While almost everyone had to take a few years of history in high school, chances are you didn't find it super interesting. However, that's a real shame, because there are a lot of cool people and events that are super fascinating! Today, I'm going to show you four super badass people that your history classes almost certainly glossed over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus_of...

1. Our first badass of the day is Gustavus Adolphus II, also known by his epithet 'The Lion of the North', who ruled Sweden from 1611 to 1632.

Sweden at the time was evolving into one of the major players on the European stage, successfully positioning itself as a bastion of the Protestant faith at a time when Europe was deeply divided by religion. The Thirty Years' War would erupt in 1618, beginning the largest religious war in human history.

When the Protestant forces were rapidly losing ground in 1630, Gustavus intervened, creating one of the most devastatingly effective armies of the early modern period. While he would be killed in battle in 1632, the Swedish armies he built would be the standard to which all other armies were held for centuries; even the great Napoleon studied and respected Gustavus' innovative tactics. What's more badass than impressing Napoleon?

https://www.history.com/topics/japan/tokugawa-ieyasu

2. Next up comes Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the three Great Unifiers of Japan and shogun of Japan from 1603 to 1605.

While his reign was short, Ieyasu is far more important (and badass) in the story of he got there. Japan was a mess of individual warrior tribes for about 150 years, but Ieyasu, along with other famous daimyos (tribal leaders) of the time set about on a truly epic journey across Japan, eventually resulting in Ieyasu becoming the undisputed ruler of a united Japan that his dynasty would rule until the 1860s. H

is whole story is way too long to recount here, but the story of the Sengoku Jidai is definitely worth hearing if you love political intrigue, epic battles, brilliant strategists, betrayal, or just think ninjas are cool!

https://www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk/wu-zetian/

3. Taking us back about a thousand years, our next badass is the only female ruler in Chinese history, Wu Zetian.

China was in a golden age of culture and civilization under the Tang dynasty in the 600s CE when the brilliant, charismatic, and ruthless Wu Zetian would take power. As the most powerful concubine of the emperor of China, she used his declining health to assert her authority and control over the state until he passed. She would then rule indirectly through her husband, Emperor Gaozong, starting in 655.

Eventually, she would be crowned the Empress of China in 690, and rule until 705. Under her, China would prosper as it expanded its borders across Asia and instituted state support of Buddhism, Taoism, education, and literature. While her story is very long and complex, it is a truly fascinating tale of undoubtedly one of the most influential women in history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_the_Great

4. Last but certainly not least is the great general and first King of Prussia, Fredrick the Great (1740-1786).

Fredrick the Great is kind of like that kid you went to school with who was superhumanly good at everything they tried, so much so that it seems like the only things they weren't good at were things they had yet to try. In addition to being a military mind to match Napoleon (Napoleon himself said that if Fredrick had ruled Prussia when he invaded, Fredrick would've completely beaten him), he also modernized the judicial system, the bureaucracy, enacted progressive religious toleration laws, encouraged immigration, and gave total freedom of press and literature to the people!

During his reign, Prussia conquered great swathes of territory and the kingdom evolved from a minor regional power to one of the greatest powers in Europe.

Oh, and did I mention that he was also gay, and had been publicly outed since 1744? Not that it mattered much, because he was such an incredible ruler that his people respected him and he became an icon of Prussia and later Germany as one of its greatest rulers.