-President): First Chancellor of Germany, unified Germany. Wilhelm II (1888-1918 CE): Last German Emperor and King of Prussia, led Germany during WWI. Vladimir Lenin (1917-1924 CE as head of government): Leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, first head of Soviet Russia. Adolf Hitler (1933-1945 CE): Dictator of Nazi Germany, initiated WWII and the Holocaust. Winston Churchill (1940-1945, 1951-1955 CE): Prime Minister of the UK during WWII. Joseph Stalin (1922-1953 CE as General Secretary): Dictator of the Soviet Union. Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022 CE): Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms, longest-reigning British monarch. India (Modern) Mahatma Gandhi (early-mid 20th century): Leader of the Indian independence movement (not a ruler, but a pivotal figure). Jawaharlal Nehru (1947-1964 CE): First Prime Minister of independent India. Indira Gandhi (1966-1977, 1980-1984 CE): Prime Minister of India. Other Regions Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865 CE): 16th President of the United States, led the country during the Civil War. Mao Zedong (1949-1976 CE): Founding father of the People's Republic of China. Nelson Mandela (1994-1999 CE): First President of post-apartheid South Africa.