This is a list of historical figures who have been characters in opera or operetta.
Historical accuracy in such works has often been subject to the imperatives of dramatic presentation. Consequently, in many cases:
For the purposes of this list, Biblical characters are generally taken to be fictional, unless there is clear evidence of their historicity.
Operas appear in bold when the historical figure is also the title role.
Where a character appears in more than opera, the entries are sorted by composer.
Abdisho IV Maron, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Peter Abelard, French priest, scholar, theologian
John Quincy Adams, American President
Gabriele Adorno, fifth Doge of Genoa
Flavius Aetius, Roman general
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German alchemist, writer
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Roman statesman and general
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Roman consul (32 BC)
Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt
3rd Duke of Alba, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
Albert of Mainz, Elector and Archbishop of Mainz
Buzz Aldrin, American astronaut
Alexander the Great, King of Macedon
(He appears in about 70 other operas set to the same text by Metastasio as used by Pacini, including one by Leonardo Vinci.)