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Last issue, we asked a panel of experts
to nominate the leaders they considered
to have been the greatest in histor y.
Many readers responded with their
own views; you can read the full list
at historyextra.com/greatleadersReally? No Alexander, Scipio
Africanus, Hannibal or Caesar?
Not even Augustus? Justinian?
Sid Ghosh, via FacebookOn the list I see Amilcar Cabral,
who liberated African lands from
Portuguese colonial rule, but not Gandhi,
who liberated India from British colonial
rule, nor Martin Luther King Jr, who led
the civil rights movement in the US.
Ritish Patel, by emailAbraham Lincoln’s reputation as
the ‘Great Emancipator’ rests not
only on the Emancipation Proclamation
and the Thirteenth Amendment, with its
unprecedented enforcement clause and
unneeded presidential signature, but
also on his request of Frederick Douglass
to devise a plan to get as many slaves as
possible out of the South while his
re-election, the issue of the Proclama-
tion’s constitutionality and the outcome
of the war seemed in doubt.
Lincoln also approved of bills
abolishing segregation on omnibuses in
Washington DC; allowing black witness-
es in federal courts; equalising penalties
for the same crime; for equal pay for
black soldiers; and ending discrimina-
tion on the basis of colour in hiring US
Mail carriers. African-Americans
picnicked on the White House grounds.
He supported the activities of theFreedmen’s Bureau. He approved the
transfer of hundreds of thousands of
acres of abandoned plantation lands to
freedmen and their families.
After meeting with Lincoln three
times in the White House, Frederick
Douglass was “impressed with his entire
freedom from popular prejudice against
the colored race”. As the historian Eric
Foner said, by the latter stages of his
presidency Lincoln had envisioned the
beginnings of a biracial democracy. He
fully deserves his historical reputation in
the struggle for freedom and, indeed,
towards creating a biracial republic.
Jeffrey Javid, Madison, WisconsinYou should include two more
names. First, Emperor Ashoka,
who spread peace and Buddhism across
India. Second, Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj [c1627/30–80, founder of theJoin the conversation
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Post BBC World Histories, Immediate Media
Company Bristol Limited, Eagle House,
Colston Avenue, Bristol BS1 4ST, UKMaratha kingdom of India], who in the
16th century had an understanding of the
importance of economy, trade and
inclusion of religions, and played a huge
role in creating awareness of Swar aj
(independence) which became important
in our struggle for freedom from British
rule. These leaders were significant in
shaping the Indian way of life.
Nilesh Limaye, by emailCyrus II [of Persia] should be there- the first ruler ever to be titled
‘the Great’. He was the founder of the
very first multinational empire, and of
human rights. He was the first ruler to
ban slavery. Alexander the Great
believed himself to be the only true
successor of Cyrus. He was mentioned
in the Torah and the Bible for freeing
Jewish slaves from Babylon, sending
them back to Jerusalem and building
them new temples to replace those
destroyed by the Babylonians.
Okhan Roudbaraki, via Facebook
Boudica and Joan of Arc – but not
Napoleon? I suspect they are on the
list solely because they are women,
which doesn’t help gender equality at all.
They were great leaders, but come on- they don’t even come close to Napoleon.
Nóra Fenyőházi, via Facebook
Ranjit Singh, r uler of the Sikh empire from
1801 to 1839, was among the leaders that
experts nominated as the greatest in history