There have been a number of notable people throughout history whose paths to greatness were influenced, supported or guided in one way or another by a powerful mother. In some cases, that influence continued to be felt even when these people had lost their mothers early in their lives. In various ways, these women laid the foundations for their children to develop into the world-changing individuals they would later become.

Here is a closer look at a number of powerful mothers who stood behind some of the most notable figures of the past.

1. Olympias (Mother of Alexander the Great)
2. Catherine de’ Medici (Mother of François II, Charles IX and Henri III of France)
3. Mary Wollstonecraft (Mother of Mary Shelley)
4. Joséphine de Beauharnais (Mother of Eugène de Beauharnais)
5. Frances Polidori (Mother of Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossetti)
6. Sara Delano Roosevelt (Mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Olympias (Mother of Alexander the Great)

Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III of Macedon, was a legendary figure in ancient history who founded an empire over multiple continents. However, what is less well known is the role played by his mother, Olympias, in his rise.

Olympias was the wife of Alexander’s father, Philip II, and following the latter’s assassination she worked hard to aid her son in his rise to power. However, her influence was also a controversial one, as some historians have claimed she was involved in attempts to remove rival claimants to her son’s throne.

Catherine de’ Medici (Mother of François II, Charles IX and Henri III of France)

Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici, most commonly known as Catherine de’ Medici, was an Italian noblewoman who married Henri II of France and became the mother of three further kings, François II, Charles IX and Henri III.

Through this she also became an immensely powerful woman in her own right, and played a major role during the reigns of all three of her sons, the first two of whom were both children when they ascended the throne. Catherine effectively acted as a co-ruler alongside them, including a period as the formal Queen Regnant of France.

Mary Wollstonecraft (Mother of Mary Shelley)

The influence of the writer and political activist Mary Wollstonecraft on her daughter Mary Shelley, the novelist and author of Frankenstein, shows how maternal influence can be felt even in a case where the mother passed away soon after the child’s birth.

Wollstonecraft died just eleven days after her daughter was born, following postpartum complications which led to septicemia. But the younger Mary was still profoundly influenced by her mother in a number of important ways, including her father William Godwin teaching Mary to read through tracing the letters on her mother’s gravestone, and eventually becoming a devoted reader of the mother’s published works.

Wollstonecraft also influenced Shelley’s development as a writer, through early works such as a travelogue echoing a similar work written by Wollstonecraft, and in the parenthood themes of her most famous work, the novel of Frankenstein itself.

Joséphine de Beauharnais (Mother of Eugène de Beauharnais)

The woman born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie has been known by many names in history: as Joséphine de Beauharnais, in reference to her first marriage to the politician Alexandre de Beauharnais; as Joséphine Bonaparte, following her marriage to Napoleon and his preference to call her Joséphine instead of Rose; and as Empress Joséphine following Napoleon’s ascension to the title of Emperor of the French.

Less discussed has been the power she had a mother to shape a path for her son from her first marriage, Eugène de Beauharnais. Through her marriage to Napoleon and her influence, her son was able to rise to high positions in the military and government, including the position of Viceroy of Italy following Napoleon’s conquest of Italy.

Notably, after her death and Napoleon’s fall from power, de Beauharnais withdrew from political activity and returned to a much quieter life.

Frances Polidori (Mother of Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

The poet Christina Rossetti and the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti were siblings raised in a vibrant artistic environment by their mother Frances Polidori, who was immensely influential on their intellectual and creative development. Frances’s dedication to education and the arts would ultimately shape the development of one of the most notable Victorian poets as well as one of the most significant Victorian painters.

Later in life, Christina would dedicate many poems to her mother, and Gabriel asked his mother to model for a number of his paintings, including one showing both Frances and Christina together.

Sara Delano Roosevelt (Mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Sara Delano Roosevelt was the mother of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt (the D in his name stood for her surname prior to her marriage, Delano). FDR, as he was sometimes known, was Sara’s only child, and she was a devoted mother who exerted great influence on his life.

This influence would later become controversial as she continued to control aspects of his life even after his marriage to his wife Eleanor, leading to conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. However, despite sometimes being characterized as hating politics, Sara also took on a number of roles in FDR’s political life which were beneficial to his campaigns, including making speeches and taking on an unofficial ambassadorial role at one point, and also became a supporter of civil rights.

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