callings of the archive
Writer Biographies
Every archived life recorded as writer, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Ancient era
Benedict of Nursia
March 3, 480 CE – March 23, 547 CE
Founder of Christian monasticism, founder of the Benedictine order (480–547)
Ancient era
Saint Patrick
385 CE – March 17, 461 CE
5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland
Medieval era
Bernard of Clairvaux
1090 – August 20, 1153
Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090–1153)
Medieval era
Thomas a Kempis
1380 – July 25, 1471
German canon regular
Medieval era
Jan Hus
1369 – July 6, 1415
Czech theologian, philosopher and preacher (1369-1415)
Medieval era
William Tyndale
1494 – October 6, 1536
English Bible translator and reformer
Early Modern era
John Knox
1514 – November 24, 1572
Scottish clergyman, writer and historian (1514–1572)
Early Modern era
Francis Xavier
April 7, 1506 – December 3, 1552
Spanish Catholic saint and missionary (1506–1552)
Medieval era
Rabia al-Adawiyya
c. 710 CE – 801 CE
Iraqi sufi and poet
Ancient era
Zhuangzi
369 BCE – 288 BCE
Chinese Taoist philosopher (c. 369–286 BC)
Medieval era
Xuanzang
602 CE – 664 CE
7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar (602–664)
Medieval era
Kabir
1440 – 1518
15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint
Modern era
Ramana Maharshi
December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950
Indian spiritual teacher (1879–1950)
Ancient era
Solon
638 BCE – 558 BCE
Athenian legislator
Ancient era
Parmenides
515 BCE – 470 BCE
Late 6th/early 5th century BC Greek pre-Socratic philosopher
Ancient era
Empedocles
490 BCE – 430 BCE
5th century BC Greek philosopher
Ancient era
Josephus
37 CE – 100 CE
Roman–Jewish historian and military leader (c. 37–c. 100)
Ancient era
Livy
59 BCE – 17 CE
Roman historian (59 BC – AD 17)
Ancient era
Suetonius
70 CE – 126 CE
Late 1st/early 2nd-century Roman historian
Ancient era
Pliny the Elder
c. 20 CE – 79 CE
Roman military commander and writer (AD23/24–79)
Ancient era
Vitruvius
80 BCE – 15 BCE
Roman architect and engineer
Ancient era
Lucretius
94 BCE – 55 BCE
1st-century BC Roman poet and philosopher
Ancient era
Catullus
84 BCE – 54 BCE
Lyric Latin poet of the Roman Republic
Ancient era
Marcus Agrippa
63 BCE – 12 BCE
Ancient Roman statesman and general
Ancient era
Germanicus
15 BCE – October 10, 1919 CE
Nephew and adopted son of emperor Tiberius, heir apparent of the Roman Empire, and father of emperor Caligula
Ancient era
Cato the Elder
234 BCE – 149 BCE
Roman politician, soldier and writer (234–149 BC)
Ancient era
Julian the Apostate
November 17, 331 CE – June 26, 363 CE
Last Pagan Roman emperor, reigned 361 to 363
Patanjali
Ancient Indian scholar(s) of grammar and linguistics, of yoga, of medical treatises
Ancient era
Charaka
b. c. 50 CE
Indian physician and academic
Ancient era
Qu Yuan
343 BCE – 278 BCE
Chinese poet and politician (c.340–278 BC)
Ancient era
Ban Zhao
45 CE – 116 CE
Late 1st/early 2nd century Chinese historian, philosopher and scholar
Ancient era
Pindar
522 BCE – c. 450 BCE
5th-century BC Greek lyric poet
Ancient era
Hesiod
776 BCE – c. 700 BCE
Ancient Greek poet of the archaic period
Ancient era
Polybius
200 BCE – 120 BCE
Ancient Greek historian
Medieval era
Anna Komnene
December 1, 1083 – 1153
Byzantine princess and historian
Medieval era
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
December 26, 1194 – December 13, 1250
King of Sicily, Holy Roman Emperor (1194–1250, 1220–1250)
Medieval era
Godfrey of Bouillon
1060 – July 18, 1100
Medieval Frankish knight
Medieval era
Cnut the Great
994 CE – November 12, 1035
11th-century King of Denmark, Norway, and England
Early Modern era
James I of England
June 19, 1566 – March 27, 1625
King of Scotland from 1566 to 1625, King of England and Ireland from 1603 to 1625
Medieval era
Lorenzo de Medici
January 1, 1449 – April 8, 1492
Italian politician, literary man and humanist
Medieval era
Girolamo Savonarola
September 21, 1452 – May 23, 1498
Italian Dominican friar and preacher (1452-1498)
Early Modern era
Cardinal Richelieu
September 9, 1585 – December 4, 1642
French clergyman, cardinal, noble and statesman (1585-1642)
Early Modern era
Christina of Sweden
December 18, 1626 – April 19, 1689
Queen of Sweden, ruled from 1632 until abdication in 1654 (1626–1689)
Early Modern era
Roxelana
1505 – April 15, 1558
Wife of Suleiman the Magnificent
Medieval era
Krishnadevaraya
January 17, 1471 – 1529
Vijayanagara emperor from 1509 to 1529
Early Modern era
Tipu Sultan
November 20, 1751 – May 4, 1799
Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 to 1799
Early Modern era
Miyamoto Musashi
1584 – June 5, 1645
Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer, artist, and rōnin (1584–1645)
Modern era
Herbert Hoover
August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964
President of the United States from 1929 to 1933 (1874–1964)
Modern era
Robert F. Kennedy
November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968
American politician and lawyer (1925–1968)
Modern era
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994
First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963
Modern era
Henry Kissinger
May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023
American diplomat and geopolitical advisor, served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977 (1923–2023)
Early Modern era
Patrick Henry
May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799
American Founding Father, orator and politician (1736 – 1799)
Modern era
William Tecumseh Sherman
February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891
United States Army general (1820–1891)
Modern era
Bernard Montgomery
November 17, 1887 – March 24, 1976
British Army officer (1887–1976)
Modern era
T. E. Lawrence
August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935
British archaeologist, army officer and diplomat (1888–1935)
Contemporary era
Boris Johnson
b. June 19, 1964
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022
Contemporary era
King Charles III
b. November 14, 1948
King of the United Kingdom since 2022 (born 1948)
Modern era
Napoleon III
April 20, 1808 – January 9, 1873
President of the Second French Republic, Emperor of the Second French Empire and last monarch of France (1808–1873)
Early Modern era
Talleyrand
February 2, 1754 – May 17, 1839
French diplomat (1754-1838)
Modern era
Giuseppe Mazzini
June 22, 1805 – March 10, 1872
Italian nationalist activist, politician, journalist and philosopher