Which Ancient Ruler Are You?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Which Ancient Ruler Are You?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Great rulers of ancient times appeared all over the world, from Africa to America to the European civilizations whose heroes and heroines are taught far more than their counterparts across the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Some rulers are more widely known than others, but all have shaped their homelands and in some cases, the whole course of human history.

What makes a ruler great? As Shakespeare put it in "The Twelfth Night," "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them." Back in the days when the monarchy was pretty much assumed, a lot of notable people ended up in the first and last category. But, when the opportunity presented itself, a few managed to achieve it. For example, pre-imperial Rome's democracy, limited in its freedoms though it was, created an opportunity for a smart person with facility for language to enrich himself and make quite an impact. Among the Iroquois tribes of North America, a great man could introduce democracy to a society whose egalitarian mindset made it ready to hear his message and created something that informed the creation of the USA as a nation of equals. In other countries, being born royal was the only real way to take a shot at greatness, but since not all rulers did, those who did manage to make their mark deserve a certain amount of credit. Let's see which ruler you are most like.


Would you die for your followers?
Without hesitation
Only if I really had to
Sure, though I doubt it will be necessary
No, that is backward; they should die for me

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Do you believe in ruling mainly by fear?
I like a mix of fear and love
I prefer respect
I prefer love and a mandate
Sounds good to me!

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How adaptable are you?
Not as much as I should, but somewhat
Not very
Extremely
I adapt the world to me

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What sort of business are you in?
Farming
Politics
Business
Military

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Who would you like to go to war against?
Rome
Most of Europe
No one
Everyone

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How good of a public speaker are you?
Pretty good
One of the best in history
Decent
I don't care how good I am

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How many languages do you speak?
Ten
Four
Seven
I speak some but I want people to speak mine

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How do you fight your enemies?
With my wiles
With my words
With my ideas
With my armies

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Would you rather jump or be pushed?
Jump
Be pushed
I would always find a way around that
I refuse to engage with such notions

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Do you believe in democracy?
It sounds cute but dumb
Yes, with limits
Yes, without equivocation
LOL no

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Are you a pioneer?
Not really
I think so, but I'm wrong
Yes, in a good way
In my own rather brutal way, yes

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What's your personal style?
Gold and white and awesome
Red and white and stately
Furs and earth tones
Gold and furs

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What weapon do you love to use?
Poison
Knife
Bow and arrow
Sword and spear

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How do you feel about being a leader?
I don't feel strongly
It's a great idea!
Not great
It just naturally happens

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What sort of ship would you use?
Luxury barge
Trireme
Canoe
Whatever my enemies built, that I will then take

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Do you believe in free trade?
No, I'm all about tariffs
Within trade blocs, yes, but not universally
I believe in fair trade
I believe in dictating the terms of all trade myself

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What sort of house would you live in?
An absolutely massive palace, one of many
A villa
A longhouse
Sometimes a yurt, other times a palace

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What jewelry do you prefer?
A big heavy torque
A ring or two
Lots of beaded bracelets and necklaces
Crowns mostly

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Would you ever take a bribe?
Sure
I must refer this query to my attorney
No
I prefer tribute

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Would you ever give a bribe?
Sure
Again, I cannot possibly comment
No
I would usually use intimidation instead

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Do you feel inclined to do a little conquering?
I'm just trying to survive here
I'd rather pay others to do that
No, I like to cooperate with neighbors instead
Yes, that is the point of life

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Do you keep your word to your allies?
Only when it is convenient
That's what people say and that's what I'm gonna let them say
Yes, unless they break theirs first
Yes, always, no matter the cost

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Do you strive for world peace?
No, that is impossible
I prefer hegemony
Maybe one day
No, that'd be boring

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Do you believe in equality for all?
No, that's absurd
All free men, sure
That's the ideal
Except me, yes - I am the boss

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How much do you care about your legacy?
Deeply
More than is healthy
I care that there is peace and fairness, not that my name is involved
Lineage and legacy are both important to me

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Do you mind who had an idea as long as it's good?
I had all the ideas
I will take credit if it is good, if not then it wasn't my idea in the first place
No
No, I'll co-opt anything

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Do you reward loyalty?
Mostly
Not always
I always try to
Richly, yes

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Do you punish betrayal?
Yep, instant death for betrayers!
Yes, I will come for your reputation
Yes, you have to have laws
Death for betrayers and all their friends and cities and kingdoms!

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Do you take prisoners?
No, I ransom them.
I feed them to the lions for the amusement of the public
I usually trade them back
I hire my prisoners to work for me.

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How manipulative are you?
Extremely
I'd rather think of it as persuasive
Not very, but I am diplomatic
I do not need to stoop to that

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You Got: