Famous Italian Leaders

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 1 
Marcus Aurelius
(Philosopher)
Marcus Aurelius
13
Birthdate: April 26, 0121
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: March 17, 0180

Marcus Aurelius played an important role in the Roman Empire. A Stoic philosopher, Marcus was part of the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana—a 200-year-long period of relative peace in the Roman Empire. Also a writer, his work Meditations is regarded by many as one of the greatest works of philosophy.

 2 
Giuseppe Garibaldi
(Italian General Who Contributed to Italian Unification and the Creation of the Kingdom of Italy)
Giuseppe Garibaldi
18
Birthdate: July 4, 1807
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: June 2, 1882

Italian general, patriot, and republican Giuseppe Garibaldi is remembered for the role he played in the Italian unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. He is considered one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland." A highly proficient military general, he also led the Expedition of the Thousand on behalf of Victor Emmanuel II. He died in 1882.

 3 
Cosimo de' Medici
(He Established the Medici Family as Effective Rulers of Florence During Much of the Italian Renaissance)
Cosimo de' Medici
6
Birthdate: April 10, 1389
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: August 1, 1464

One of the main patriarchs of the famed Medici family that ruled Florence, Italian banker Cosimo de' Medici was one of the richest men of his time. Medici was also a great patron of art and architecture. He also arranged a search for ancient manuscripts and opened a public library.

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 4 
Lorenzo de' Medici
10
Birthdate: January 1, 1449
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: April 8, 1492

Lorenzo de' Medici was an Italian statesman. Nicknamed Lorenzo the Magnificent, de' Medici was the most enthusiastic and powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. He is credited with providing sponsorships to artists like Michelangelo and Botticelli, thereby contributing indirectly to the development of art in the Republic of Florence. His life and work inspired a couple of TV series.

 5 
Pio of Pietrelcina
(Italian Saint)
Pio of Pietrelcina
4
Birthdate: May 25, 1887
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pietrelcina, Italy
Died: September 23, 1968

Born Francesco Forgione, Pio of Pietrelcina changed his name after joining the Capuchin order at age 15. He later became famous for exhibiting stigmata, marks on his body symbolizing the wounds of Jesus. He is revered as the patron saint of adolescents and civil defense volunteers.

 6 
Antonio Gramsci
(Italian Philosopher Best Known for His Theory of 'Cultural Hegemony')
Antonio Gramsci
10
Birthdate: January 22, 1891
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ales, Italy
Died: April 27, 1937

Antonio Gramsci was an Italian politician, journalist, philosopher, linguist, and writer. A founding member of the Communist Party of Italy, Gramsci went on to serve as the leader of the party before he was arrested by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime. Since his death, Antonio Gramsci has been the subject of several plays and films.

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 7 
Georg von Trapp
(Naval officer)
Georg von Trapp
5
Birthdate: April 4, 1880
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Zadar, Croatia
Died: May 30, 1947

Georg von Trapp, or Captain von Trapp, was an Austrian naval officer who led the Trapp Family Singers, the family that inspired the play and the film The Sound of Music. An able military man, he had also been part of World War II and was knighted by the Austrian government.

 8 
Germanicus
(Roman General)
Germanicus
5
Birthdate: May 24, 0015
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: October 10, 0019
Germanicus Julius Caesar, son of Nero Claudius and Antonia the Younger, was a Roman general. He was known for his chiseled physique and his military prowess. He took over the provinces of Cappadocia and Commagene, and also proceeded to fight against the governor of Syria, before he died of poisoning.
 9 
Marcus Junius Brutus
(Former Politician most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar)
Marcus Junius Brutus
6
Birthdate: 0085 AD
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: October 23, 0042
 10 
Matteo Salvini
(Deputy Prime Minister of Italy from 2018 to 2019)
Matteo Salvini
8
Birthdate: March 9, 1973
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Matteo Salvini, or The Captain, is known for his staunch right-wing ideology. The former deputy prime minister of Italy is against illegal immigration and believes in the motto “Prima gli italiani,” or “Italians first.” Part of Lega, a rebranded version of Umberto Bossi’s Lega Nord, Salvini is a prominent Eurosceptic.
 11 
Matteo Renzi
(Prime Minister of Italy)
Matteo Renzi
7
Birthdate: January 11, 1975
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Florence
Italia Viva party leader and the youngest-ever Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, was named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers. He was criticized by many for meeting controversial Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In early 2021, he received bullets in an envelope, causing a media frenzy. 
 12 
Silvio Berlusconi
(Former Prime Minister of Italy)
Silvio Berlusconi
15
Birthdate: September 29, 1936
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan
Died: June 12, 2023
Media mogul Silvio Berlusconi served as the Italian prime minister for 9 years. Owner of the media groups Mediaset and Fininvest, and former owner of A.C. Milan, he also launched the first Italian private TV channel, Telemilano. Despite a conviction for tax fraud, he became a European Parliament MP later.
 13 
Gaius Cassius Longinus
(Roman General)
Gaius Cassius Longinus
5
Birthdate: October 3, 0085
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: October 3, 0042
The last of the Romans, Gaius Cassius Longinus was the main conspirator in the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar. When Brutus was made the praetor urbanus by Caesar, Cassius was angered and thus plotted revenge. Following the murder, he left for Syria, but committed suicide after losing to Mark Antony.
 14 
Mario Draghi
(Economist, Banker, University teacher)
Mario Draghi
6
Birthdate: September 3, 1947
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rome

The son of a banker father, Italian economist Mario Draghi initially served as the president of the European Central Bank and the Bank of Italy governor, and is the current prime minister of Italy. The media named him Super Mario for efficiently handling the Eurozone debt crisis.

 15 
Giuseppe Mazzini
(Italian Politician, Activist and Champion of the Movement for Italian Unity)
Giuseppe Mazzini
4
Birthdate: June 22, 1805
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: March 10, 1872

Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian journalist, politician, and activist. He played a major role in the Italian revolutionary movement and in the unification of Italy. His efforts gave rise to an independent and unified Italy, which replaced many separate states that were dominated by foreign powers. Mazzini is widely regarded as the most influential European revolutionary.

 16 
Andrea Agnelli
(Entrepreneur, Businessperson)
Andrea Agnelli
4
Birthdate: December 6, 1975
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Turin
 17 
Aldo Moro
(Politician, Diplomat, University teacher)
Aldo Moro
4
Birthdate: September 23, 1916
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Maglie
Died: May 9, 1978

Christian Democracy member Aldo Moro had served as the Italian prime minister and had also held important portfolios such as foreign affairs and public education. He was also a University of Bari professor of law, initially. He was abducted and killed by left-wing terrorists known as The Red Brigades.

 18 
Giorgia Meloni
(Politician)
Giorgia Meloni
4
Birthdate: January 15, 1977
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
 19 
Flavius Aëtius
(Roman General during the Last Years of the Western Roman Empire)
Flavius Aëtius
3
Birthdate: 0390 AD
Birthplace: Silistra, Bulgaria
Died: September 21, 0454

Roman general Flavius Aëtius, also known as the Last of the Romans, was a Roman general during the final years of the Western Roman Empire. He had a huge influence over Emperor Valentinian III. He resisted Attila’s invasion in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. He was eventually assassinated by Valentinian.

 20 
Saints Methodius
(Byzantine Christian Theologians and Missionaries)
Saints Methodius
4
Birthdate: 0827 AD
Birthplace: Thessaloniki
Died: February 14, 0869
 21 
Philip the Arab
(Political figure)
Philip the Arab
4
Birthdate: 0204 AD
Birthplace: Shahba
Died: 0249 AD
 22 
Roch
(Catholic Saint)
Roch
5
Birthdate: 1348 AD
Birthplace: Montpellier, France
Died: August 16, 1327
Saint Roch, or Rocco, the 14th-century saint from Montpellier, had taken care of victims of the Black Death in Italy. Having fallen prey to the same disease, he was rescued by a dog in a forest. The illness changed his appearance and caused him to be imprisoned for being an imposter.
 23 
Alessandra Mussolini
(Member of the European Parliament (2004 - 2008, 2014 - 2019))
Alessandra Mussolini
11
Birthdate: December 30, 1962
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Alessandra Mussolini is an Italian former politician and former actress. The granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, she is a former member of the Chamber of Deputies and the Italian Senate. She was the leader of the national conservative political party Social Action as well. Prior to joining politics, she was a model and actress in the 1970s and 1980s.  

 24 
Giuseppe Conte
(Politician)
Giuseppe Conte
10
Birthdate: August 8, 1964
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Volturara Appula, Apulia, Italy

Former Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte is a qualified lawyer and teaches law at various universities. He was one of the few Italian prime ministers to have held office without any previous political experience. He was also the first Western leader to impose a national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 25 
Gabriele D'Annunzio
(Former Member of Italian Chamber of Deputies (1897-1900))
Gabriele D'Annunzio
5
Birthdate: March 12, 1863
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pescara, Italy
Died: March 1, 1938

Known for literary works like Il Piacere and La Gioconda, Italian journalist, poet and playwright Gabriele D'Annunzio dominated the second period of Italian Decadentism. He became a national war hero during the First World War. His political endeavours include establishing and leading the short-lived Italian Regency of Carnaro in Fiume. He is often described as the forerunner of Italian fascism.  

 26 
Federica Mogherini
(Politician)
Federica Mogherini
7
Birthdate: June 16, 1973
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
 27 
Beppe Grillo
(Italian Actor, Comedian and Co-Founder of the ‘Five Star Movement’ Political Party)
Beppe Grillo
14
Birthdate: July 21, 1948
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy

Beppe Grillo is an Italian actor, comedian, politician, and blogger. The co-founder of a political party called Five Star Movement, Grillo turned to the internet in the early-2000s to popularize his ideas. After launching a website called beppegrillo.it, which became an influential website, he started writing influential blogs, which made him a leading Italian popularizer of digital utopianism.

 28 
Luigi Di Maio
(Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Since 2019))
Luigi Di Maio
3
Birthdate: July 6, 1986
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Avellino, Italy

While Luigi Di Maio had studied both engineering and jurisprudence, he dropped out of university to take up odd jobs. A co-founder of the Friends of Beppe Grillo group, which later took the shape of the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement, Di Maio is the incumbent Italian foreign affairs minister.

 29 
Gannicus
(Celtic Slave and Gladiator Who Led a Slave Rebellion)
Gannicus
4
Birthplace: Unknown
Died: 0071 AD

A 1st century BC Celtic slave, Gannicus led a slave rebellion during the Third Servile War. Known for his valiant fights as a gladiator, he took away a large chunk of slaves when he broke off from Thracian gladiator and fellow slave leader Spartacus. He was eventually defeated in the Battle of Cantenna.

 30 
Pietro Badoglio
(Prime Minister of Italy from 1943 to 1944)
Pietro Badoglio
4
Birthdate: September 28, 1871
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Grazzano Badoglio, Italy
Died: November 1, 1956

Initially an artillery officer, Pietro Badoglio served as a general during the two World Wars. He eventually signed an armistice with the Allies to withdraw Italian forces from World War II. He eventually served as the prime minister of Italy and was also the 1st Duke of Addis Abeba.

 31 
Ilona Staller
(Hungarian Former Pornographic Actress and Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1987 - 1992))
Ilona Staller
12
Birthdate: November 26, 1951
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Ilona Staller is a former porn star, singer, and politician. She achieved popularity by appearing in Telefono rosso, the first Italian hardcore pornography production, and then went on to pose nude in Playboy's editions around the world. In 1980, an erotic series titled La Cicciolina was made based on Ilona Staller's life and career.

 32 
Sergio Mattarella
(President of Italy Since 2015)
Sergio Mattarella
4
Birthdate: July 23, 1941
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Palermo, Kingdom of Italy

Sergio Mattarella is an Italian politician, academic, jurist, and lawyer. He is the current president of the Italian Republic. Before becoming the president of Italy, Mattarella served as the Minister for Parliamentary Relations. He also served as the Minister of Public Education and as the Italian Minister of Defence.

 33 
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
3
Birthdate: May 9, 1892
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tuscany, Italy
Died: March 14, 1989
 34 
Galeazzo Ciano
(Diplomat)
Galeazzo Ciano
3
Birthdate: March 18, 1903
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Livorno, Italy
Died: January 11, 1944
 35 
Publius Quinctilius Varus
(Roman general)
Publius Quinctilius Varus
6
Birthdate: 0046 BC
Birthplace: Cremona
Died: 0009 AD

Roman general Publius Quinctilius Varus had also been made the governor of Africa. Working under Roman emperor Augustus, he lost three Roman legions to the Germanic tribes of Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest and eventually committed suicide by falling upon his sword.

 36 
Giovanni Agnelli
(Italian Businessman and Founder of 'Fiat')
Giovanni Agnelli
3
Birthdate: August 13, 1866
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Villar Perosa
Died: December 16, 1945
 37 
Rodolfo Graziani
(Italian Military Officer & a Loyal Supporter of Benito Mussolini)
Rodolfo Graziani
3
Birthdate: August 11, 1882
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Filettino, Italy
Died: January 11, 1955

Italian military officer Rodolfo Graziani commanded Italy’s Regio Esercito, or Royal Army. He was a fascist figure who held significant political posts under the monarchy of Victor Emmanuel III and then under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Known for his campaigns in Africa during World War II, he escaped imprisonment for his war crimes.

 38 
Enrico Dandolo
(Doge of Venice 1192 – 1205)
Enrico Dandolo
3
Birthdate: 1107 AD
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: April 30, 1205
 39 
Pontius Pilatus
(The Governor of Judaea Who Ordered Jesus's Crucifixion)
Pontius Pilatus
15
Birthplace: Abruzzo, Italy
Died: 0039 AD

The 5th governor or prefect of the Roman province Judaea, under Roman Emperor Tiberius, Pontius Pilatus is remembered as the one who officiated the trial of Jesus Christ and ordered his crucifixion. He apparently persecuted Jews and eventually killed himself on the orders of the new emperor Caligula.

 40 
Virginia Raggi
(Politician, Lawyer)
Virginia Raggi
5
Birthdate: July 18, 1978
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rome, Italy

Italian lawyer Virginia Raggi made history when she became the first female mayor of Rome. A champion of women’s rights, she also prioritizes climate change issues and is concerned about de-congesting her city. A Five Star Movement member, she withdrew Rome’s 2024 Olympic bid, stating Rome would’ve been in debt otherwise.

 41 
Giorgio Napolitano
(Politician)
Giorgio Napolitano
3
Birthdate: June 29, 1925
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Naples
 42 
Prince Henry of Battenberg
(Prince)
Prince Henry of Battenberg
4
Birthdate: October 5, 1858
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: January 20, 1896

Prince Henry of Battenberg was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. He was the son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by the Rhine, and his wife, Countess Julia von Hauke. He married Queen Victoria's youngest child, Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, and became a member of the British Royal Family. 

 43 
Isabella d'Este
(Political Figure)
Isabella d'Este
3
Birthdate: May 19, 1474
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ferrara, Italy
Died: February 13, 1539
 44 
Catiline
(Political leader)
Catiline
3
Birthdate: 0108 BC
Birthplace: Rome
Died: 0062 BC
 45 
Benito Mussolini
(Dictator of Italy and Principal Founder of Fascism Who Was Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943.)
Benito Mussolini
55
Birthdate: July 29, 1883
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Predappio, Italy
Died: April 28, 1945

The dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945, Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. It opposed class discrimination and supported nationalism. But when in power, Mussolini crushed rival political parties, trade unions, free press and free speech. He was overthrown by his former colleagues in the Fascist government in July 1943 and ultimately shot dead in April 1945.

 46 
Giovanni Giustiniani
(Byzantine Soldier Who Tried to Defend Constantinople against the Turks)
Giovanni Giustiniani
3
Birthdate: 1418 AD
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: June 1, 1453

A 15th-century Byzantine soldier, Giovanni Giustiniani, who belonged to one of the most powerful families of the Republic of Genoa, is remembered for his valiant campaign to defend Constantinople against the Turkish army of Sultan Mehmed II. He was eventually wounded and died, while the Ottomans took control of Constantinople.

 47 
Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence
(Duke)
Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence
3
Birthdate: July 22, 1510
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: January 6, 1537
 48 
Marta Fascina
(Politician)
Marta Fascina
4
Birthdate: January 9, 1990
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Melito di Porto Salvo, Italy
 49 
Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
(Duke)
Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
3
Birthdate: May 24, 1671
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy
Died: July 9, 1737
 50 
Gaius Gracchus
(Politician)
Gaius Gracchus
3
Birthdate: 0154 BC
Birthplace: Rome
Died: 0121 BC