Top 10 Greatest Rebels In History

This 19th century Hunkpapa Lakota chief was a great warrior, but more importantly, he was a true leader during challenging times. From a relatively young age, Sitting Bull distinguished himself among his people, killing a buffalo at the tender age of 10 and further proving himself in battle at just 14. Unfortunately, his lifetime was defined by persistent conflict with the white colonizers, and so his leadership was one characterized by toil and strife. Under his guidance, the Lakota people defended their land from the expanding United States. However, this path would ultimately end in his death at the hands of police officers in 1890.

The reproductive rights of women is a battle still being fought today, but we might not even have the term “birth control” were it not for this pioneering nurse, writer and activist. Sanger, born in 1879, first came to the public’s attention when she began penning sex education columns; some readers were scandalized, while others praised her straightforward manner. This was an age when abstinence was the only method being taught, and Sanger, often called to help women suffering after poorly-performed home abortions, became a vocal champion for better knowledge of birth control. She believed that women should be "the absolute mistress of her own body” and was both arrested and exiled for her efforts.

A hero of the anti-apartheid movement, Nelson Mandela is a man who truly suffered for his cause. But even faced with great adversity, he refused to accept the status quo that was the racial division of South Africa. Born into the Thembu royal family, Mandela became concerned with anti-colonial politics during university, joining the African National Congress in 1943. His efforts in the fight against apartheid would lead to his eventual arrest and imprisonment in 1962. The next 27 years of his life would be spent behind bars, where he continued to serve as an inspiration, thought leader and hero. In 1994, just four years after his release, this rebel became President of South Africa.

Sadly, few stories about rebels have happy endings. This hero of Scotland was hanged, drawn and quartered by the King of England for high treason. Though they killed the man, the English authorities had no means by which to kill the source of inspiration that Sir William Wallace became in his lifetime. A champion to his people during the First War of Scottish Independence, Wallace led the Scottish forces to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge - a battle in which they were outnumbered and few believed they could win. After his defeat at Falkirk in 1298, Wallace was captured, tried and killed in 1305, but the legend of this rebel, patriot and hero lives on.

The fight for racial equality in America is one that spans centuries and has been championed by countless heroic rebels. In 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus and in doing so, she began her journey to become “the mother of the freedom movement”. Years before that, Harriet Tubman similarly struck a massive blow in the name of equality. Born a slave, Tubman escaped and then proceeded to help many others do the same. During her lifetime, she was also a Civil War spy and scout for the United States and later championed the women’s suffrage movement. A rebel if there ever was one.

When Harriet Tubman died in 1913, the women’s movement in America still had a long way to go. Thankfully, the country wasn’t short on determined rebellious women to force progress, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Alice Paul was born and educated in America, but her first experience with the women's suffrage movement was actually in England. Here, she became close with fellow American activist Lucy Burns, and together they would mount numerous protests and acts of civil disobedience in the name of the women’s vote, resulting in multiple arrests. Returning to the U.S. in 1910, Paul became one of the country’s greatest champions for gender equality and an instrumental player in the passing of the 19th Amendment.

As arguably the single most famous Civil Rights leader in world history and easily one of the greatest orators to ever step up to a podium, this rebel requires very little introduction. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, this Reverend’s son would go on to become a Baptist minister in his own right, an activist and one of the most inspirational figures of the century. From 1954 until the time of his assassination in 1968, he was the voice and face of the American Civil Rights movement, leading a campaign of equality built upon a platform of equality, nonviolent action and civil disobedience. Though hatred and fear led to his murder, no amount of it could kill his dream.

Though scientific thought has often been called the “new religion” in the west, historically speaking, it’s usually lived in the shadow and influence of Abrahamic religions. Galileo Galilei may have been celebrated in his own time, but he was also persecuted for his groundbreaking scientific beliefs. The father of modern physics and the scientific method, Galileo’s contributions astronomy, physics and engineering an innumerable and their worth, immeasurable. But in his own lifetime, his scientific thoughts were often controversial, so much so that he became the subject of inquisition. He would spend the last years of his life under house arrest for his willingness to push the limits of human understanding.

This revolutionary only spent an estimated 19 years on this Earth, but during her short life, her rebelliousness was such that it established a legacy that will likely never be forgotten. A heroine of the Hundred Years’ War, Joan was born a peasant in medieval France, but despite her tender age and humble beginnings “The Maid of Orléans” would rise to become a military leader and respected warrior. Though many surely called her crazy during her lifetime, Joan seemingly never faltered, maintaining her faith in what she believed to be her mission from god. Though she was burned at the stake, she is remembered as a saint, martyr and powerful female rebel and icon.

Before we reveal the identity of our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:

Malala Yousafzai
Sophie Scholl
Pancho Villa

Our greatest rebel from history is also our oldest. A Thracian gladiator and slave, Spartacus not only managed to escape his captors, but went on to become one of the leaders of an entire rebel army. Though the initial group he escaped alongside counted only roughly 70 people, his forces would eventually grow to be an estimated 70,000 strong. What the Roman Republic initially dismissed as a minor group of outlaws became a bonafide military force, and under the leadership of Spartacus, they became a tactically remarkable one. Spartacus would eventually fall alongside his forces, his story of rebellion has never been forgotten.