Suggest a new leader for Civ 6

[Louis XXIV]

I apologize if this is duplicative of the other thread suggesting leaders, but that's not my intent. The idea here is I'll list every Civ that's ever appeared in game. Some probably have the most obvious choice, but many others do not. While I suspect it's too late to change the ones that have been included, maybe it'll inspire Firaxis to shake things up for expansion packs. I would also suggest, rather than give 20-30 different suggestions, make a few suggestions and then defend why they're a good choice. I deliberately only included Civs already included in games so this doesn't become a "suggest a Civ" type thread.

I'll edit this post for as long as I'm able to include any leaders suggested. Let me know if I left any Civs out, I did this from memory:

Rome - Gaius Marius, Septimius Severus, Trajan, Scipio Africanus, Hadrian, Diocletian, Cicero, Sulla, Marcus Aurelius, Claudius
Greece - Leonidas, Themistocles, Cleisthenes, Lysander, Attalus I Soter, Agamemnon
Celts - Vercingetorix
Carthage - Hamilcar Barca, Mago I

England - Alfred, Edward I, Oliver Cromwell
France - Francis I, Louis IX, Henri IV, Philippe II Auguste, William the Conqueror, Napoleon III, Charlemagne
Germany - Otto I, Wilhelm
Russia - Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), Alexander II, Nicholas II
Spain - Charles I, Felipe II, Charles III
Portugal - Afonso Henriques
Dutch - William III, Wilhelmina, Philip the Good
Austria - Metternich, Franz Joseph
Sweden - Gustavus Vasa (Gustav I)
America - Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge
Brazil - Getúlio Vargas

Poland - Jan III Sobieski, Sigmund August (Jagiellons)
Venice - Domenico Selvo
Holy Roman Empire - Otto I
Byzantines - Basil II, Alexios Komnenos, Manuel Komnenos, Nikephoros Phokas, Leo III the Isaurian
Denmark - Margarethe (Margaret I), Cnut the Great
Vikings - Harald Hardrada
Scandinavians

Persia - Nader Shah, Abbas the Great, Khosrau, Shapur II the Great
Babylon
Sumeria - Ur-Nammu, Shulgi
Egypt - Thutmose III, Akhenaten
Assyria - Semiramis (Shammuramat), Tiglath Pileser III, Sennacherib
Ottomans - Roxolana
Arabs - Baibars

China - Zhu Di (The Yongle Emperor), Taizong, Yang Jian, Cao Cao (Wei Wu Di), Kangxi (Qing Sheng Zu)
Japan - Meiji, Shomu
Mongolia - Ögedai
Korea - Myeongseong, Seondeok
India - Shah Jahan, Chandragupta II, Lakshmibai, Samudragupta
Indonesia - Tribhuwana
Polynesia - Kalakaua
Khmer
Siam - Naresuan

Mali
Songhai - Sunni Ali
Zulu - Cetswhayo
Ethiopia - Menelik II, Ezana

Iroquois - Decanesora, Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), Aliquippa, Dekanawida
Sioux - Crazy Horse
Shoshone
Aztecs - Atotoztli, Ahuizotl, Nezahualcoyotl, Cuauhtemoc
Maya - Yohl Ik'nal, Lady Six Sky
Inca - Tupac Yupanqui
Native Americans - Tecumseh, Geronimo

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Gaius Marius (Rome): Was consul 7 times and did reform the roman army into its famous form.

Gustav Vasa (Sweden): Transformed Sweden into a national state.

 

[kaspergm]

Margrethe I (Denmark): Formed the Kalmar union, uniting Denmark, Norway and Sweden into one realm under her reign.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I edited my post because I can't believe I forgot Denmark and Sweden.

Here are a few suggestions of my own. I picked four Civs, one of which I don't really want in the game anyway, but I thought it would still make for a nice example.

First off is Sumer:
I would not go with Gilgamesh. For starters, he's more or less mythological. It would be like having Romulus as the leader of the Romans. Instead, I have two suggestions, both are from the Third Dynasty of Ur, which is probably the golden age of Sumeria (and isn't mucked up by choosing someone like Sargon of Akkad). I choice choices that are fairly easy to pronounce as well.

The first choice is Ur-Nammu, ruler of Ur. He conquered nearby cities and became ruler of Sumer. He ordered construction of the Great Ziggurat of Ur. Finally, he issued the oldest known legal code. If that doesn't work, his son, Shulgi, is a solid choice. He ruled for 48 years, he completed the Great Ziggurat his father started, his reign was a time of stability and prosperity, and, finally, he seems to have an easier to pronounce name than his father.

Second is the Iroquois:
Hiawatha is great. He's well-known (mostly for a poem that I don't think is about him), but he is essentially the founder of the Iroquois system of government. The problems with him are that we don't really know much about him, he never really ruled the Iroquois, and the founding certainly wasn't the golden age. Instead, I'd go with Decanesora. He is an Onondaga chief, orator, and diplomat. He exemplifies what helped give the Iroquois its strength - the ability to diplomatically maneuver themselves between the English and French for their advantage. He has been described as one of the great statesmen of the Iroquois Confederacy. Historian Francis Jennings wrote "Onondaga chief Decanisora was a brilliant and subtle diplomat whose achievements command deep respect. Had he been able to work with the resources of a European nation, he would have shaken the balance of European power. As it was, he painstakingly laid the basis for his tribesman to weigh heavily in the colonial balance of power."

Just briefly on two more:
For the Byzantines, I'd like a truly medieval Byzantine ruler. My suggestion is either Basil II (Basil the Bulgar Slayer) or Alexios Komnenos. Both are Greek-speaking Emperors that ruled the Empire at various times effectively (Basil brought it back from the brink of ruin at one point). More importantly, they stand out from Justinian, who was to western-looking and his wars arguably brought the Empire to bankruptcy and ruin.

I don't want the Holy Roman Empire in the game, but I would suggest Otto I if you have them. Basically, the Holy Roman Empire as it was known for centuries as opposed to the Carolingian Empire, which was the achievement of one man and many of the Civs in the game owe their legacy to.

ETA: I edited my post with the suggestions so far. I translated them into the English versions where that's more common. Please keep them coming (also, there's no reason why others can't also suggest additional leaders for the same Civs).

 

[nunor]

Portugal: Afonso Henriques, the founding father.
Spain: I think Charles I (Charles V when he ruled over the HRE) is the obvious alternative to Isabella.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I'll count Charles I, although he was a bonus leader for Civ3: Conquest's bonus Civ as Charles V.

Another suggestion, this time for Japan: Meiji.
He may have been a bit of a symbolic leader, but he strengthened the role of the Emperor and ruled over an era when Japan entered modernity. He was also a bit of a philosopher, poet, and artist. When it comes to world leaders, I think his personality and style will stand out from a Tokugawa or Oda Nobunaga, who tended to be more typical military leaders.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

England: Alfred
This man basically saved England from being a Danish colony. He established an effective system of defense and the English navy and codified the laws of the kingdom.

Poland: Jan III Sobieski
Dunno so much about him. He kicked some ass in the siege of Vienna.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Do you want to give a few thoughts on why you suggested them?

 

[Civciv5]

China - The Yongle Emperor, builder of the Forbidden City, Zhenge He voyages...
Greece - Leonidas, 300 Spartans, very famous (would be so much more cooler than Alexander again)
Indonesia - Tribhuwana, Empress, expansion of Majapahit
India - Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor, builder of the Taj Mahal, solidified the empire
India - Chandragupta II, Emperor of the Guptas, patron of the arts and pursued the expansion of the Gupta Empire
Egypt - Thutmose III, Pharaoh, expanded Egypt to its largest extent, built many monuments
Aztecs - Atototzli, Empress, Tlatoani in her own right
Assyria- Shammuramat, Queen, also known as Semiramis

 

[Kerfuffle]

Denmark lead by Cnut the Great:
Son of Sweyn Forkbeard, and grandson to Harald Bluetooth, he is perhaps one of the most famous Danish rulers in history, and interestingly is noted as one of the most effective Anglo-Saxon kings despite his Danish herritage. He came to rule the North Sea Empire which comprised of England, Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden - gained through a mixture of diplomacy and brute force.

He's also greatly known for the story of Cnut and the Waves, which depending on your interpretation or geographical/cultural upbringing, depicts him as a Pious and humble ruler, or as a madman who thought he could control forces beyond human reach. Either way you interpret the story, he's at least still a very interesting leader.

 

[EulerMcE]

For Celts they seem to have a Classical Era focus usually, though V's Celts had a strangely Insular/modern "Celt" flavour with modern cities and UB. I'm surprised Vercingetorix hasn't been used AFAIK.

Medieval leaders like Irish high kings Brian Boru or Máel Sechnaill are remembered in Ireland for bringing Norse Dublin under Gaelic control. The former in particular is remembered as one of Ireland's fist national heroes for fighting foreign rule in Ireland, which is somewhat spurious but it is what it is. Early kings of Dál Riata/Scotland are probably a good place to look for leaders who left a more stable legacy.

 

[Louis XXIV]

China - The Yongle Emperor, builder of the Forbidden City, Zhenge He voyages...
Greece - Leonidas, 300 Spartans, very famous (would be so much more cooler than Alexander again)
Indonesia - Tribhuwana, Empress, expansion of Majapahit
India - Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor, builder of the Taj Mahal, solidified the empire
India - Chandragupta II, Emperor of the Guptas, patron of the arts and pursued the expansion of the Gupta Empire
Egypt - Thutmose III, Pharaoh, expanded Egypt to its largest extent, built many monuments
Aztecs - Atototzli, Empress, Tlatoani in her own right
Assyria- Shammuramat, Queen, also known as Semiramis

Some good choices here, particularly with the use of female rulers.

For another Assyrian leader, I've always been partial to Tiglath Pileser. He's a little less psychotic than Ashurbanipal was. He helped conquer a bit portion of the Assyrian Empire and he got to see a Dolphin, which he was very happy about I know

Denmark lead by Cnut the Great:
Son of Sweyn Forkbeard, and grandson to Harald Bluetooth, he is perhaps one of the most famous Danish rulers in history, and interestingly is noted as one of the most effective Anglo-Saxon kings despite his Danish herritage. He came to rule the North Sea Empire which comprised of England, Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden - gained through a mixture of diplomacy and brute force.

I think Firaxis had considered Cnut, but there's a couple reasons they likely didn't. One is an unfortunate spelling choice (as David Mitchell called him, "The fcuk of the late 10th and early 11th Century"). I think the bigger reason is there's actually a decent argument that he's an English leader instead.

 

[Captain Fargle]

Ethiopia - Menelik II: Responsible for Ethiopia maintaining it's independence during the Scramble for Africa by beating the Italians despite outdated weaponry he was also a great moderniser and established Ethiopia's first power grid and postal system.

 

[cpm4001]

Ethiopia - Menelik II: Responsible for Ethiopia maintaining it's independence during the Scramble for Africa by beating the Italians despite outdated weaponry he was also a great moderniser and established Ethiopia's first power grid and postal system.

I second this, although the Ethiopian army at Adawa was not as outdated as is often thought. Somewhat surprised they went with Haile Selassie over Menelik II for GnK in all honesty, but maybe that was more for name recognition.

The only suggestion I have off the top of my head:

For France - Any reason not to go with Francis I? Especially logical if you're going to have France as a 'culture' Civ, but he also kick-started French exploration and got that whole alliance thing going with the Ottomans...

 

[Red Menace]

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) Russia: Conquered large amounts of territory made Russia a real power in Europe, his reign saw the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral, (commonly confused with the Kremlin by civ.)

 

[Haig]

Some very cool suggestions, Ivan the Terrible would be a colorful choice for Russia for sure.

My number one pick would be Winston Churchill for England, he is just such an iconic character with his bowtie, bulldog looks and cigar. Had both great successes and great failures.
He was in Civ IV BtS but he would look even better with new leader screens I bet.

 

[Red Menace]

Some very cool suggestions, Ivan the Terrible would be a colorful choice for Russia for sure.

My number one pick would be Winston Churchill for England, he is just such an iconic character with his bowtie, bulldog looks and cigar. Had both great successes and great failures.
He was in Civ IV BtS but he would look even better with new leader screens I bet.

Ivan may not be perfect but I think he would be very interesting as a civ leader, I don't see any reason why they should stick with Catherine for Civ VI, or Elizabeth for England.

 

[IkM]

I'm gonna post names who weren't in Civ V. So, here we go;

Rome - Caesar this time
Greece - Themistocles.
Carthage - Hannibal (I know I'm picking a generic leader )
Byzantines - Manuel Komnenos
Persia - Nader Shah
Ottomans - Sultan Mehmed II
Arabs - Baibars (Well, he was a Turk but lead Arabs and he was a badass of badasses)
Mongolia - Ögedai
Japan - Tokugawa Ieyasu

 

[Krajzen]

OP forgot to list America and Ethiopia.


Persia - Abbas the Great

"Persia" in civ series is always depicted as classical Persian empire of Achaemenids, but there were like five other Persian empires over next 2000 years after fall of the first one. It would be very fresh to see some leader of Islamic Persia.

And Abbas was awesome ruler who basically founded modern-day Shia nation of Iran. During his life he managed to:
*Save empire from the crisis and crush powerful separatists
*Simultaneously combat and win versus powerful empires on all fronts: Ottomans, Mughals, Uzbeks and Portuguese
*Be an overall brilliant ruler
*Be a great supporter of arts and culture
*Establish regular diplomatic relations with major powers of Europe
*Tolerant towards all branches of Christianity, Armenians, and minorities in general



Poland - Sigmund August (or Jagiellons)

Spoiler :

Well I am Polish myself and Sobieski as leader is stupid idea in my humble opinion. Sobieski was very cool as a person and he was trying to reform the country, but due to the terrible times he lived in he failed to do any serious reforms at all (not his fault, events of the entire century were against him and powerful nobility blocked him completely - but you still can't say he changed much). He wasn't ruling in the golden age, he was ruling in the era of PLC terrible stagnation bordering with the failed state, and PLC turned into de facto anarchy almost immediately after his death.
Oh, yeah, he was a general who fought against Turks.
See, he was a very good commander, but while his victories were very famous and prestigious, they failed to bring any actual improvements to the position of a country. Again, not exactly his fault but...
On personal level, while I am fond of Sobieski and winged hussars, I am also very tired of winged hussars depicted as the major or only feature of Polish golden age, or as the best cavalry ever; I also don't like this entire meme of PL being 'defender of Europe from Turks' - Hungary or Croatia (yes, Croatia) are far better examples of this trope. Ottomans were arguably the least problematic of Polish neighbors and PLC waged with them like three wars ever (compare that to like 30 with its Christian neighbors).

Instead, I'd like Polish leader to be one of Jagiellons. Especially Sigmund August. These guys were actually leading PLC in its golden age, in the era of peace and prosperity, and the thing I am most proud of, making PLC one the most religiously tolerant countries in Europe in the era of gloody Reformation. IIRC one year after massacre of 'heretics' in Paris, in Warsaw there was founding a law guaranteeing religious tolerance in the Pol-Lit Commonwealth.

So here we go, with leader liking ethnic and religious tolerance, economic and scientific development (Copernicus was also from this era) and of defensive military affinity. Much more original than one more "general king" and stereotype "Polish horse warriors".

Greece - Cleisthenes

Spoiler :

"Cleisthenes was a noble from Athens and the grandson of the tyrant of the same name. He is known as the "father of Athenian democracy" for his reform to the Athenian constitution. Cleisthenes rose to power after overthrowing the tyrant Hippias, after a short struggle for power and the exile that followed, he assumed power in Athens.
Cleisthenes' reforms were effective and entirely changed the governmental system of Athens. He increased the power of the assembly and decreased the authority of the nobles. He also divided the citizens and set up the 10 tribes of Athens. Each tribe elected 50 men a year for the newly created Council of the 500. The council proposed laws, but the assembly had the ultimate authority over whether or not they were passed. He also changed the courts, jurors were chosen by lot, men could plead their case before the jury, and the jury voted by secret ballot. These changes were very effective and helped Athens evolve into the thriving Greek super-power we remember today."

Why him: Alexander is boring personality, it's always the same bragging idiot HAAA I AM CONQUEROR LOL I AM ARROGANT and that's all. I also think he doesn't represent Greek civilisation well - I'd like to see some leader focusing on culture, diplomacy and science, not turning one of the most refined and intellectually groundbreaking history's cultures into a Mongolia 2.0 which always happens with Alex.
Bonus points with Cleisthenes, it would be unique among Civ6 rulers as one of few "democratic" and "socially revolutionary rulers" instead of all those kings. His personality could be obsessed with liberating other peoples from "opression", for example.



India - Lakshmibai
Warrior queen, a symbol of resistance against colonialists, national heroine, also screw Gandhi I wanna see India being strong military empire this time, Gandhi is overrated and overdone in civ series.


Ottomans - Roxolana
Captured as a young girl by Tatars and sent as a gift to Ottoman overlords, beloved wife of Suleiman the Great, also de-facto co-ruler of the empire, badass personality, allegedly beautiful looks etc.
If Theodora could be the leader of Byzantium, there is no reason for Roxolana to be unable of leading Ottomans


China - Emperor Taizong
I'll just leave this quote from Wikipedia here:

Taizong is typically considered to be one of the greatest emperors in China's history and henceforth, his reign became regarded as the exemplary model against which all future emperors were measured. His era, the "Reign of Zhenguan" is considered a golden age in Chinese history and was treated as required studying material for future crown princes. Under the Zhenguan era, Tang China flourished economically and militarily. For more than a century after his death, China enjoyed prosperity and peace brought about by the solidification of imperial protection over the Chinese regions.


America - Theodore Roosevelt

Frequently listed as one of the best presidents in US history, his personality is also legendary. How does he manage to nto appear in civ series is beyond me. FAR more interesting leader than Washington.

 

[Virupaksha]

Donald Trump?