ByPatricia S. Daniels
Published October 11, 2022
• 10 min read
Many leaders throughout history have taken on larger-than-life status. For example, Quetzalcoatl in the Valley of Mexico abolished human sacrifice, a controversial move in ancient Mesoamerican society. The Queen of Sheba tested King Solomon’s wisdom and gifted him jewels and camels. And Shaka Zulu dominated southern Africa in a murderous quest.
And yet, history does not always offer the purest of records, especially when oral histories come into play, and questions remain. Was Quetzalcoatl a man, a god, or both? Who exactly was the Queen of Sheba? Was Shaka Zulu truly that bloodthirsty? Here’s a deeper look at five of history’s most legendary leaders and an attempt to whittle the truth from fiction.
The countless carolers who know him from the song “Good King Wenceslas” might be surprised to learn that Wenceslas was a real person. Duke Wenceslas I (Václav in Czech) of Bohemia was born around 907 in what is now the Czech Republic. His father was a Christian, but his mother, Drahomíra, came from a pagan background. When Wenceslas was 13, his father died, and he passed into the care of his grandmother Ludmila, also a Christian. Drahomíra had Ludmila killed but was unable to shake Wenceslas from his Christian beliefs.
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