a
-
Hassan al-Banna
Activist, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Writer / 1906 - 1949
Egyptian Hassan al-Banna was the founder the Muslim Brotherhood, with goals of expelling the British from Egypt and re-establishing the Caliphate.
See full bio
(1906-1949)
Activist, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Writer
-
Sholem Aleichem
Religious Leader, Author, Playwright / 1859 - 1916
Sholem Aleichem was a leading Yiddish author and playwright. The musical Fiddler on the Roof is baed on his stories about Tevye the Milkman.
See full bio
(1859-1916)
Religious Leader, Author, Playwright
-
Antipope Benedict XIV
Religious Leader / - 1433
Benedict XIV (Bernard Garnier) was made pope by a splinter group of cardinals in 1425. As there was already an antipope, Benedict XIV became counter-antipope.
See full bio
(-1433)
Religious Leader
b
-
St Thomas Becket
Archbishop, Saint / 1118 - 1170
St. Thomas Becket, England’s Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to give King Henry II power over the church. He was murdered in 1170 and became a saint in 1173.
See full bio
(1118-1170)
Archbishop, Saint
-
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope / 1927 -
Benedict XVI served as pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. He is best known for his rigid views on Catholicism and topics such as birth control and homosexuality.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1927-)
Pope
-
Buddha
Religious Leader / 600 - 300
Born in India in the 6th century B.C., Buddha was a spiritual leader and teacher whose life serves as the foundation of the Buddhist religion.
See full bio
(600-300)
Religious Leader
c
-
St John Chrysostom
Archbishop, Saint / 349 - 407
St. John Chrysostom was archbishop of Constantinople and an important early church father.
See full bio
(349-407)
Archbishop, Saint
-
Constantine I
General, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Emperor / 280 - 337
Constantine I was the first Christian Roman Emperor. He ruled at the beginning of the 4th century and began the evolution of the empire into a Christian state.
See full bio
(280-337)
General, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Emperor
d
-
David
Religious Leader / - 962
David was the second of the Israelite kings (from c. 1000 to c. 962), who established a united kingdom over all Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital.
See full bio
(-962)
Religious Leader
-
Dorothy Day
Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Religious Leader, Editor, Journalist / 1897 - 1980
Dorothy Day was an activist who worked for such social causes as pacifism and women’s suffrage through the prism of the Catholic Church.
See full bio
(1897-1980)
Women's Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Religious Leader, Editor, Journalist
-
Saint MartĂn de Porres
Saint / 1579 - 1639
St. Martín de Porres is the patron saint of interracial harmony, known for his social work and miraculous healing powers.
See full bio
(1579-1639)
Saint
-
Delilah
Religious Leader / 1001 - 1200
Delilah was a Biblical figure who tricked strongman Samson into revealing that the secret to his strength was in his long hair.
See full bio
(1001-1200)
Religious Leader
-
Joseph Di Mambro
Mass Murderer, Cult Leader, Religious Leader / 1924 - 1994
Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret formed the Order of the Solar Temple and allegedly set fire to Swiss OST buildings, killing themselves and 46 others.
See full bio
(1924-1994)
Mass Murderer, Cult Leader, Religious Leader
-
Saint Katharine Drexel
Nun / 1858 - 1955
Saint Katharine Drexel was the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters for Indians and Colored People (now Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament).
See full bio
(1858-1955)
Nun
-
Mary Dyer
Folk Hero, Religious Leader / 1611 - 1660
Mary Dyer was a Quaker who was executed in colonial-era Massachusetts for practicing her religion.
See full bio
(1611-1660)
Folk Hero, Religious Leader
f
-
Wallace D. Fard
Minister / 1877 -
Wallace Fard was known as an Islamic minister and founder of the Nation of Islam, sometimes referred to as Black Muslims.
See full bio
(1877-)
Minister
-
Louis Farrakhan
Civil Rights Activist, Religious Leader / 1933 -
Louis Farrakhan has led the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with black nationalism since 1978.
See full bio
(1933-)
Civil Rights Activist, Religious Leader
-
Father Divine
Civil Rights Activist, Entrepreneur, Religious Leader / 1880 - 1965
Father Divine was a prominent African-American religious leader of the 1930s who founded the Peace Mission, an important precursor of the Civil Rights Movement.
See full bio
(1880-1965)
Civil Rights Activist, Entrepreneur, Religious Leader
-
Saint John Fisher
Cardinal, Saint / 1469 - 1535
Saint John Fisher was a Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was martyred when he resisted King Henry VII's encroachments on the Church.
See full bio
(1469-1535)
Cardinal, Saint
g
-
Sylvester Graham
Activist, Religious Leader, Writer / 1794 - 1851
Minister and lecturer Sylvester Graham was a major figure of the 19th century dietary reform movement and was also known as the person behind Graham crackers.
See full bio
(1794-1851)
Activist, Religious Leader, Writer
h
-
John Harvard
Philanthropist, Religious Leader / 1607 - 1638
John Harvard was a New England colonist whose bequest permitted the firm establishment of Harvard College.
See full bio
(1607-1638)
Philanthropist, Religious Leader
-
Hiawatha
Folk Hero, Political Leader, Religious Leader / 1450 -
Hiawatha is a legendary chief of the Onondaga tribe of North America and founded the Iroquois Nation.
See full bio
(1450-)
Folk Hero, Political Leader, Religious Leader
-
Saint Hildegard
Nun, Journalist, Playwright, Poet / 1098 - 1179
Saint Hildegard was a Christian mystic, abbess, visionary, and composer.
See full bio
(1098-1179)
Nun, Journalist, Playwright, Poet
-
Anne Hutchinson
Political Leader, Religious Leader / 1591 - 1643
Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan woman who spread her own interpretations of the Bible, leading to the Antinomian Controversy in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
See full bio
(1591-1643)
Political Leader, Religious Leader
j
-
Warren Jeffs
Criminal, Religious Leader / 1955 -
Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the polygamist sect Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was convicted in 2011 for the sexual assault of underage girls.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1955-)
Criminal, Religious Leader
k
-
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
Political Leader, Religious Leader / 1902 - 1989
Ayatollah Khomeini became the supreme religious leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, following many years of resistance to Shah Pahlavi.
See full bio
(1902-1989)
Political Leader, Religious Leader
-
John Knox
Political Leader, Religious Leader / 1514 - 1572
The foremost leader of the Scottish Reformation, John Knox set the moral tone of the Church of Scotland and shaped the democratic form of government it adopted.
See full bio
(1514-1572)
Political Leader, Religious Leader
l
-
Dalai Lama
Activist, Political Leader, Religious Leader / 1935 -
Dalai Lama, Tibet's political leader, has strived to make Tibet an independent and democratic state from China. He and his followers are exiled to India.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1935-)
Activist, Political Leader, Religious Leader
-
Ann Lee
Religious Leader / 1736 - 1784
British religious leader Ann Lee, also known as "Mother Ann," had a vision of the second coming of Christ, which led her to found an American society of Shakers.
See full bio
(1736-1784)
Religious Leader
m
-
Mary Magdalene
Saint / 1 - 100
St Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples. According to the gospels Mark and John, she was the first person to see the resurrected Christ.
See full bio
(1-100)
Saint
-
Maximilian II
Religious Leader, Emperor / 1527 - 1576
Maximilian II was Holy Roman emperor from 1564. His rule marked an interval of peace between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Germany during the Reformation.
See full bio
(1527-1576)
Religious Leader, Emperor
-
Warith Deen Mohammed
Religious Leader / 1933 - 2008
Warith Deen Mohammed was a religious leader and son and successor of Elijah Muhammad as head of the Nation of Islam, which he reformed.
See full bio
(1933-2008)
Religious Leader
-
Sun Myung Moon
Business Leader, Religious Leader / 1920 - 2012
Sun Myung Moon was founder and leader of the Unification Church, a religious movement whose followers were labeled "Moonies."
See full bio
(1920-2012)
Business Leader, Religious Leader
-
Elijah Muhammad
Religious Leader / 1897 - 1975
Elijah Muhammad rose from poverty to become the charismatic leader of the black nationalist group Nation of Islam, and mentor of Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan.
See full bio
(1897-1975)
Religious Leader
n
-
Nehemiah
Religious Leader
Jewish leader Nehemiah (c. 5th century BC) oversaw the rebuilding of Jerusalem and strengthened the religious practices of his people.
See full bio
Religious Leader
o
-
St Clare of Assisi
Nun, Saint / 1194 - 1253
St Clare of Assisi was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. She became the abbess of the convent of San Damiano, near Assisi in 1216. In 1958 she was declared the Patron of television.
See full bio
(1194-1253)
Nun, Saint
-
St Francis of Sales
Saint / 1567 - 1622
St Francis of Sales was a Bishop and is Roman Catholic saint who spent much of his life converting Protestants back to Catholicism.
See full bio
(1567-1622)
Saint
p
-
William Penn
Lawyer, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Journalist / 1644 - 1718
William Penn was a Quaker religious leader who oversaw the founding of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
See full bio
(1644-1718)
Lawyer, Political Leader, Religious Leader, Journalist
-
St. Polycarp
Saint / 69 - 155
St. Polycarp was a 2nd century Greek bishop whose Letter to the Philippians formed the basis of Christian literature.
See full bio
(69-155)
Saint
-
Pope Joan
Folk Hero, Pope / 853 -
Pope Joan is a Medieval religious leader believed by some to have been a female pontiff who reigned over the Roman Catholic Church, who dismisses her as myth.
See full bio
(853-)
Folk Hero, Pope
-
Chaim Potok
Religious Leader, Editor, Author / 1929 - 2002
Rabbi and author Chaim Potok wrote The Chosen, along with several other novels featuring characters grappling with clashing secular and religious views.
See full bio
(1929-2002)
Religious Leader, Editor, Author
r
-
Hashemi Rafsanjani
World Leader, Theologian / 1934 -
Hashemi Rafsanjani, an ally of Ayatollah Khomeini during the Iranian Revolution, served as president of Iran from 1989 to 1997 before his defeat by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
See full bio
(1934-)
World Leader, Theologian
-
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Criminal, Cult Leader, Religious Leader / 1931 - 1990
Indian cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh created the spiritual practice of dynamic meditation. He started the Rancho Rajneesh commune in Oregon in the 1980s.
See full bio
(1931-1990)
Criminal, Cult Leader, Religious Leader
-
Rasputin
Religious Leader / 1869 - 1916
Rasputin is best known for his role as a mystical adviser in the court of Czar Nicholas II of Russia.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1869-1916)
Religious Leader
-
Pat Robertson
Entrepreneur, Political Leader, Evangelist, Preacher, Talk Show Host / 1930 -
Pat Robertson is a television evangelist best known for founding the Christian Coalition, an influential conservative political organization.
See full bio
(1930-)
Entrepreneur, Political Leader, Evangelist, Preacher, Talk Show Host
-
Rammohun Roy or Raja Ram Mohan Rai
Women's Rights Activist, Religious Leader, Publisher, Journalist / 1772 - 1833
Indian philosopher Rammohun Roy was best known for working to abolish sati, in which the Hindu widow immolates herself on her husband's funeral pyre.
See full bio
(1772-1833)
Women's Rights Activist, Religious Leader, Publisher, Journalist
s
-
Saint Mark
Missionary, Saint / - 68
Apostle Saint Mark was one of Christ's 70 disciples, one of the four evangelists and the traditional author of the second Gospel, The Book of Mark.
See full bio
(-68)
Missionary, Saint
-
Joseph Smith
Religious Leader / 1805 - 1844
Joseph Smith was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After he was murdered, his work was continued by Brigham Young.
See full bio
(1805-1844)
Religious Leader
-
St Boniface
Archbishop, Missionary, Saint / 675 - 754
Saint Boniface was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany.
See full bio
(675-754)
Archbishop, Missionary, Saint
t
-
Desmond Tutu
Archbishop / 1931 -
Desmond Tutu is a South African Anglican cleric who is known for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
See full bio
(1931-)
Archbishop
v
-
Vivekananda
Activist, Religious Leader / 1863 - 1902
Vivekananda was a spiritual leader and activist who attempted to combine Indian spirituality with Western ideas.
See full bio
(1863-1902)
Activist, Religious Leader
x
-
Saint Francis Xavier
Missionary / 1506 - 1552
Saint Francis Xavier was the greatest Roman Catholic missionary of modern times who was instrumental in the establishment of Christianity in many parts of Asia.
See full bio
(1506-1552)
Missionary
y
-
Andrew Young, Jr
Civil Rights Activist, Diplomat, Mayor, U.S. Representative, Religious Leader / 1932 -
Andrew Young, Jr is a clergyman and was an activist during the civil rights movement. He was also a member of congress and twice elected at the mayor of Atlanta.
See full bio
(1932-)
Civil Rights Activist, Diplomat, Mayor, U.S. Representative, Religious Leader
-
Brigham Young
Missionary / 1801 - 1877
Brigham Young was an American Mormon leader and colonizer who significantly influenced the development of the American West.
See full bio
(1801-1877)
Missionary