The Great and the Terrible

INTRODUCTION

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be? What sums up the very most important thing people should know about you? How would you like to be remembered? Choose thoughtfully. It may be a word that ends up being joined to your name forever.

In this book, you’ll meet some of the most memorable people in history. Good, great, magnificent, and beloved people. Terrible, cruel, and bloodthirsty people. They were all leaders who made an impression that has lasted (some for thousands of years!).

First, consider the greats in the following pages. Each leader here is great in his or her own way. Some have fascinating legends attached to their births or to their lives. (Can the stars really predict when a great person will be born? You’ll have to read to find out.) These leaders come from different places around the world at different periods in history. But there are some things they all have in common: They respected others; often they were big-picture thinkers; they were willing to listen to those they served; they learned from their mistakes; they thought about their actions in the long term, not just about what was beneficial at the moment. Sometimes the change they wanted wouldn’t be achieved in their lifetimes, but they laid the groundwork so that things would be better for those who came after them. When times were tough, these great people rose to the challenges before them.

When you look at the so-called terribles in this book, you’ll find that they also have some things in common. They usually put themselves first. They didn’t have respect for anyone. Instead of learning and changing with the times or the circumstances, they were closed off to new ideas. Some of them would do anything to get what they wanted.

Remember, though, that humans are complicated. Some of the greats you’ll find here did terrible things, too. Some of the terribles weren’t all that bad. Sometimes a person is considered great by one group but terrible by another. There’s a very well-known expression that you’ll want to consider when you read about each of these greats and terribles: “History is written by the victor.” That means that the story we remember about a person or an event may not be the whole story, just one side of it.

As you read this book, be sure to ask yourself: What qualities do you think make a leader great? Who are the greatest heroes in history (or even today), in your opinion? Would you rather have a leader who is powerful or one who is wise? Is it better to break with tradition, to follow it, or to adapt it to suit your circumstances?

And finally, ask yourself: How do you want people to remember you?

Signed,

Joanne the Curious

HATSHEPSUT

THE GREAT ROYAL WIFE, EGYPT’S FEMALE PHARAOH

REIGN: 1479–1458 BCE

FATHER: Pharaoh Thutmose I / MOTHER: Queen Ahmose

SUCCESSOR: Thutmose III

OTHER NAMES: God’s Wife, Lady of the Land to Its Limits, the Great One, the Foremost of Noble Ladies

WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT HATSHEPSUT?

Hatshepsut (pronounced hat-SHEP-soot) wasn’t the only female leader that Egypt ever had—several women before and after her served as regent for boys who were too young to rule. She also wasn’t the only one with the title “Great Royal Wife.” This was given to the chief wife of each pharaoh (pharaohs typically had many wives). But historians think Hatshepsut was the first Egyptian woman to declare herself pharaoh, the title used for those considered the supreme ruler of Egypt and descendant of the gods. That took some great courage! But it’s also why she was nearly forgotten for thousands of years: archeologists who found carvings of her thought she was actually a man!

GREAT BEGINNINGS

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I, and it’s said that she was his favorite child. She married her half-brother Thutmose II to keep the royal bloodline going. When he died, though, the throne should have passed to Thutmose III, his son by a lesser wife. But since the boy was too young, Hatshepsut—his stepmother—became regent. It seems that Hatshepsut enjoyed ruling so much that, seven years later, she decided to promote herself to pharaoh.

PARDON HER DUST

In Hatshepsut’s time, nothing said “I’m powerful” like a bunch of building projects. You couldn’t walk a block without finding something under construction during her reign: temples, shrines, or monuments. But pyramids were already so last millennium. Hatshepsut wanted something unique—the biggest, most amazing mortuary temple the world had ever seen. Hatshepsut’s Deir el-Bahri—the first temple in what was later to become the Valley of the Kings—is still considered to be one of the finest ancient buildings in existence. It was built into the side of a giant cliff, commanding attention for miles around. The design features three stories of colonnades and terraces accessed by two long ramps. (In Hatshepsut’s day, there were also elaborate gardens on each terrace. On the bottom floor, there were papyrus pools and frankincense trees from foreign lands.) Outside of the temple, she built matching obelisks, the tallest in the world at the time. In fact, the one that remains standing is still the tallest ancient obelisk in the world.

HERE’S LOOKING AT ME

Hatshepsut wasn’t exactly a humble ruler. For example, she told everyone that her father was actually the god Amun and that he wanted her to be pharaoh. “To look upon her was more beautiful than anything; her splendor and her form were divine,” reads an inscription inside Deir el-Bahri. Historians think Hatshepsut dictated it herself. Also inside the temple are wall carvings telling of her amazing birth, as well as countless statues of her—Hatshepsut as a sphinx; Hatshepsut as a pharaoh; Hatshepsut as the child of a goddess. So many statues were made in her time that there’s hardly a major museum in the world today that doesn’t have a Hatshepsut statue in its collection. There’s even a whole Hatshepsut Room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

But after Hatshepsut died, someone (possibly her stepson) decided to try to wipe out any trace of her reign as pharaoh. Inscriptions about her and pictures of her were chiseled out of walls. Obelisks and statues from her time were smashed. So much was destroyed that Egyptologists didn’t really know much about her until the nineteenth century. And even though the giant temple of Deir el-Bahri was dedicated to her, archeologists didn’t find her mummy until 2007 (see here).

WHEN HATSHEPSUT WAS PHARAOH…

the chariot was the vehicle of choice in the civilized world

the legendary King Solomon was on the throne in nearby Judea

people in Shang dynasty China were making vessels (such as bowls) out of bronze

a volcano erupted on the Greek island of Santorini. Some say it caused the mythical city of Atlantis to disappear

CYRUS the GREAT

ANCIENT PERSIA’S MOST POWERFUL RULER

REIGN: circa 559–529 BCE

FATHER: Cambyses I / MOTHER: Mandane of Media SUCCESSOR: Cambyses II

WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT CYRUS?

Cyrus introduced a new idea to the world: that people didn’t have to give up their own culture or beliefs in order to be part of a bigger empire. They could, instead, live harmoniously together under a single ruler. This was the first time in history that had ever happened.

BECOMING GREAT

There’s a legend that Cyrus’s grandfather believed he would be dethroned by his grandson, so he wanted to have him killed when he was a baby (see here). But Cyrus grew up to be a great military leader, raising armies and conquering kingdoms. If you look at today’s map, his kingdom would take up all of the Middle East and parts of what’s now Afghanistan. It was the custom that the conquering army took the spoils of those they defeated, such as jewelry, horses, statues, and, of course, land. The leaders of the losing kingdom were usually executed and the people were forced to adopt the religion of the conqueror.

But Cyrus did things differently. After he conquered a kingdom, he let the leader he’d defeated live and then gave him a job, such as governor or advisor. Cyrus directed his armies to give back the spoils that they’d taken. He let the conquered people continue to worship their own gods at their own temples. Cyrus even embraced parts of the cultures he ruled over. It’s said he started wearing clothes like the people in some of his new kingdoms (in earlier days, they would have had to start dressing like him).

Cyrus’s biggest conquest was Babylon, which had until then been the world’s most powerful kingdom. The Babylonians had conquered the Jews and were holding them captive. Once Cyrus took charge of Babylon, though, he let the Jews go free so they could return to their homeland. This story was so important to the Jewish people that it even appears in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Historians say Cyrus understood that he could never impose one culture, language, or belief system on an empire as large as his. His multicultural empire endured for around two hundred years until Alexander the Great (see here) eventually invaded and broke it up.

WHEN CYRUS WAS KING…

Buddhism developed in India

the first major river dam was built in China

Chinese philosopher Confucius, by then an old man, died

the Spartans continued to dominate the Olympic Games in Greece

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

GREATEST OF THE GREATS? (ANCIENT GREECE)

REIGN: 336–323 BCE

FATHER: King Philip II of Macedonia / MOTHER: Queen Olympia

SUCCESSOR: The Diadochi (a team of four generals)

OTHER NAMES: Alexander the Accursed, Alexander the Wicked

WHAT WAS SO GREAT ABOUT ALEXANDER?

Few leaders are as legendary as Alexander. Within a span of just thirteen years, he built one of the biggest empires ever to exist, stretching two million square miles across three continents. Because his presence was felt in so many cultures, he pops up in legends and stories from around the world going back thousands of years.

GREAT BEGINNINGS

Before he was born, the famous oracle at Delphi, Greece, told Alexander’s parents that he would grow up to be an invincible general. Some say a bright star appeared in the sky at his birth, foretelling his successes. These prophecies gave Alexander confidence that he was destined for greatness.

Growing up, Alexander learned from the best: he was tutored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He learned to play the lyre and he read a lot of books, committing the contents of works such as The Iliad