Civilization 7's leaders represent a major break with the series' traditions, in that they're completely separated from the civilization you choose. You can mix and match with total freedom. Want Ben Franklin to lead the Romans? Sure. Pharaoh Hatshepsut at the head of the Mayans? You bet. However, while you'll choose a new civilization for each of the three acts, your leader will remain the same throughout. So picking one is the most consequential playstyle choice you'll make before starting that first turn.
Here are all the Civilization 7 leaders available at launch. You can find their special features on the official Civ 7 website.
Hailing from what is now Nigeria, she ruled over the city-state of Zazzau in the late 1500s and early 1600s. She expanded the city's territory greatly through a series of offensive wars.
At the head of the Maurya Empire, he ruled over most of the Indian Subcontinent in the 200s BCE. He was a major promoter and proponent of Buddhism, and considered one of India's greatest emperors even today.
Emerging victorious after a period of civil war that kicked off after the death of his adoptive uncle, Julius Caesar, Augustus played a strong PR game and became recognized as the first true Roman Emperor.
A Corsican army officer who rose through the ranks to eventually become Emperor of France and conquer much of Europe. In Civ 7, like some leaders in Civ 6, you'll actually be able to play two different versions of Napoleon: "Emperor" Napoleon, focusing on his rule, and "Revolutionary" Napoleon, focusing on his military prowess.
Catherine the Great overthrew her husband to become empress of Russia—quite a move. She championed Enlightenment ideals and expanded Russia's borders.
Started as the King of the Franks, ended up with his very own empire—a successful career if I ever saw one. Charlemagne is credited with a period of increased intellectual and artistic activity in the 8th and 9th centuries.
Possibly the most important figure in Chinese philosophy, he was born in the 500s BCE and gave rise to a school of thought that is still influential today. He was big on obeying your parents, however, which has not ingratiated him to the pop-punk community.
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he was critical in securing France's support during our War of Independence. He's also credited with a number of inventions including bifocals and the Franklin stove.
Far superior to that Greek nerd Cleopatra, whose family merely inherited Egypt after Alexander conquered it using the army he inherited from his dad, Hatshepsut was one of the only ethnically Egyptian women to, during the 1400s BCE, rule as pharaoh in her own right. She built a bunch of cool stuff and presided over a time of prosperity.
The hero of the Underground Railroad was also a Union cook, nurse, spy, and scout during the Civil War.
A figure of some obscurity, Himiko ruled over one of what were, at her time in the 100s/200s CE, many kingdoms in the archipelago we now know as Japan. She was described as a "Priest-Queen" and the name of her domain, Yamatai, may be related to the later Yamato, the kingdom that eventually gave rise to the nation of Japan.
The first Queen of Spain, she and King Ferdinand II sure left a mark on the world, initiating the Spanish Inquisition, sponsoring Christopher Columbus, and initiating Spain's conquest of a pretty big chunk of the globe.
The Renaissance author whose name is now synonymous with being unscrupulous, Machiavelli advised political leaders to hold onto power by any means necessary.
A chief of the Shawnee people, Tecumseh organized a grand confederacy of North American indigenous nations that represented one of the most significant attempts at resisting the Westward expansion of the young United States. While his confederacy was eventually defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe, he is still seen as an anti-colonialist hero today.
Vietnam's first queen, Trưng Trắc and her sister led a rebellion against the Han dynasty almost 2,000 years ago, and are national heroes to this day.
When he wasn't battling unrest in Egypt and Babylon, Xerxes busied himself invading Greece—he's the guy from the famous Battle of Thermopylae with the 300 Spartans and all that. Eventually, he settled down and focused on what's important in life: enormous construction projects.
