Leading Figures in History

Discover the people who shaped our world — from rulers and scientists to artists and activists.

62247 persons found

François de Neufville, 2nd Duke of Villeroy

French Royal Army officer and nobleman

François de Troy

French painter (1645–1730)

François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort

Duke of Beaufort

François Devienne

French composer and professor

François Drolet

b. 1972

Short-track speed skater

François Duvalier

President of Haiti from 1957 to 1971

François Englert

b. 1932

Belgian theoretical physicist (1932–2026)

François Eudes de Mézeray

French historian (1610–1683)

François Faber

Luxembourgish racing cyclist

François Fénelon

b. 1651

French archbishop, theologian and writer (1651–1715)

François Francoeur

b. 1698

French composer and violinist

François Furet

French historian

François Gérard

b. 1770

French painter (1770–1837)

François Girardon

French sculptor (1628–1715)

François Guizot

French historian, orator and statesman (1787–1874)

François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac

b. 1604

French cleric and theatre critic (1604–1676)

François Hemsterhuis

Dutch writer on aesthetics and moral philosophy

François Hollande

b. 1954

President of France from 2012 to 2017

François Hotman

b. 1524

French lawyer and writer (1524–1590)

François I, Duke of Nevers

b. 1516

French Prince étranger and military commander

François Jacob

French biologist

François Joseph Lefebvre

b. 1755

French Marshal (1755–1820)

François Jouffroy

French sculptor (1806–1882)

François Legault

b. 1957

Premier of Quebec from 2018 to 2026