The history of the world’s civilizations is a study in politics and the mapping of the transition of power. Legitimacy is often established by a person then handed down through his family for generations. This list covers ten of the most significant families - significant due to their contribution to world politics and power.
Benazir Bhutto is the slain former Prime Minister of Pakistan. In 1988 her party won the largest bloc of seats in Parliament thus elevating Bhutto to the role of Prime Minister, the youngest and first woman to head a Muslim nation in modern times. She was reelected in 1993 but was accused of smuggling nuclear secrets to the North Koreans in return for missile technology. She was deposed in 1996. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1971 only to be removed from office by a military coup in 1973, led by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Z. Bhutto was summarily executed. When Benazir Bhutto was deposed in 1998 she went into a self imposed exile and was charged with corruption. After 9 years abroad Bhutto and Pres. Pervez Musharraf came to an agreement that clemency would be extended to Bhutto so that she could return home. Bhutto was a progressive in terms of being a pro West, pro Democracy politician who sought to further the plight of women in the region. She was assassinated on December 7, 2007. Her widower Asif Ali Zardari assumed the office of the Presidency of Pakistan on Sept. 9, 2008.
This is the definition of a self made dynasty. Bill Clinton was born in the small town of Hope, Arkansas while Hillary was born in Chicago, Illinois. Both received their post graduate degree from Yale Law School. From 1977 to 1979 Bill served as Attorney General of Arkansas In 1983, as one of Bill’s Oxford professors puts it, he “was elected king of a state with 4 men and a dog.” He was the 40th and 42nd governor of Arkansas. After his career in state government Bill was elected to two terms as President of the United States and is best known for a stain left on a garment of an unfortunately pudgy if not homely intern. Since the end of his second presidency Hillary has been the political tempest of the family. While First Lady Hillary became the first spouse of the President to have an office in the West Wing. She crafted her agenda with a team and molded the position into one of humanitarian influence and social service. In 2001 Hillary was elected the junior Senator of New York, where she served until this year when she left in order to accept her nomination and Senate confirmation as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. For those who remember the vicious campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, it is no small wonder Obama selected her to fill the role.
The House of Windsor was founded in 1917 and is the family of Queen Elizabeth II of G.B. Though this position is merely a traditional one, the Queen is very influential in both domestic policy and foreign policy as well. She keeps a weekly meeting with the Prime Minister and has the right to have briefings often as she needs. She married her second cousin once removed through Christian IX of Denmark and third cousin through Queen Victoria. When someone is related to their spouse on BOTH sides of their family it can only mean one thing, IN BREEDING!!, which is the great Royal pastime, as it were. Her son Prince Charles is a scallywag who married the beautiful Princess Diana and fathered two children only to cheat on her with the frumpy Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles’ and Diana’s sons Prince Harry and Prince William are obviously the most well adjusted members of the House of Windsor, no doubt due to the fact that their mother Diana, before she wed Charles, was a school teacher and likely entirely unrelated to Charles. First rule of genetics, spread the genes out. Anyway, they deserve including on this list for all they have done and are likely to do in the future.
Though they never actually held political power the wealthy Bin Laden family is connected to a number of ruling parties in the Middle East, intimately so to the Royal Saud family. They have money due to their successful construction company and have since invested it in many diverse areas including companies owned by our former president George W. Bush. Osama Bin Laden may be the most powerful man in the Arab world even though he has been in hiding since Sept. 11, 2001. Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he is believed to be, are two of the most oppressively poor nations on earth, yet no one has come forth to turn in Bin Laden and claim the 50 million dollar bounty on his head. He was, and likely still is to some extent, the leader of the multinational militant group Al Qaeda. He funded the Taliban in their attempts at power and was a thorn in the side of the Northern Alliance of tribes opposed to Taliban. Osama Bin Laden is seen as the George Washington of the anti West Islamic fascist movement.
Teddy and FDR were related through the Common ancestor Nicholas Roosevelt (1658-1742). Teddy and Franklin D. were 5th cousins and both President of the United States. Teddy was a “rough riding” outdoors man with a brutish will and flamboyantly arrogant self image. Teddy reportedly had his military uniform made by Brooks Brothers. Franklin was the only President to be elected to more than 2 terms. He assumed the Presidency after Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929. He instituted sweeping reform under the general name “The New Deal”. He created programs to help farmers stay on their land, he created the FDIC which stopped the run on the banks, saving the banks; he was also the President during WWII and slowly but steadily took our military from one that was woefully equipped to one that was very well equipped. During the post WWI era the United States was an isolationist nation, preferring to remain neutral in the affairs of the rest of the world. Roosevelt sought to help the plight of the British by taking such bold steps as pushing through the Lend-Lease Act which gave Roosevelt the power to sell, lend, exchange, transfer any military equipment to anyone fighting the Axis. Less than a year after it passed, in March 1941, the US would be attacked by the Japanese.
Joseph Kennedy Sr. was a successful business man, politician, and the father of 3 icons of the 20th century, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy. Joe Sr. was appointed by FDR as the inaugural commissioner of the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission), also served as the Maritime Commission and briefly as Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the start of WWII. Joe Kennedy attended Harvard University after which he had a very successful career in finance, namely as a stock market and commodities speculator (the Kennedy family never did thrive from stability). As proof that the media attention wasn’t anything like the modern media, in addition to these legitimate businesses Joe Kennedy also amassed a fortune due to the illegal importation of alcohol during the prohibition years. It was joked that the entirety of the liquor he imported went straight to his liver as he was an Irish Catholic, either way, that didn’t stop him from having an influential life and more influential seed. John F. Kennedy is most famous for being assassinated and the conspiracy that surrounds the event, however, unlike the likes of President Garfield, Kennedy accomplished much in his time in office. He jump started the space program declaring our intention in front of the world to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth. Kennedy proved able to guide the nation through the Cuban Missile Crisis where, for 13 days the United States and the USSR stood on the brink of nuclear war. Robert Kennedy, JFK’s attorney general, was an important part of the back-channel negotiations that got us off the hook. RFK was equally stern when it came to the mob. He was shot in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California after a primary election. Ted has been a senator in the US Senate for decades.
If Europe were a matrilineal society then this family would be maybe the most powerful single family to grace the Middle Ages, at least. Ramon Berenguer IV married Beatrice of Savoy and they had four daughters: Marguerite, Beatrice, Sanchia, Eleanor. Marguerite married Louis IX of France, Beatrice married Charles I of Sicily, Sanchia married Richard Earl of Cornwall, and Eleanor married Henry III of England. There can be little doubt that the second half of the 13th century was practically owned by this family.
John Adams is one of the most influential people in the history of the United States. On June 7 1776 Adams seconded the Declaration of Independence put forth by Richard Henry Lee declaring the U.S. free from British rule. Rose to prominence when he first opposed the British Stamp Act, which stated that any official document, or news paper, etc. had to bear the stamp of the British Government meaning that taxes have been paid on that particular parcel. As the Republicans will tell you (I used to be one but am now an Independent) a patriot will do anything for his country gladly including give his life, but not pay taxes. One of Adams more important positions was as the first Vice President of the U.S. in the George Washington administration. It is said that Washington was the first president of the U.S. but he himself gives that honor to one John Hanson, who served for just under a year from 1781 to 1782. Either way, Adams was the first Vice President under the United States, spelled out in the Constitution. He went on to be the 2nd President where maybe his greatest contribution is the advent of the Navy. His grandson John Quincy Adams was also President, the only Grandfather/Grandson combination to ever hold the Presidency.
The House of Bonaparte was founded by Napoleon I of France in 1804 after the French Revolution turning the French Republic into the French Empire. Napoleon was a military badass who ran roughshod over Europe providing the model for Hitler to try and seize control of Europe by entering into conflict with every continental European nation. Not only was he a genius militarily but he understood the more fragile aspect of politics. He had the Pope corinate him and he also retained claims to land and title in the Kingdoms of Spain, Italy, Westphalia, Holland, and Naples. The Bonaparte family was one of the oldest in France, Jacapo Bonaparte was a friend and advisor to Pope Clement VII of the Medici. The Bonaparte family held the crowns of Emperor of France: Napoleon I, II, III; King of Holland: Louis I, II; King of Naples: Joseph I, Joachim I; King of Westphalia: Jerome I; King of Spain: Joseph I; Grand Duchess of Tuscany: Elisa Bonaparte. Not even Napoleon could invade Russia though, those winters are cruel.
I’ll bet you wondered where the family that invented lay dynastic families was going to appear on this list, right at the top. The Medici were a banking family from Florence. The Medici Bank was maybe the most successful medieval business after the Catholic Church. They were so wealthy the leaders of their family were appointed Signoria– mediators and leaders who lead the country in times of feuding factions, based solely on their status in society. They were able to purchase more and more political power, eventually their business grew and spread throughout all of Italy and into Europe. With this new power the Medici were able to install 3 of their flock into the position of Pope: Pope Clement VII, Pope Leo XI, Pope Leo X, none of whom had very successful papacies. Leo X was the last elected Pope who hadn’t been a priest. Catherine Medici was one of the most powerful women in Middle Ages/Renaissance period, Lorenzo ruled the Florentine Republic. Cosimo Medici founded the political dynasty. The Italian Renaissance may have not had the widespread success it enjoyed without the Medici benefactors who sponsored artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. There are too many members of the family to mention, just know they are the most powerful political family in the history of the world that exists in my mind.
Notable Omissions: Rothschild family, Sforza family, Bush family
Contributor: Brosiusjb
译文:
10大最具权威政治家族
世界文明史是关于政治及权利转移描绘的研究。政治合法性通常由一个人建立，然后在他的家族世代相传。这份名单含括了10大最具影响力家族－影响力是相对于他们对世界政治与权力的作用来说的。
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布托家族
贝娜齐尔·布托是遇刺的前巴基斯坦总理。1988年，她所在的政党赢得了国会大部分议席，从而将布托推到了总理的位置，使她成为近代领导穆斯林国家的最年轻及首位女性。1993年她再次当选，但是不久就被指控向北朝鲜走私核机密以换取导弹技术。1996年她被免职。她的父亲，佐勒菲卡尔·阿里·布托曾于1971年当选为巴基斯坦总理，1973年因穆罕默德·齐亚·哈克将军领导的军事政变下台。Z·布托随之被仓促执行死刑。1998年贝娜齐尔·布托被免职后，她开始了自我流亡的时期，同时她被指控犯有贪污罪。经过9年的海外生活，布托和佩尔韦兹·穆沙拉夫总统达成协议，允许对布托法外开恩好让她可以回到祖国。作为一个亲西方、亲民主的政客，在这个意义上，布托是进步的，她一直不断寻求推动该地区妇女的权益。2007年12月7日布托遇刺身亡。她的丈夫阿西夫·阿里·扎尔达里在她生后，于2008年9月9日就任巴基斯坦总统一职。
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克林顿一家
克林顿一家是自我成就王朝的代名词。比尔·克林顿出生于阿肯色州的小镇霍普（译者注：英文直译可为希望小镇），希拉里出生于位于伊利诺斯的芝加哥。两人都自耶鲁法学院取得硕士学位。1977年至1979年，比尔就任阿肯色州检察长一职。1983年，援引比尔在牛津时期一位教授的话，他“被选为一个拥有4个人及1只狗的州的国王。”他曾经是阿肯色州的第40及42任州长。继他在州政府的职业生涯之后，比尔当选过两届美国总统，而他最为人所知的就是那点被留在一个令人遗憾的矮胖（如果不说丑的话）实习生外套上的污渍（译者注：指莱温斯基事件）。自从他的第二任总统任期结束以来，希拉里已经成为这个家庭的政治风暴中心。在由第一夫人转变为第一个在白宫办公的总统配偶之后，希拉里和她的团队精心策划了她的议程，将这一职位成功塑造为极具人道主义影响及社会服务性。2001年，希拉里当选为纽约州新进参议员，并在这一职位上服务至今年离开，以接受对于她担任巴拉克·奥巴马的国务卿一职的提名及参议院批准。对于那些还记得那场关于提名民主党总统候选人的残酷竞选的人们来说，奥巴马选择她就任这一角色一点也不奇怪。
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温莎王朝
温莎王朝建立于1917年（译者注：一战期间，当时的英国国王乔治五世将原来的德国姓改为温莎），它是英国女王伊丽莎白二世的皇室家族。尽管只是个传统的职位，女王不论在国内还是对外政策上都极具影响力。她与首相保有一周一会的惯例，并且拥有尽其所需听取情况汇报的权利。她嫁给了她的第二代隔房表兄（丹麦的克里斯蒂安九世一系），或者说是她的第三代表兄，他们都是维多利亚女王的后代。如果有人与他们夫妇的任一边家庭相关联，那只能意味着1件事，教养！！，这是伟大的皇室休闲在某种程度上来说。她的儿子查尔斯王子是个饭桶，和美丽的黛安娜王妃结了婚，做了两个孩子的爸爸却只是为了向她隐瞒居心叵测的卡米拉·帕克·鲍勒斯。查尔斯和黛安娜的儿子哈里王子还有威廉王子显然是温莎家族里最适应良好的成员，这也难怪，基于他们的母亲黛安娜，在嫁给查尔斯之前她是个中学教师而且很可能和查尔斯毫无关联。遗传学的第一法则，传播基因。反正，他们理应被包括在这份名单里，因为他们所做的以及将来所可能做的。
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本·拉登一族
尽管他们从未在事实上掌控政治权力，富有的本·拉登家族和中东地区的许多执政党有关联，尤其是和沙特皇族关系密切。他们的金钱来自他们经营成功的建筑公司，自始他们就将钱投资于多元领域，其中包括我们的前总统乔治·W·布什所拥有的几家公司。即使自2001年9.11以来他就四处隐藏，奥萨马·本·拉登可能是全阿拉伯世界最有权势的人。阿富汗和巴基斯坦，传说中他的所在之处，是地球上两个最贫穷至极的国家。然而没有人前来出卖本·拉登以期领取价值5000万美元的巨额人头费。他曾经是，在某种程度上很可能仍是，那个跨国武装集团基地组织的领袖。他为塔利班夺取权力的尝试提供资金，成为反对塔利班的北方部落联盟眼中的一根刺。奥萨巴·本·拉登被看作是领导反西方伊斯兰激进运动的乔治·华盛顿。
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罗斯福家族
泰迪和FDR（富兰克林·德兰诺·罗斯福）因为共同的祖先尼古拉斯·罗斯福而相互关联。泰迪和富兰克林·D是第五代堂兄弟，且都是美国总统。泰迪是一个“狂野骑士”般的酷爱户外之人，拥有残酷的意志以及极度傲慢的自我认识。据说泰迪的军队制服是由布鲁克斯兄弟（译者注：是美国历史最悠久的时装品牌，历来为不少政界领袖所热衷）制作的。富兰克林是唯一当选超过两届的总统。他在1929年的股市崩盘之后的大萧条中接替赫伯特·胡夫就任总统一职。在“新政”的名义下他创制了大范围的改革措施。他设立项目帮助农民坚守土地，他创设的FDIC（联邦储蓄保险公司）阻止了银行挤兑行为，挽救了银行业；他也是我们二战中的总统，缓慢但是坚定地将我们军队的装备由悲惨改变为精良。在后一战时期，美国是一个倾向在世界事务中保持中立的孤立主义国家。罗斯福采取了推动租界法案这样的勇敢行动，寻求帮助英国摆脱困境，这个法案赋予罗斯福向任何正在和同盟国交战一方销售、出借、交换以及调运任何军事装备的权力。在它通过不到1年之后，1941年3月，美国就将遭受来自日本的袭击。
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肯尼迪家族
约瑟夫·老肯尼迪是一个成功的商人、政客、3个20世纪偶像级人物的父亲，约翰·F·肯尼迪、罗伯特·F·肯尼迪以及特德·肯尼迪。老肯尼迪被富兰克林·罗斯福总统任命为SEC（证券交易委员会）的开任专员，他也曾任职于海事委员会以及在二战开始时短暂地担任过驻英国大使。老肯尼迪学习于哈佛大学，之后他在金融业获得非常成功的职业生涯，也就是作为一个股市与大宗商品投机商（肯尼迪家族从来都不是从稳定中发迹）。除了这些正当的生意，在那些禁运年里老肯尼迪也由非法进口烈酒从而积累了大量财富，这都印证了当时的媒体关注度和现代媒体完全是两码事。有人开玩笑说，他进口的全部烈酒都直接到了他自己的肝因为他爱尔兰天主徒的身份，反正，就算是那样也没有阻碍他拥有极具影响力的一生以及更具影响力的后代。约翰·F·肯尼迪最有名的是他的遇刺身亡以及围绕这一事件的所有阴谋论，然而，与遭遇相同命运的加菲尔德总统不同，肯尼迪在其任上成就非凡。他跳跃性地启动空间计划，在全世界面前宣告我们载人至月球再成功返回的意图。肯尼迪证明了他能够带领整个国家渡过古巴导弹危机，在这13天的危机中美国和苏联都曾站到核战争的边缘。罗伯特·肯尼迪，肯尼迪总统的司法部长，是使我们脱离困境的秘密谈判的重要成员。面对暴徒时，罗伯特·F·肯尼迪一样严酷的令人生畏。在一次初选后，他在加州洛杉机的国宾饭店被枪杀。特德数十年都当选美国参议院议员。
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贝伦克尔一家
如果欧洲是一个母系社会，那么这个家庭将可能是当时最有权势的单一家庭而闪耀整个中世纪，至少可以这么说。雷蒙·贝尔克伦四世娶了萨伏依家族的碧崔丝，他们生了4个女儿：玛格丽特、碧崔丝、萨恩恰和艾利诺。玛格丽特嫁给了法国的路易九世，碧崔丝嫁给了西西里的查理一世，萨恩恰嫁给了康沃尔郡的理查德伯爵，然后艾利诺嫁给了英格兰的亨利三世。13世纪的后半叶实际上在被这个家庭掌控这件事，几乎毫无疑问。
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亚当斯家族
约翰·亚当斯是美利坚历史上最有影响力的人之一。1776年7月7日，亚当斯以附议支持理查德·亨利·李提出的宣告美国独立于大不列颠统治的独立宣言。他的声望是在他率先反对英国印花税法案之后日益突出的，印花税法案规定任何官方文件或者新闻报纸之类，都必须盖有英国政府的公章以表明该份物品已完税。正如共和党人要告诉你的（过去我曾经是，但是现在我是个无党派者），一个爱国者乐意为他的国家做任何事，包括奉献自己的生命，但其中并不包括纳税。亚当斯更重要的职务还有担任过华盛顿政府下美国第一任副总统。人们都说华盛顿是美利坚合众国的第一位总统，但他本人将这一荣誉给予了约翰·汉森，从1781年至1782年约翰·汉森任职了不到一年。无论怎样，亚当斯都是美国的第一任副总统，宪法里白纸黑字。然后他接任为第二位总统，任上他的最大贡献也许就是创建海军。他的孙子约翰·昆西·亚当斯也是总统，他们是唯一一对染指总统宝座的祖孙组合。
2
切兹·波拿巴
1804年在法国大革命将法兰西共和国转变为法兰西帝国之时，法国的拿破仑一世建立了波拿巴王朝。拿破仑这个军事恶棍用铁蹄肆虐整个欧洲，为后来的希特勒提供仿效的对象：通过介入每一个欧洲大陆国家之间的争端以控制整个欧洲。他不仅是个军事上的天才，他也深谙政治更脆弱那一面。他让教皇为他加冕，同时也保有对诸如西班牙王国、意大利、威斯特伐利亚、荷兰以及那不勒斯国土和就任资格的主张。波拿巴家族是法国最古老的家族之一，加卡泊·拿破仑曾是梅第奇的教皇克莱蒙特七世的朋友兼顾问。波拿巴人拥有过法兰西皇帝头衔的有：拿破仑一世、二世、三世；荷兰国王头衔的：路易斯一世、二世；那不勒斯国王的：约瑟夫一世；加卡泊一世；威斯特伐利亚国王：杰罗姆一世；西班牙国王：约瑟夫一世；意大利托斯卡尼的大公夫人：艾利莎·波拿巴。不过即使是拿破仑也不能征服俄国，那儿的冬天残酷非常。
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梅第奇家族
我敢赌你一定想过那个创行业王朝先河的家族会出现在这份名单的哪个位置，就在最顶端。梅第奇是来自佛罗伦萨的银行业家族。梅第奇银行也许是继基督教堂之后中世纪最成功的事业。他们富可敌国到家族的领导者被任命为执政团－在敌对内讧时期领导国家的调解人及领袖，这是仅仅根据社会地位作出的任命。他们可以买到日益膨胀的政治权力，最终他们的事业增长并扩展至整个意大利乃至欧洲。拥有更新的权力，梅第奇人成功地将他们的3个羽翼安插进教皇的位置：教皇克莱蒙特七世、教皇莱奥十一世以及教皇莱奥十世，不过没有一个成就过成功的教宗生涯。莱奥十世是最后一位选举教皇，之前他并未做过牧师。凯瑟琳·梅第奇是中世纪文艺复兴时期最有权势的女人之一，洛伦佐统治过佛罗伦萨共和国。科西莫·梅第奇建立了政治王朝（译者注：佛罗伦萨僭主政治）。没有梅第奇的捐助者们赞助诸如来奥纳多·达·芬奇以及桑德罗·波提切利这样的艺术家，意大利的文艺复兴也许不能享有今天它所享有的巨大成功。这个家族有太多的成员可以被提及，只要知道他们是我能想到的世界历史上最富权威的政治家族就行了。
知名的漏网之鱼：罗思柴尔德家族（译者注：欧洲著名银行世家，闻名的犹太财阀）、斯福扎家族（译者注：是意大利文艺复兴时期以米兰为中心的统治家族）、布什家族
贡献者：布鲁休斯杰伯