There have been many leaders in history, but here are five whose greatness has stood the test of time.

Caesar is the quintessential ruler and one of history’s most emulated and celebrated figures. A brilliant general, he was also a political mastermind and facilitated the end of the Republic and the birth of the Empire. The dude also deserves some serious street cred…he was stabbed 23 times before dying.

There was nothing particularly special about Washington’s generalship. However, he held a rag-tag army together through the Revolutionary War and played a key role in defeating the greatest empire of the day: Great Britain. What made Washington stand out as a leader is that a person of his stature and fame could easily navigate their way into the monarch’s role for life after the war. However, Washington was dedicated to the idea of a republic and refused to become more than a civilian leader—the United States’ first president.

Napoleon’s military genius, perseverance, and contagious enthusiasm for victory made him great. Say what you will about his supposedly diminutive size, but the dude practically conquered all of Europe. After being deposed and exiled to Corsica, he secretly returned to France and rallied the army to his cause. He almost went on another unstoppable rampage, but the battle of Waterloo shut him down. This time, the British took no chances and exiled him to a small island off the coast of Africa.

One trait that makes a leader stand out is integrity, bravery, and calm in the face of fire; it takes a lot of leadership skill to hold a country together through civil war—and even more skill to help it heal and reconcile after the war is over. Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was also a great orator with firm resolution and belief in the American ideals promulgated by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

It’s hard to win a battle with guns, tanks, and planes, but seemingly impossible without firing a single shot. Gandhi led India against British rule and preached non-violence ideas instead of leveraging the power of protests and boycotting. Gandhi’s commitment to peace and belief in the value of human life makes him stand out as a leader.