Famous 17th Century Military Leaders

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 1 
Tokugawa Ieyasu
(Military Leader)
Tokugawa Ieyasu
18
Birthdate: January 31, 1543
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Okazaki Castle, Mikawa (now Okazaki, Japan)
Died: June 1, 1616

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He is considered one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan. He was the son of Matsudaira Hirotada, a minor local warlord. He grew up to be an ambitious young man with exemplary leadership qualities and eventually founded the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. 

 2 
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
(English Soldier and Statesman Who helped Defeat the 'Monmouth Rebellion' in 1685)
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
11
Birthdate: May 26, 1650
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ash, Musbury
Died: June 16, 1722

English statesman and soldier John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough was the second son of Sir Winston Churchill and is remembered for his contribution to wars such as the Monmouth Rebellion and the War of the Spanish Succession. He was once imprisoned in the Tower of London for Jacobitism.

 3 
Oliver Cromwell
(English Statesman)
Oliver Cromwell
31
Birthdate: April 25, 1599
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, Kingdom of England
Died: September 3, 1658
The Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Oliver Cromwell was a military leader and a devoted Puritan who belonged to an affluent landowning family. During the English Civil War, Cromwell fought against King Charles I and caused the deaths of at least 3,000 soldiers and civilians.
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 4 
Albrecht von Wallenstein
(Bohemian Statesman and Military Leader Best Remembered For His Role in 'The Thirty Years' War')
Albrecht von Wallenstein
5
Birthdate: September 24, 1583
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Heřmanice, Czechia
Died: February 25, 1634

Albrecht von Wallenstein was a Bohemian statesman and military leader best remembered for his role in the Thirty Years' War. During the war, he served as the supreme commander of the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.  By the time of his death, Wallenstein was one of the most influential and richest men in the Holy Roman Empire.

 5 
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
(German-English Army Officer, Admiral, Scientist and Colonial Governor)
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
5
Birthdate: December 17, 1619
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Died: November 29, 1682

Prince Rupert of the Rhine was a German-English admiral, army officer, colonial governor, and scientist. Renowned for his energy and quick-thinking, Rupert made long-lasting and impressive contributions to the doctrine and development of the Royal Navy. He is also credited with shaping modern Canada's political geography. 

 6 
John III Sobieski
(Military leader, Politician)
John III Sobieski
3
Birthdate: August 17, 1629
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Olesko
Died: June 17, 1696

Well-educated and well-traveled, John III Sobieski initially joined the Swedes as a soldier, in opposing Polish ruler John Casimir. He then switched to the Polish side. He gradually rose through the ranks to become a grand marshal and a grand-hetman, and eventually became the king of Poland.

 7 
Prince Eugene of Savoy
(Austrian Army Commander)
Prince Eugene of Savoy
4
Birthdate: October 18, 1663
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 21, 1736

Prince Eugene of Savoy was a field marshal who served in the army of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty and of the Holy Roman Empire. One of the most influential military commanders of his generation, Prince Eugene served three Holy Roman emperors in a career spanning 60 years. Consequently, he played important roles in many battles, including the Battle of Turin.

 8 
Michiel de Ruyter
(17th Century Dutch Admiral Who is Regarded as One of the Most Skilled Admirals in History)
Michiel de Ruyter
4
Birthdate: March 24, 1607
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Vlissingen, Netherlands
Died: April 29, 1676

Michiel de Ruyter was a Dutch admiral best remembered for his achievements during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. An important member of the Dutch Navy during his time, De Ruyter is widely considered one of the most talented admirals of all time. Regarded as a Dutch folk hero, Michiel de Ruyter's life and career inspired the 2015 Dutch film, Michiel de Ruyter.

 9 
Maurice de Saxe
(Soldier)
Maurice de Saxe
2
Birthdate: October 28, 1696
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Goslar, Germany
Died: November 20, 1750
 10 
James Oglethorpe
(Founder of the colony of Georgia)
James Oglethorpe
5
Birthdate: December 22, 1696
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Surrey
Died: June 30, 1785

Remembered as the founder of the British colony of Georgia in the US, James Oglethorpe was a renowned British soldier, MP, and social reformer. Educated at Oxford, he initially fought for the Austrian army against the Turks. As an MP, he brought in prison reforms. He was also the governor of Georgia.

 11 
Nanny of the Maroons
(Resistance fighter)
Nanny of the Maroons
5
Birthdate: 1686 AD
Birthplace: Ghana
Died: 1755 AD

Nanny of the Maroons was a Jamaican resistance fighter best remembered as the leader of the Jamaican Maroons. She led a community called Windward Maroons which fought a war against the British authorities in what came to be known as the First Maroon War. In 1975, she was declared Jamaica's only female national hero by the government of Jamaica. 

 12 
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne
(Military leader)
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne
2
Birthdate: September 11, 1611
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sedan, France
Died: July 27, 1675
 13 
Daniel Morgan
(Politician)
Daniel Morgan
5
Birthdate: July 6, 1736
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States
Died: July 6, 1802
 14 
Myles Standish
(Colonist)
Myles Standish
3
Birthdate: 1584 AD
Birthplace: Lancashire, United Kingdom
Died: October 3, 1656
 15 
Thomas Fairfax
(Political leader)
Thomas Fairfax
3
Birthdate: January 17, 1612
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Denton Hall, Wharfedale
Died: November 12, 1671
 16 
Edward Braddock
(military personnel)
Edward Braddock
3
Birthdate: 1695
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Perthshire
Died: July 13, 1755
 17 
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
(Anglo-French Military Leader Who was an Illegitimate Son of James II of England)
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
3
Birthdate: August 21, 1670
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Moulins, France
Died: June 12, 1734

James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick was an Anglo-French military leader. He was an illegitimate son of James II of England, who reigned as the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1685 to 1688. James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick is best remembered for his service as a general under Louis XIV of France.

 18 
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat
(Scottish Military Leader & Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat)
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat
3
Birthdate: January 5, 1667
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: England
Died: April 9, 1747

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat was a Scottish military leader who served as the chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat. A Jacobite, Simon Fraser was among the Highlanders who were defeated at the Battle of Culloden and later sentenced to death after being convicted of treason against the Crown.  

 19 
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford
(Noble)
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford
3
Birthdate: April 13, 1593
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 12, 1641
 20 
Louis, Grand Condé
(General)
Louis, Grand Condé
3
Birthdate: September 8, 1621
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 11, 1686
 21 
Wu Sangui
(Military general)
Wu Sangui
4
Birthdate: June 8, 1612
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Gaoyou, South Zhili, Ming dynasty, China
Died: October 2, 1678
 22 
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
(Poet, Viceroy and Captain General of Scotland)
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
3
Birthdate: October 25, 1612
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: May 21, 1650

Known as The Great Montrose, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was not just a Scottish nobleman and military leader but also a talented poet. He won many battles for Charles I but was defeated in the Battle of Carbisdale, following which he was hanged to death in the Edinburgh marketplace.

 23 
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly
(Field Marshal Who Commanded the Catholic League’s Forces in the Thirty Years’ War)
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly
2
Birthdate: 1559
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tilly, Belgium
Died: April 30, 1632

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly was a field marshal who played a major role in the famous Thirty Years' War. A fierce field marshal, Johann Tserclaes had a string of prominent victories from 1620 to 1631 against the Protestants. He destroyed the Protestant city of Magdeburg, so much so that 20,000 inhabitants out of a population of 25,000 were dead.

 24 
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
(Military Dictator)
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
3
Birthdate: February 23, 1646
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Died: February 19, 1709
 25 
Thomas Blood
(Best Known for His Attempt to Steal Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671)
Thomas Blood
3
Birthdate: 1618 AD
Birthplace: Meath, Ireland
Died: August 24, 1680

Thomas Blood was an Anglo-Irish officer best remembered for trying to steal the Crown Jewels of Scotland and England in 1671. He is also remembered for trying to kidnap and kill James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond. His audacious attempt to steal the Crown Jewels inspired the popular board game, Outrage! The incident also inspired the 1934 movie, Colonel Blood.

 26 
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
(Governor-General)
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
4
Birthdate: January 8, 1587
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hoorn, Netherlands
Died: September 21, 1629
 27 
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
(Noblemen)
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
2
Birthdate: September 28, 1663
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Palace of Whitehall, London, England
Died: October 9, 1690
 28 
Lord George Murray
(Scottish general)
Lord George Murray
2
Birthdate: October 4, 1694
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Huntingtower, Scotland
Died: October 11, 1760
 29 
Henry Ireton
(Politician)
Henry Ireton
2
Birthdate: 1611 AD
Birthplace: Attenborough, Beeston, England
Died: November 26, 1651
 30 
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
(King)
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
3
Birthdate: July 11, 1662
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Died: February 26, 1726
 31 
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
(Admiral)
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
2
Birthdate: July 27, 1625
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Barnwell, England
Died: May 28, 1672
 32 
Nathaniel Bacon
(Colonist)
Nathaniel Bacon
3
Birthdate: January 2, 1647
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Suffolk, England
Died: October 26, 1676
 33 
Piet Pieterszoon Hein
(Admiral)
Piet Pieterszoon Hein
3
Birthdate: November 25, 1577
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Delfshaven, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died: June 18, 1629
 34 
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
(Official)
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
2
Birthdate: October 10, 1680
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Petersham, England
Died: October 4, 1743
 35 
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
(English commander)
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
2
Birthdate: August 24, 1561
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: London, England
Died: May 28, 1626
 36 
Jean Bart
(Military officer)
Jean Bart
2
Birthdate: October 21, 1650
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dunkirk, France
Died: April 27, 1702
 37 
Maarten Tromp
(General)
Maarten Tromp
2
Birthdate: April 23, 1598
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Breille, Netherlands
Died: August 10, 1653
 38 
Thomas Harrison
(English general)
Thomas Harrison
2
Birthdate: 1616 AD
Birthplace: Newcastle-under-Lyme, England
Died: October 13, 1660
 39 
John Felton
(British Soldier Who Assassinated George Villiers, 1st Duke Of Buckingham)
John Felton
0
Birthdate: 1595 AD
Birthplace: Suffolk, England
Died: November 29, 1628

John Felton was a British soldier who served as a lieutenant in the British Army. He is best remembered for assassinating George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham on 23 August 1628. Buckingham was unpopular due to his incompetence and corruption and his murder was rejoiced in England. In 1844, the murder was fictionalized in Alexandre Dumas' novel, The Three Musketeers.

 40 
Alexander Spotswood
(Lieutenant-Colonel)
Alexander Spotswood
2
Birthdate: 1676 AD
Birthplace: English Tangier, Morocco
Died: June 7, 1740
 41 
John Lambert
(Politician)
John Lambert
2
Birthdate: September 7, 1619
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kirkby Malham, England
Died: March 28, 1684
 42 
George Carteret
(Politician)
George Carteret
2
Birthdate: 1610 AD
Birthplace: Jersey
Died: January 18, 1680
 43 
John Benbow
(Admiral)
John Benbow
2
Birthdate: March 10, 1653
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
Died: November 4, 1702
 44 
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
(French Canadian Military Officer and Explorer)
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
2
Birthdate: November 17, 1685
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Trois-Rivières, Canada
Died: December 5, 1749

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer and fur trader. Along with his four sons, he explored the area west of Lake Superior and established trading posts there. The family also helped in the process of adding Western Canada to the original New France territory.  He was awarded the Order of Saint Louis. 

 45 
Henry Morgan
(Privateer, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica)
Henry Morgan
11
Birthdate: January 24, 1635
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Llanrumney, Glamorgan
Died: August 25, 1688

Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer who later served as lieutenant governor of Jamaica. He is best remembered for raiding settlements on the Spanish Main. From the wealth acquired through his raids, Morgan became a plantation owner, buying three large sugar plantations in the Caribbean. His life and career inspired several films, such as Captain Blood and Morgan, the Pirate.

 46 
Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse
(Admiral)
Louis Alexandre, Count of Toulouse
2
Birthdate: June 6, 1678
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Versailles, France
Died: December 1, 1737
 47 
Malik Ambar
(The De facto Ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan Region of India)
Malik Ambar
2
Birthdate: 1548 AD
Birthplace: Harar, Ethiopia
Died: May 11, 1626

Malik Ambar was a Siddi military leader who served as the prime minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, later serving as its de facto ruler. Brought into India as a slave, Ambar created a mercenary force and pioneered guerrilla warfare. He then went on to found the city of Khirki, which was later renamed as Aurangabad. 

 48 
George Wade
(military personnel, politician)
George Wade
2
Birthdate: 1673 AD
Birthplace: County Westmeath
Died: March 14, 1748
 49 
Francesco Morosini
(Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694)
Francesco Morosini
1
Birthdate: February 26, 1619
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: January 16, 1694

Francesco Morosini served as the Doge of Venice between 1688 and 1694, when the Great Turkish War was at its peak. He also played an important role in the Morean War, during which he captured the Morea, Lefkada, and Athens. Francesco Morosini was responsible for destroying the Parthenon and looting sculptures from Athens, including the Piraeus Lion. 

 50 
Zheng Zhilong
(Chinese Admiral, Merchant, Military General, Pirate, and Politician)
Zheng Zhilong
2
Birthdate: April 16, 1604
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Fujian, Ming dynasty, China
Died: November 24, 1661

Chinese pirate and Ming dynasty leader Zheng Zhilong was baptized by the Europeans who had employed him as a boy. He was assigned the duty of safeguarding the borders from the Dutch, and later joined the Qing dynasty. He was assassinated for his son’s refusal to submit to the Qings.