The Greatest of Leaders Lead Others

People often are not what you expect them to be. This is magnified when the people in question are leaders. This is even more so when the leaders are among the most renowned rulers in history. One of the most famous Egyptian rulers in history was Cleopatra. One of the most well known Chinese leaders ever was Kublai Khan. In France, there probably is no one more a symbol of leadership than Napoleon Bonaparte. One of his contemporaries, King George III of Great Britain, likewise, is one of the most remembered of the many British royals. In more modern times, the most notorious Soviet/Russian leaders of all time was Joseph Stalin, and his counterpart in Germany was the equally infamous Adolf Hitler.

So, what did all of these famous and infamous rulers and conquerors have in common, even across the distance of 10,000 miles or 2,000 years? Each became identified with and gained dominion over a people that was not their own.

Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not Egyptian.

Cleopatra (69 BC–30 BC) was the last Pharaoh of Egypt (51 BC–30 BC). However, she was not Egyptian. Born as Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, her father was Auletes, a direct descendant of Alexander the Great's general, Ptolemy I Soter of Macedon, in Greece. Her heritage was Greek, and she spoke primarily Greek and Latin.

Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan was not Chinese.

Kublai Khan (1215–1294) was Emperor of China (1260-1294), founder of the Yuan Dynasty of China (1271-1368), established Beijing as the Chinese capital, and was the Chinese emperor who welcomed Marco Polo to China. However, Kublai Khan was not Chinese. He was born in Kharkhorin, Mongolia to Mongolian parents, and was grandson to the great Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan.

French Emperor Napolean I was not French.

Napoleon I (1769–1821) was Emperor of France (1804-1815) and conquered much of Europe as commander of the French Grande Armée. However, Napoleon was not French. He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, which only a year earlier was part of the Republic of Genoa, an Italian state. His parents were of Italian ancestry. In fact, he was born with the Italian name Napoleone di Buonaparte (Nabolione in Corsican), and was named after an uncle who had been killed fighting the French. He did not even begin to learn French until he was 10 years old, and only later in life did he change his name to the Frenchified Napoleon Bonaparte.

British King George III was not British.

King George III (1738–1820) was King of Great Britain (1760-1820), reigning during the French & Indian War, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars. In fact, he was the infamous King George against whom the American colonies rebelled during the American Revolution. However, George was not British. He was the third British ruler of the House of Hanover (1714-1901), named after the German region from which the family originated. All four of his grandparents were Germans, as were both his parents: Duke Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. In fact, while George was king of Great Britain, he was concurrently Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and King of Hanover, both German states.

Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin was not Russian.

Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) was Premier of the Soviet Union (1941-1953), the direct successor to the Russian Empire, and often synonymous with Russia. However, Stalin was not Russian. He was born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili to Georgian parents in Gori, Georgia, located in the Caucasus Mountains. He did not even begin to learn Russian until he was 10 years old, and didn't change his name to Joseph Stalin until he was 35.

German Führer Adolf Hitler was not German.

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), Führer of Germany (1934-1945), was not German. He was born in Braunau am Inn, which was in the Austria section of the Austrian–Hungarian Empire. His parents were Austrians, and his father even worked for the Austrian Government. He did not move to Germany until he was 24 years old.