This is a list of people known as the Great, or the equivalent, in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes, such as Persian e Bozorg and Hindustani e Azam.
In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to have been a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King" (King of Kings, Shahanshah). It was first used by Cyrus II of Persia. The title was inherited by Alexander III when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference to this is in a comedy by Plautus, in which it is assumed that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no evidence that he was called "the Great" before this. The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus III. Once the term gained currency, it was broadened to include persons in other fields, such as the philosopher Albert.
Later rulers and commanders were given the epithet during their lifetime, for example, the Roman general Pompey. Others received the title posthumously, such as the Indian emperor Ashoka. As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of the designation varies greatly. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "the Great" in his lifetime, but is rarely called such nowadays, later writers preferring his more specific epithet "the Sun King". German Emperor Wilhelm I was often called "the Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely before or after.
Monarchs
| Name | Description | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbas I | Shah of Iran | 1587 – 1629 | |
| Abgar VIII | King of Osroene | 177 – 212 | |
| Akbar | Mughal emperor of India | 1556 – 1605 | |
| Alan I | Duke of Brittany | 876 – 907 | |
| Alexander I | King of Georgia | 1412 – 1442 | |
| Alexander III | Basileus of Macedonia and King of Kings of Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt | 336 BC – 323 BC | |
| Alfonso III | King of León, Galicia and Asturias | 866 – 910 | |
| Alfred | King of Wessex and the Anglo-Saxons | 871 – 899 | |
| Ali Sher Khan | Sultan of Baltiyul | 1595 – 1633 | |
| Amenhotep III | Pharaoh of Egypt | 1391 BC – 1353 BC or 1388 BC – 1351 BC | |
| Antiochus III | Ruler of the Seleucid Empire | 223 BC – 187 BC | |
| Ashoka | Mauryan ruler of India and "Emperor of Emperors" | 268 BC – 232 BC | |
| Ashot I | King of Armenia | 885 – 890 | |
| Ashot I | Bagratid king of Georgia | 813 – 826 or 830 | |
| Askia Mohammad I | Ruler of the Songhai Empire | 1493 – 1528 | |
| Bagrat V | King of Georgia | 1360 – 1393 | |
| Barnim III | Duke of Stettin Pomerania | 1344 – 1368 | |
| Berengaria | Queen of Castile and Toledo | 1197 – 1246 | |
| Bhillama I | King of Seuna dynasty of India | 910 – 930 | |
| Bogusław V | Duke of Wolgast and Słupsk | 1326 – 1374 | |
| Bolesław I | King of Poland | 992 – 1025 | |
| Borommaracha IV | King of the Thonburi Kingdom (in present-day Thailand) | 1767 – 1782 | |
| Casimir III | King of Poland | 1333 – 1370 | |
| Catherine II | Empress of Russia | 1762 – 1796 | |
| Charlemagne | King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans | 768 – 814 | |
| Constantine I | Roman emperor | 306 – 337 | |
| Cnut | King of England (1016–1035), Denmark (1018–1035) and Norway (1028–1035) | 1016 – 1035 | |
| Cyrus II | Shahanshah of Persia, Achaemenid Empire (in present-day Iran) | 559 BC – 530 BC | |
| Darius I | Shahanshah of Persia, Achaemenid Empire (in present-day Iran) | 522 BC – 486 BC | |
| Eucratides I | Ruler of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Indo-Greek Kingdom | 171 BC – 145 BC | |
| Ewuare I | Oba (king) of the Benin Empire (in present-day Nigeria) | 1440 – 1473 | |
| Farrukhan | Ispahbadh of Tabaristan | 712 – 728 | |
| Ferdinand I | King of León and Count of Castile | 1037 – 1065 | |
| Frederick II | King of Prussia | 1740 – 1786 | |
| Gwrgan | King of Ergyng | 619 – 645 | |
| Gustav II | King of Sweden | 1611 – 1632 | |
| Gwanggaeto | King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea | 391 – 412 | |
| Henry IV | King of France and King of Navarre | 1589 – 1610 | |
| Herod I | King of Judea | 37 BC – 4 BC or 36 BC – 1 BC | |
| Hugh III | King of Cyprus and Jerusalem | 1267 – 1284 | |
| Hugh | Co-King of France | 1017 – 1025 | |
| Inal | Supreme Prince of Circassia | 1427 – 1453 | |
| Ivan III | Grand Prince of Moscow and All Russia | 1462 – 1505 | |
| Iyasu I | Emperor of Ethiopia | 1682 – 1706 | |
| John II | King of Aragon and King of Navarre | 1458 – 1479 | |
| Justinian I | Byzantine Emperor | 527 – 565 | |
| Kamehameha I | King of Hawaii | 1782 – 1819 | |
| Kanishka I | Emperor of Kushan Empire | 127 – 150 | |
| Kvirike III | King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia | 1010 – 1037 | |
| Leo I | Roman emperor | 457 – 474 | |
| Llywelyn | King of Gwynedd | 1195 – 1240 | |
| Louis I | King of Hungary, Croatia, and Poland | 1342 – 1382 | |
| Louis XIV | King of France and Navarre | 1643 – 1715 | |
| Manuel I | Byzantine emperor | 1143 – 1180 | |
| Marianus IV | Judge of Arborea | 1347 – 1376 | |
| Michael Krešimir II | King of Croatia | 949 – 969 | |
| Miloš I | Prince of Serbia | 1817 – 1839, 1858 – 1860 | |
| Mircea | Voivode of Wallachia | 1386 – 1394, 1397 – 1418 | |
| Mithridates I | King of Parthia (in present-day Iran) | 165 BC – 132 BC | |
| Mithridates II | King of Parthia (in present-day Iran) | 124 BC – 91 BC | |
| Mithridates VI | King of Pontus | 120 BC – 63 BC | |
| Mubarak | Ruler of Kuwait | 1896 – 1915 | |
| Mstislav I | Grand Prince of Kiev | 1088 – 1132 | |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | King of the Neo-Babylonian Empire | 605 BC – 562 BC | |
| Otto I | Holy Roman Emperor | 962 – 973 | |
| Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I | Ruler of the Maya city-state of Palenque | 615 – 683 | |
| Parakramabahu I | King of Polonnaruwa | 1153 – 1186 | |
| Peter I | Tsar of Russia | 1682 – 1725 | [citation needed] |
| Peter III | King of Aragon and King of Sicily | 1276 – 1285 | |
| Pharasmanes I | King of Iberia | 1 – 58 | |
| Radama I | King of greater Madagascar | 1810 – 1828 | |
| Radu IV | Voivode of Wallachia | 1495 – 1508 | |
| Rajendra I | Imperial Chola Emperor of Tamilakam | 1014 – 1044 | |
| Rama I | King of Siam (In present-day Thailand) | 1782 – 1809 | |
| Rama IV | King of Siam (in present-day Thailand) | 1851 – 1868 | |
| Rama IX | King of Thailand | 1946 – 2016 | |
| Ramathibodi III | King of Ayutthaya (in present-day Thailand) | 1656 – 1688 | |
| Rama V | King of Siam (in present-day Thailand) | 1868 – 1910 | |
| Ramesses II | Pharaoh of Egypt | 1279 BC – 1213 BC | |
| Ram Khamhaeng | King of Sukhothai (In present-day Thailand) | 1279 – 1298 | |
| Reza Shah | Shah of Iran | 1925 – 1941 | |
| Rhodri | King of Gwynedd (in present-day Wales) | 844 – 878 | |
| Roman | Grand Prince of Kiev | 1168 – 1205 | |
| Sancho III | King of Navarre | 1004 – 1035 | |
| Sanphet II | King of Ayutthaya (in present-day Thailand) | 1590 – 1605 | |
| Sargon | Ruler of the Akkadian Empire | 2334 BC – 2279 BC | |
| Sejong | King of Joseon (in present-day Korea) | 1418 – 1450 | |
| Shadab Khan | King of Chibhal, Governor of Kashmir and Kandahar | 1463-1568 | |
| Shapur II | Shahanshah of Persia, Sassanid Empire (in present-day Iran) | 309 – 379 | |
| Simeon I | Tsar of Bulgaria | 893 – 927 | |
| Simon I | King of Kartli | 1556 – 1569, 1578 – 1599 | |
| Solomon I | King of Imereti | 1752 – 1765, 1767 – 1784 | |
| Sonni Ali | Ruler of the Songhai Empire | 1464 – 1492 | |
| Stefan Uroš I | King of Serbia | 1243 – 1276 | |
| Stephen III | Prince of Moldavia (in present-day Romania) | 1457 – 1504 | |
| Svatopluk I | King of Moravia | 867 – 894 | |
| Tamar | Queen of the Georgian Empire | 1184 – 1213 | |
| Theoderic | King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and viceroy of the Byzantine Empire | 471 – 526 | |
| Theodosius I | Roman emperor | 379 – 395 | |
| Thoros II | Lord of Armenian Cilicia | 1144 or 1145 – 1169 | |
| Thutmose III | Pharaoh of Egypt | 1479 BC – 1425 BC | |
| Tigranes II | Emperor of Armenia | 95 BC – 55 BC | |
| Tiridates III | King of Armenia | 298 – 330 | |
| Valdemar I | King of Denmark | 1154 – 1182 | |
| Valentinian I | Roman emperor | 364 – 375 | |
| Vigraharaja IV | King of Chauhan Dynasty of India | 1150 – 1164 | |
| Vladimir I | Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev | 970 – 1015 | |
| Vytautas | Grand Duke of Lithuania | 1392 – 1430 | |
| Xerxes I | Shahanshah of Persia, Achaemenid Empire (in present-day Iran) | 486 BC – 465 BC | |
| Yuknoom Ch'een II | Maya king of Kaan | 636 – 686 | |
| Zayed | Ruler of Abu Dhabi | 1855 – 1909 | |
| Zayn al-Abidin | Sultan of Kashmir | 1418 – 1419, 1420 – 1470 |
Aristocrats
| Name | Description | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alain I | French aristocrat | 1440 – 1522 | |
| Amadeus V | Count of Savoy | 1249 – 1323 | |
| Arnulf I | Count of Flanders | 893 – 964 | |
| Atenulf I | Prince of Capua | ? – c. 910 | |
| Bogislaw X | Duke of Pomerania | 1454 – 1523 | |
| Bruno | Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia | 925 – 965 | |
| Charles Emmanuel I | Duke of Savoy | 1562 – 1630 | |
| Charles III | Duke of Lorraine | 1543 – 1608 | |
| Conrad I | Margrave of Meissen | 1097 – 1157 | |
| David III | Prince of Tao | 966 – 1001 | |
| Frederick II | Duke of Legnica, Brzeg, Wołów, Głogów, and Ziębice | 1488 - 1547 | |
| Frederick William | Duke of Prussia | 1620 - 1688 | |
| Gerhard III | German prince | 1292 – 1340 | |
| Gero I | Ruler of Marca Geronis | 900 – 965 | |
| Godfrey I | Count of Brussels and Leuven; Duke of Lower Lorraine; Langrave of Brabant | 1060 – 1139 | |
| Gothelo I | Duke of Lorraine; count of Verdun; and margrave of Antwerp | 967 – 1044 | |
| Gurgen II | Prince of Tao | 918 – 941 | |
| Hanno I | Carthaginian politician and military leader | 4th century BC | |
| Hanno II | Carthaginian aristocrat, general, and politician | 3rd century BC | |
| Hanno III | Carthaginian politician | 2nd century BC | |
| Henry I | Duke of Burgundy | 946 – 1002 | |
| Henry V | Count of Luxembourg | 1216 – 1281 | |
| Hugh | Count of Paris and Duke of the Franks | 898 – 956 | |
| Hugh | Count of Vermandois | 1057 – 1101 | |
| Hugh | Margrave of Tuscany | 953/954 – 1001 | |
| Humphrey I | Anglo-Norman aristocrat | ? – 1123 | |
| Intef | Nomarch of Thebes | ? – c. 2135 BC | |
| Matthew II | Lord of Montmorency | 1189 – 1230 | |
| Maximilian I | Ruler of Bavaria | 1573 – 1651 | |
| Milo I | Lord of Montlhéry | 1095 – 1102 | |
| Odo | Duke of Aquitaine | ? – 735 | |
| Pompey | Military and political leader of Roman Republic | 106 BC – 48 BC | |
| Ralph IV | Count of Valois, Bar, Vexin, Vitry, Amiens, Montdidier and Tardenois | 1025 – 1074 | |
| Ramon Berenguer III | Count of Barcelona, Provence, and various other counties | 1082 – 1131 | |
| Robert I | Count of Dreux | 1123 – 1188 | |
| Roger-Bernard II | Count of Foix | 1223 – 1241 | |
| Roger | Earl of Shrewsbury and Arundel | ? – 1094 | |
| Roger I | Count of Sicily | c. 1030 – 1101 | |
| Świętopełk II | Duke of Gdańsk Pomerania | ? – 1266 | |
| Theobald II | Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie | 1090 – 1151 | |
| William I | Count of Burgundy and Mâcon | 1020 – 1087 | |
| William V | Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Poitou | 969 – 1030 |
Military
| Name | Description | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afonso | Portuguese general, statesman and empire builder | 1453 – 1515 | |
| Melias | Byzantine general of Armenian origin | 890 –934 | |
| Prokop | Hussite general in Bohemia | 1380 – 1434 |
Religious figures
Christian
| Name | Description | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham | Monk and saint of the Church of the East | 492 – 586 | |
| Albertus | Medieval German philosopher and theologian | 1193/1206 – 1280 | |
| Anthony | Early Christian saint of Egypt | 251 – 356 | |
| Arsenius | Roman anchorite saint in Egypt | 354 – 445 | |
| Athanasius | Early Christian saint and bishop of Alexandria | 296 – 373 | |
| Babai | Assyrian church leader | 551 – 628 | |
| Basil | Greek bishop and theologian | 330 – 379 | |
| Bertin | Frankish Abbot of a namesake monastery | 615 – 709 | |
| Dioscorus I | Coptic Orthodox Church pope | ? – 454 | |
| Euthymius | Abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint | 377 – 473 | |
| Gertrude | German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint | 1256 – 1302 | |
| Gregory I | Roman Catholic pope | 540 – 604 | |
| Hilarion | Ancient Roman anchorite and Orthodox and Roman Catholic saint | 291 – 371 | |
| Hugh | Abbot of Cluny | 1024 – 1109 | |
| Isaac | Armenian Catholicos | 354 – 439 | |
| James | One of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus | 3 – 44 | |
| Joannicius | Byzantine hermit, theologian and saint | 752 – 846 | |
| Leo I | Roman Catholic pope | 391 or 400 – 461 | |
| Macarius | Egyptian hermit | 300 – 391 | |
| Michael | Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church | 1126 – 1199 | |
| Nerses I | Armenian Catholicos | ? – 373 | |
| Nicholas I | Roman Catholic pope | 800 – 867 | |
| Photius I | Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople | 810 – 893 | |
| Shenoute | Oriental Orthodox saint and abbot of the White Monastery | 348 – 465 | |
| Sisoes | An early desert father, a solitary monk pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave of Anthony the Great | ? – 429 | |
| William | Founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites | ? - 1157 |
Jewish
| Name | Description | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aharon I | Hasidic rabbi | 1736 – 1772 | |
| Eliezer | Rabbi in Judea | 1st century | |
| Hiyya | Rabbi in Judea | 180 – 230 |
Legendary and mythological figures
| Name | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax | Greek hero in the Iliad | |
| Beli | In medieval Welsh mythology and literature | |
| Belinus | Legendary king of the Britons | |
| Fergus | Semi-mythical king of Dál Riata | |
| Gradlon | Semi-mythical king of Cornouaille | |
| Hayk | Legendary founder and patriarch of the Armenian nation | |
| Phrom | Legendary king of Singhanavati Realm | |
| Yu | Legendary king of Xia dynasty (in present-day China) |
See also
- List of monarchs by nickname
- James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (1607–1651), "Yn Stanlagh Mooar" ("the Great Stanley"), also Lord of Mann
- Bantul the Great, a Bengali comic strip character
- Wayne Gretzky, former professional ice hockey player, nicknamed "The Great One" and "The Great Gretzky"
- Muhammad Ali, boxer and activist, dubbed "The Greatest"
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