wing of the archive
The Medieval Era
Caliphs, monks, poets, and conquerors who carried learning and power through the middle centuries.
Medieval era
Lucien, Lord of Monaco
1481 – August 22, 1523
Lord of Monaco
Medieval era
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
c. 570 CE – 8 June 632 CE
Final Prophet of Islam whose message united Arabia and today guides two billion people
Medieval era
Mahavira
800 CE – 875 CE
Mathematician
Medieval era
Guru Nanak
April 15, 1469 – September 22, 1539
First Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism
Medieval era
Adi Shankara
788 CE – 820 CE
An Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta and revitalized Sanskrit scholasticism.
Medieval era
Abu Bakr
October 27, 573 CE – August 23, 634 CE
1st Rashidun Caliph and father-in-law of Muhammad
Medieval era
Umar ibn al-Khattab
Second caliph of Islam, famed for justice and administration
Medieval era
Ali ibn Abi Talib
Fourth caliph, cousin of the Prophet (PBUH), revered for wisdom and courage
Medieval era
Al-Ghazali
1058 – December 19, 1111
Persian Sunni Muslim scholar and mystic (c.1058–1111)
Medieval era
Rumi
September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273
Persian poet and Sufi mystic, among the best-selling poets in the world today
Medieval era
Thomas Aquinas
January 25, 1225 – March 7, 1274
Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church (1225–1274)
Medieval era
Francis of Assisi
June 24, 1182 – October 3, 1226
Italian Catholic saint, friar, deacon and preacher and founder of the Franciscan Order (1181/2–1226)
Medieval era
Hildegard of Bingen
1098 – September 17, 1179
German Benedictine abbess, polymath, mystic and Doctor of Church (1098–1179)
Medieval era
Ignatius of Loyola
October 23, 1491 – July 31, 1556
Spanish Catholic priest and theologian (1491–1556)
Medieval era
Hasan ibn Ali
March 1, 625 CE – 669 CE
5th Rashidun Caliph (r. 661) and second Shia Imam
Medieval era
Muawiya I
603 CE – 680 CE
Founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (r. 661–680)
Medieval era
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
646 CE – October 9, 705 CE
Umayyad caliph from 685 to 705
Medieval era
Al-Walid I
668 CE – February 23, 715 CE
Umayyad caliph
Medieval era
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
November 2, 681 CE – February 5, 720 CE
Umayyad caliph from 717 to 720
Medieval era
Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah
722 CE – 754 CE
First Abbasid
Medieval era
Abu Jafar al-Mansur
714 CE – October 7, 775 CE
Second Abbasid Caliph (714-775)
Medieval era
Al-Mu'tasim
796 CE – January 5, 842 CE
8th Abbasid Caliph. (r. 833–842)
Medieval era
Al-Mutawakkil
822 CE – December 11, 861 CE
10th Abbasid caliph (822–861, r. 847–861)
Medieval era
Al-Musta'sim
1213 – February 20, 1258
37th and last Abbasid Caliph (r. 1242–1258)
Medieval era
Selim I
October 10, 1470 – September 22, 1520
9th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520
Medieval era
Empress Theodora
500 CE – June 28, 548 CE
Byzantine empress from 527 to 548
Medieval era
Charlemagne
April 2, 748 CE – January 28, 814 CE
King of the Franks crowned first Holy Roman Emperor, father of Europe
Medieval era
Charles Martel
April 13, 1327 – April 21, 1327
Duke of Calabria, born April 1327
Medieval era
Alfred the Great
849 CE – October 26, 899 CE
King of Wessex (r. 872–901)
Medieval era
William the Conqueror
November 8, 1028 – September 9, 1087
King of England from 1066 to 1087, Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 (1028–1087)
Medieval era
Eleanor of Aquitaine
1124 – April 1, 1204
Queen consort of France; Queen consort of England; suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine; patroness
Medieval era
Richard the Lionheart
September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199
King of England from 1189 to 1199 (1157–1199)
Medieval era
King John of England
December 24, 1166 – October 19, 1216
King of England from 1199 to 1216
Medieval era
Frederick Barbarossa
1122 – June 10, 1190
Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 to 1190
Medieval era
Saladin
1138 – March 4, 1193
Sultan who united the Muslim world and retook Jerusalem with famed chivalry
Medieval era
Tariq ibn Ziyad
670 CE – 720 CE
8th-century Muslim general
Medieval era
Harun al-Rashid
March 7, 766 CE – March 24, 809 CE
5th Abbasid caliph (r. 786–809)
Medieval era
Genghis Khan
May 31, 1162 – August 25, 1227
Founder of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history
Medieval era
Kublai Khan
1215 – 1294
Founding emperor of the Yuan dynasty, grandson of Genghis Khan (1215–1294)
Medieval era
Timur
April 9, 1336 – February 19, 1405
The founder of the Timurid Empire (1370–1405)
Medieval era
Mansa Musa
1280 – 1337
14th-century emperor (mansa) of the Mali Empire
Medieval era
Osman I
August 23, 1258 – August 1, 1326
Founder of the Ottoman Empire (died 1323/4)
Medieval era
Mehmed the Conqueror
March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481
Seventh Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1444–1446, 1451–1481)
Medieval era
Suleiman the Magnificent
November 6, 1494 – September 6, 1566
The tenth and greatest Sultan of Ottoman Empire (1520–1566)
Medieval era
Joan of Arc
1412 – May 30, 1431
Peasant girl who led French armies and became a saint and national symbol
Medieval era
Robert the Bruce
July 11, 1274 – June 7, 1329
King of Scotland (1306–1329)
Medieval era
Edward I of England
June 17, 1239 – July 7, 1307
King of England from 1272 to 1307
Medieval era
Henry V of England
September 16, 1386 – August 31, 1422
King of England from 1413 to 1422
Medieval era
Henry VIII
June 28, 1491 – January 28, 1547
King of England from 1509 to 1547 (1491–1547)
Medieval era
Ferdinand II of Aragon
March 10, 1452 – January 23, 1516
King of Aragon, Sicily, Naples, and Valencia (1452-1516)
Medieval era
Isabella I of Castile
April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504
Queen of the Crown of Castile, from 1474 to 1504; first queen of a dynastically-united Spain, from 1479 to 1504 (1451–1504)
Medieval era
Vlad the Impaler
1431 – December 14, 1476
15th-century ruler of Wallachia
Medieval era
Babur
February 14, 1483 – December 26, 1530
Founder of the Mughal Empire (1526–1530)
Medieval era
Sejong the Great
April 10, 1397 – February 17, 1450
Fourth king of Joseon (Korea), creator of Hangul
Medieval era
Hongwu Emperor
October 29, 1328 – June 24, 1398
Founding emperor of China's Ming dynasty; ruled 1368–1398
Medieval era
Montezuma II
1466 – June 29, 1520
9th tlatoani of Tenochtitlan and ruler of the Aztec Triple Alliance (1466-1520)
Medieval era
Pachacuti
1380 – 1460
11th Inca Emperor
Medieval era
Nicolaus Copernicus
February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543
Polish mathematician and astronomer (1473-1543)
Medieval era
Fibonacci
1170 – c. 1240
Italian mathematician (c.1170–c.1240/50)
Medieval era
Al-Khwarizmi
c. 750 CE – 846 CE
Mathematician of Baghdad who gave the world algebra and algorithms