10 : frederick II of Prussia 1712-1786
Frederick II (1712-1786) ruled Prussia from 1740 until his death, leading his nation through multiple wars with Austria and its allies. His daring military tactics expanded and consolidated Prussian lands, while his domestic policies transformed his kingdom into a modern state and formidable European power. As an enthusiastic patron of the arts and sciences, a gifted musician and a correspondent with the top minds of the Enlightenment, Frederick sought to embody the Platonic ideal of a “philosopher-king
9 : HAILE SELASSIE I 1892-1975
Born in Ethiopia in 1892, Haile Selassie was crowned emperor in 1930 but exiled during World War II after leading the resistance to the Italian invasion. He was reinstated in 1941 and sought to modernize the country over the next few decades through social, economic and educational reforms. He ruled until 1974, when famine, unemployment and political opposition forced him from office.
Haile Selassie I was Ethiopia's 225th and last emperor, serving from 1930 until his overthrow by the Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974. The longtime ruler traced his line back to Menelik I, who was credited with being the child of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
8 : PETTER I OF RUSSIA 1672-1725
Born in Moscow, Russia on June 9, 1672, Peter the Great was a Russian czar in the late 17th century who is best known for his extensive reforms in an attempt to establish Russia as a great nation. He created a strong navy, reorganized his army according to Western standards, secularized schools, administered greater control over the reactionary Orthodox Church, and introduced new administrative and territorial divisions of the country.
7 : TUTANKHAMUN c.1341-c.23 BC
Tutankhamun is believed to be the son of Akhenaten and his secondary wife Kiya. At 9 years of age Tutankhamun succeeded his father to the throne. He was originally named Tut-ankh-Aten, (the living image of Aten) but changed to Tutankhamun as he tried to steer Egypt back to the worship of the state god Amun-Ra.
6 : HAMMURABI . Unknown- c1750BC
In about 1780 B.C., a Babylonian ruler named Hammurabi codified hundreds of laws and had them written on an eight-foot stele made of black basalt. Now in the Louvre, the stele's inscriptions were unintelligible for thousands of years.
5: CYRUS II OF PERSIA: C600-530BC
Cyrus (Old Persian Kourosh or Khorvash, modern Persian: کوروش, Kourosh) (ca. 576 – July 529 B.C.E.), also known as Cyrus the Great and Cyrus II of Persia,, was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty. As the ruler of the Persian people in Anshan, he conquered the Medes and went on to conquer the Babylonian Empire. He wrote the Cyrus Cylinder, considered to be the first declaration of human rights
4:Charlemagne : c742-c814
Charlemagne (c.742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and western Germany. He embarked on a mission to unite all Germanic peoples into one kingdom, and convert his subjects to Christianity. A skilled military strategist, he spent much of his reign engaged in warfare in order to accomplish his goals. In 800, Pope Leo III (750-816) crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans. In this role, he encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual revival in Europe. When he died in 814, Charlemagne’s empire encompassed much of Western Europe, and he had also ensured the survival of Christianity in the West. Today, Charlemagne is referred to by some as the father of Europe
3:ALEXANDER III OF MACEDON 356-323 BC
Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. During his time of leadership, he united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire.
Conqueror and king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great was born on July 20, 356 B.C., in Pella, in the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia. During his leadership, from 336 to 323 B.C., he united the Greek city-states and led the Corinthian League. He also became the king of Persia, Babylon and Asia, and created Macedonian colonies in the region. While considering the conquests of Carthage and Rome, Alexander died of malaria in Babylon (now Iraq), on June 13, 323 B.C.
2: HENRY VIII 1491-1547
King Henry VIII of England was born in Greenwich palace on June 28, 1491. The second son of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Henry was not heir to the throne until the unexpected death of his elder brother, Arthur, in April 1502. Seven years later, Henry VII died, and the seventeen-year-old prince acceded to the throne as King Henry VIII on April 21, 1509. Two months later he married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon.
1: LOUIS XIV OF FRANCE 1638-1715
Louis XIV of France, king of kings
Born on September 5, 1638, Louis was christened Louis-Dieudonné, meaning 'gift of God' and became king at the age of four upon the death of his father, Louis XIII (1601-1643).
He reigned for 72 years and 110 days until his death on September 1, 1715, longer than that of any other known European sovereign