History’s biggest Badasses
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII of Sweden was a warrior-king who personally led his armies through the Great Northern War, turning early victories into legend through ferocious discipline and reckless courage. His refusal to compromise or retreat ultimately shattered Sweden’s empire, leaving behind a mythic figure admired for bravery and criticized for destroying everything he fought to protect.
Rank - 125
Francis Pegahmagabow
Francis Pegahmagabow was a quiet Ojibwe sniper who turned World War I’s chaos into a disciplined ledger of survival and fear. He came home decorated, unheard, and spent the rest of his life fighting a country that loved his kills more than his voice.
Rank - 126
Roy Benavidez
Roy Benavidez was a U.S. Army Special Forces medic who, in May 1968, fought for six hours while grievously wounded to rescue surrounded comrades in Vietnam.
His actions redefined battlefield courage, turning sheer willpower and self-sacrifice into living legend.
Rank - 127
Albert Jacka
Albert Jacka was an Australian soldier and the first from his nation to receive the Victoria Cross in World War I for recapturing a trench at Gallipoli in 1915. He survived extraordinary frontline violence only to die young in peacetime, his legend growing larger as his body finally gave out.
Rank - 128
Ibrahim Pasha
Ibrahim Pasha was an Ottoman-Egyptian general and son of Muhammad Ali, famed for his modernized army and ruthless efficiency. He played a decisive, brutal role in suppressing revolts and reshaping power in Greece, Syria, and the eastern Mediterranean during the early 19th century.
Rank - 129
Robert the Bruce
The Scottish king who turned exile, defeat, and civil war into a long, grinding campaign for independence through patience, guerrilla warfare, and ruthless resolve. His victory at Bannockburn made him a national symbol of endurance, proving that stubborn survival can outlast empires built on force alone.
Rank - 130
Paddy Mayne
A founding member of the SAS and one of World War II’s most feared raiders, leading audacious nighttime attacks that destroyed enemy airfields and shattered the myth of rear-area safety. Brilliant, violent, and deeply unstable, he embodied the brutal effectiveness of irregular warfare and became a lasting archetype of special forces legend.
Rank - 131
Jack Churchill
A British Army officer in World War II who went into combat armed with a broadsword, longbow, and bagpipes, turning audacity and spectacle into battlefield weapons. He became legendary for leading commando raids and capturing enemy soldiers through sheer nerve in an age dominated by guns, tanks, and artillery.
Rank - 132
Kusunoki Masashige
A brilliant guerrilla commander who fought to restore imperial rule in medieval Japan. He became a legend by obeying a hopeless order and dying at Minatogawa, immortalized as the embodiment of samurai loyalty.
Rank - 133
Ragnar Lothbrok
The Viking who died in a snake pit but lived forever in fear, fire, and legend.
Rank - 134
Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá
At Ayacucho’s smoke-choked ridge, Antonio José de Sucre carved the death warrant of a three-century empire with the calm precision of a man already doomed to die young.
Rank - 172
Bernard Freyberg
A fearless New Zealand–born commander famed for leading from the front in both World Wars.
Rank - 173