A  dazzling account of the men (and occasional woman) who led the world’s  empires, a book that probes the essence of leadership and power through  the centuries and around the world. From the rise of  Sargon of Akkad, who in the third millennium BCE ruled what is now Iraq  and Syria, to the collapse of the great European empires in the  twentieth century, the empire has been the dominant form of power in  history. Dominic Lieven’s expansive book explores strengths and failings  of the human beings who held those empires together (or let them  crumble). He projects the power, terror, magnificence, and confidence of  imperial monarchy, tracking what they had in common as well as what  made some rise to glory and others fail spectacularly, and at what price  each destiny was reached. Lieven’s  characters—Constantine, Chinggis Khan, Trajan, Suleyman, Hadrian, Louis  XIV, Maria Theresa, Peter the Great, Queen Victoria, and dozens  more—come alive with color, energy, and detail: their upbringings, their  loves, their crucial spouses, their dreadful children. They illustrate  how politics and government are a gruelling business: a ruler needed  stamina, mental and physical toughness, and self-confidence. He or she  needed the sound judgement of problems and people which is partly innate  but also the product of education and experience. A good brain was  essential for setting priorities, weighing conflicting advice, and  matching ends to needs. A diplomatically astute marriage was often even  more essential. Emperors (and the rare empresses)  could be sacred symbols, warrior kings, political leaders, chief  executive officers of the government machine, heads of a family, and  impresarios directing the many elements of "soft power" essential to any  regime’s survival. What was it like to live and work in such an  extraordinary role? What qualities did it take to perform this role  successfully? Lieven traces the shifting balance among these elements  across eras that encompass a staggering array of events from the rise of  the world’s great religions to the scientific revolution, the expansion  of European empires across oceans, the great twentieth century  conflicts, and the triumph of nationalism over imperialism. The rule of the emperor may be over, but Lieven shows us how we live with its poltical and cultural legacies today.