Abstract
This chapter provides a theoretical and historical foundation for entrepreneurial leadership research. It critically examines key historical developments and major theoretical debates to illuminate the evolution and current state of scholarship in the field. In particular, this chapter traces how the intellectual trajectories of leadership and entrepreneurship converged to give rise to entrepreneurial leadership as a distinct and legitimate paradigm of inquiry. It further explores contemporary theoretical challenges and emerging perspectives in entrepreneurial leadership research and advances a holistic conceptualisation of entrepreneurial leadership to inform future scholarship and practice.