Leaders and Great People

[molly bloom]

Just rereading the various threads about leaders and great people led me to thinking of the times when scientists or artists or innovators have met or worked directly for people considered to be great leaders (especially of their respective civilizations) in real life.

For instance, there is Aristotle as tutor to Alexander of Macedon.

Then there's Moses Maimonides who after travelling from Spain ended up as court physician to the Ayyubid leader Saladin.

Charlemagne invited the renowned Anglo-Saxon scholar Alcuin to his court where he became chief adviser on ecclesiastical and educational matters.

Ibn Khaldun met Timur during the siege of Damascus- and Geoffrey Chaucer was a diplomat and poet in the court of Edward III.

[Alexander I]

Galileo Galilei was patronized by the Medici family. Seneca was tutor to the Emperor Nero. Imhotep designed the Step Pyramid for Pharaoh Djoser (as well as other architectural projects). Franz Josef Haydn was Kapellmeister to the Eszterházy family. Oppenheimer worked on nuclear devices for the U.S. government.

A great thinker without a patron is a great thinker with empty pockets.

[GeoModder]

Mmm, hadn't Tycho his own fortune to start with?
But I guess he was backed later by the government as well.

[sophist]

Er... Cicero died before Nero was even born.

[Alexander I]

Originally posted by sophist
Er... Cicero died before Nero was even born.

Sorry, I meant Seneca.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Alexander01
Galileo Galilei was patronized by the Medici family. Seneca was tutor to the Emperor Nero. Imhotep designed the Step Pyramid for Pharaoh Djoser (as well as other architectural projects). Franz Josef Haydn was Kapellmeister to the Eszterházy family. Oppenheimer worked on nuclear devices for the U.S. government.

A great thinker without a patron is a great thinker with empty pockets.

My idea was to match great people with likely great leaders- I included Edward III for variety. I don't envisage the Medicis, Djoser, Nero or the Esterhazys making the list of great leaders.

[Alexander I]

I don't imagine Charlemagne or Timur the Lame making the game either. Not that they weren't great leaders, but what civs would they go to? Both the French and the Germans would want Charlemagne, as he ruled both, so neither will get him.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Alexander01
I don't imagine Gharlemagne or Timur the Lame making the game either. Not that they weren't great leasers, but what civs would they go to? Both the French and the Germans would want Charlemagne, as he ruled both, so neither will get him.

He's more frequently associated with France.

[sophist]

But his capital was Aachen ;-). I don't actually care, and I'm sure you know that.

Did Timur's empire last past him?

[Alexander I]

Originally posted by molly bloom

He's more frequently associated with France.

Yes, but he spoke Frankish, a dialect of Old German. The core of his empire was "the Frankish homeland" which consisted of the Netherlands, Belgium, Lotharingia, and Baden.