13. Francisco Franco
Born on December 4, 1892, in El Ferrol, Spain, Francisco Franco was the son of Nicolás Franco, a naval officer, and María del Pilar Bahamonde, a devout Catholic. He entered the Infantry Academy in Toledo in 1907, graduating in 1910 (history.com). Franco’s military career advanced rapidly; by 1926, he was promoted to brigadier general at age 33, becoming the youngest general in Europe at the time.
