Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an influential interpreter and promoter of the U.S.

Born:January 11, 1755 or 1757, Charlestown, Nevis, British Leeward Islands.

Died:July 12, 1804 (aged 47 or 49), Greenwich Village, New York, U.S. Cause of death:Gunshot wound.

Biography Alexander Hamilton

Though never a president himself, Alexander Hamilton was just as important in the formation of the United States as many who were. Born on a small Caribbean island in the 1750s, Hamilton moved to New York, fought in the Revolutionary War, ardently defended the U.S. Constitution, helped establish the first national bank.

Hamilton was killed by Aaron Burr in a dual which wasn’t totally surprising—the two politicians had butted heads for years. They were both orphans who graduated from King’s College, became lawyers, and fought in the Revolutionary War.

Because Hamilton had such an integral role in founding America—integral enough to have landed him on the $10 bill—he’s often mistaken for being a former president. He never even ran for the position.

George Washington

George Washington was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Previously, he led Patriot forces to victory in the nation's War for Independence.

Born:February 22, 1732, Popes Creek, Virginia, British America

Died:December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S. Cause of death:Epiglottitis

Biography George Washington

In 1775 he became the Commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Historian John Shy said that by 1783 George Washington was a mediocre military strategist. But he also said that he became a master political tactician.

George Washington attended the Constitutional Convention in 1987. He was unanimously elected as the First President of United States of America in 1789. He was also elected again in 1792. John Adams was his Vice-President. He was paid a yearly sum of $25,000. He originally declined the salary because of the reputation of being a public servant.

He preferred the title Mr. President over the other majestic names proposed. Washington thus began the rise of the great nation known today as the United States of America.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801.

Born:April 13, 1743, Shadwell, Virginia, B.A.

Died:July 4, 1826, Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.

Resting place:Monticello, Virginia, U.S.

Biography Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743–July 4, 1826) was a leading Founding Father of the United States, the author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and he served as the third President of the US (1801–1809).

Jefferson was a committed Republican – arguing passionately for liberty, democracy and devolved power. Jefferson also wrote the Statute for Religious Freedom in 1777 – it was adopted by the state of Virginia in 1786.

Jefferson was also a noted polymath with wide-ranging interests from architecture to gardening, philosophy, literature and education. Although a slave owner himself, Jefferson sought to introduce a bill (1800) to end slavery in all Western territories. As President, he signed a bill to ban the importation of slaves into the US (1807).

William Marshal

1st Earl of Pembroke

William Marshal, 1st earl of Pembroke, also called William the Marshal, (born c. 1146—died May 14, 1219, Caversham, Berkshire, England), marshal and then regent of England who served four English monarchs—Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III—as a royal adviser and agent and as a warrior of outstanding prowess.

1st Earl of Pembroke

Marshal’s father, John (FitzGilbert) the Marshal (died 1165), fought for the empress Matilda (widow of the German emperor Henry V and daughter of Henry I of England) in her unsuccessful struggle to gain the throne of her cousin King Stephen (reigned 1135–54). After proving his bravery in warfare and in tournaments, Marshal became a guardian (1170) to Prince Henry, eldest son of King Henry II (reigned 1154–89). In 1187, four years after the prince’s death, Marshal reentered Henry II’s service and fought beside him in France until the king died in 1189.

Upon the accession of Henry’s third son, Richard I the Lion-Heart (reigned 1189–99), Marshal married Isabel, the heiress of Richard FitzGilbert (or de Clare), earl of Pembroke, thereby acquiring vast estates in England, Normandy, Wales, and Ireland. Richard set forth on a Crusade in 1190, leaving William Longchamp in charge of the kingdom. In the following year Pembroke joined the opposition that drove Longchamp into exile. While Richard was held captive in Germany (1192–94), Pembroke struggled to prevent the king’s brother, John, from seizing power in England.

Upon the death of Richard I in 1199, Pembroke helped John succeed peacefully to the throne; he was formally recognized as Earl of Pembroke. By 1213 he had become the king’s closest adviser, and he remained loyal to John during the disputes with the barons that led to the issuing of the charter of liberties known as Magna Carta (June 1215). John died during the ensuing civil war with the barons, who had invited Louis of France (later King Louis VIII) to be their king. Designated rector regis et regni (“governor of the king and of the kingdom”) for John’s son, King Henry III, Pembroke defeated the English barons and French invaders and in September 1217 concluded a treaty with Louis that wisely granted amnesty to the rebellious barons.

Napoleon

Military Leader and Emperor of the French (1769–1821)

Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French emperor and military commander who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then of the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and briefly again in 1815. His political and cultural legacy endures as a celebrated and controversial leader. He initiated many enduring reforms, but has been criticized for his authoritarian rule. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history and his wars and campaigns are still studied at military schools worldwide.

Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica into a family descended from Italian nobility. He was resentful of the French monarchy, and supported the French Revolution in 1789 while serving in the French army, trying to spread its ideals to his native Corsica. He rose rapidly in the ranks after saving the governing French Directory by firing on royalist insurgents. In 1796, he began a military campaign against the Austrians and their Italian allies, scoring decisive victories, and became a national hero.

Two years later he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He engineered a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. In 1804, to consolidate and expand his power, he crowned himself Emperor of the French.

Differences with the United Kingdom meant France faced the War of the Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with victories in the Ulm campaign and at the Battle of Austerlitz, which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him. Napoleon defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, marched the Grande Armée into Eastern Europe, and defeated the Russians in June 1807 at Friedland, forcing the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to accept the Treaties of Tilsit. Two years later, the Austrians challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram.

Hoping to extend the Continental System, his embargo against Britain, Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula and declared his brother Joseph the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted in the Peninsular War aided by a British army, culminating in defeat for Napoleon's marshals. Napoleon launched an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The resulting campaign witnessed the catastrophic retreat of Napoleon's Grande Armée. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in a Sixth Coalition against France, resulting in a large coalition army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. The coalition invaded France and captured Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814. He was exiled to the island of Elba, between Corsica and Italy. In France, the Bourbons were restored to power.

Napoleon escaped in February 1815 and took control of France. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at the age of 51.

Napoleon had a lasting impact on the world, bringing modernizing reforms to France and Western Europe and stimulating the development of nation states. He also sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803, doubling the latter's size. However, his mixed record on civil rights and exploitation of conquered territories adversely affect his reputation.