People In History

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Agricola, Gnaeus Julius (37 – 93) Roman soldier, governor of Britain 78 – 84. Carried Roman conquest to the farthest northern point of the empire, when he defeated Caledonians at Mt Graupius somewhere near Aberdeen, in 83.

Alaric (370 – 410) Leader of the Visigoths ravaged Thrace to the gates of Constantinople at the end of the 4th century. In 410 Alaric sacked Rome- he died soon after in southern Italy.

Alexander the Great (356 – 323) Became king of Macedon at 20 and then set out to conquer the world. By 323, his empire stretched from Greece to the River Indus in N.W. India and south to include Egypt, perhaps the world’s greatest military commander.

Archimedes (287 – 212) Greek mathematician and engineer, discovered principles of buoyancy and the lever. Calculated accurate value of pi (ratio of circle’s circumference to its diameter). His military defensive devices prolonged the siege of Syracuse by the Romans. He was reputedly killed by a Roman soldier because he would not stop the experiment upon which he was working when the Romans broke into the city.

Ataturk, Kemal (1881 -1938) Turkish general and statesman, founder of modern Turkey. Ataturk was a general in the First World War; he overthrew the Sultan and turned Turkey into a republic becoming its president in 1923. Made Turkey secular, forbade the wearing of the fez (hat) and discouraged women using the veil.

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Baber (1483 – 1530) Mongol descendant of Genghis Khan, he became ruler at Kabul when aged 21. From there set out upon the conquest of northern India to establish the Mughal empire which lasted until the coming of the British to India in the 18th century.

Becket, Thomas a (1118 – 1170) Friend and Chancellor of Henry II. The king made him Archbishop of Canterbury, but he then quarreled with the king over the balance of church and state power. He was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by followers of the king. Subsequently made a saint.

Bede, the Venerable (673 – 735) English monk and scholar. His History of the English Church and People written in Medieval Latin is one of the first source books of English history. It was translated into English by King Alfred the Great.

Bismarck, Prince Otto von (1815 – 1898) Prussian statesman, prime minister of Prussia and then Germany from 1862 to 1890. He is the creator of modern – united Germany. He was known as the Iron Chancellor’.

Boadicea (died age 62) Queen of Iceni tribe of Britain, she revolted against the Roman occupation. Only defeated after a major campaign that endangered Roman control of Britain.

Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) (563 – 483) Founder of Buddhism, well-born Indian who renounced worldly pleasures and sat under a bodhi tree until mysteries of life were unfolded to him.

Burton, Sir Richard (1821 - 1890) Eccentric British traveler and explorer. One of first Europeans to enter Mecca (Muslim capital) in disguise. Discovered Lake Tanganyika with Speke. Wrote more than 50 books including a famous translation of the Arabian Nights ,

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Canute (994 – 1035) Son of Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark. King of England from 1016 to his death. Strong king who restored order to the country after a period of weakness. The famous story of Canute telling the sea to stop has often been misunderstood. He wished to demonstrate the limit of kingly power to foolish courtiers, who said he could do anything.

Castro, Fidel (1927 – ) Cuban Marxist, overthrew President Batista (1959) and became prime minister.

Catherine II, the Great (1729 – 1796) Deposed her mad husband Tsar Peter III of Russia and became empress (1762). Strengthened power of nobility; captured Crimea, Black Sea coast and much of Poland.

Charles V (1500 – 1558) Holy Roman emperor from 1519. King of Spain as Charles I from 1 516. Ruled over more of Europe than any other Habsburg. Abdicated 1556.

Charles Martel (688 – 741) The Hammer. Frankish ruler of Austrasia (715-741). Halted Muslim advance into western Europe at battle of Tours (732).

Cheops (c2600bc) He had the Great Pyramid built – the largest stone monument the world has seen. It contains 2,300,000 blocks of stone with an average weight of two-and-a-half tons each.

Chiang Kai-shek (1888 – 1975) Chinese Nationalist leader who succeeded Sun Yat-sen in 1925 as leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party). He and his followers were forced from China by the victorious communists under Mao Tse-tung in 1949. He established a Nationalist government on Formosa (Taiwan).

Churchill, Winston S. (1874 – 1965) British soldier, statesman and author. First Lord of Admiralty 1911 – 1915 and 1939 – 1940, Chancellor of Exchequer 1924-1929. Britain’s war time prime minister from 1940 – 1945 and again from 1951 -1955. Also a writer-he won the Nobel prize for literature in 1953.

Cleopatra VII (69 – 30) Macedonian queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC. Caesar supported her against a rival claimant to the throne. She became his lover and bore him a son. After his death she became the lover and later wife of Marcus Antonius. Attempted but failed to captivate Augustus and in 30 BC committed suicide. Her great beauty is almost certainly a later exaggeration but she used her attractions to keep her throne.

Clive, Robert (1725 – 1774) British soldier who did much to bring India under British control in the 18th century. Governor of Bengal (1764 – 1767). On his return to England he was censured for misgovernment and corruption and said that in retrospect he was astonished at his own moderation. Committed suicide.

Columbus, Christopher (1451 – 1506) Genoese navigator who discovered Cuba (the New World) in 1492. Made four trips to New World but never realized he had found a new continent. Died in poverty.

Confucius (K’ung Fu-tzu) (c551 – 479) Chinese philosopher who preached absolute justice and moderation. The Analects are his collected sayings. Confucianism has been the greatest influence upon Chinese thinking.

Cook, James (1728 – 1779) British navigator. First person to sail south of Antarctic Circle. Explored Pacific, charting coasts of New Zealand and Australia. Died in a scuffle in Hawaii.

Cortes, Hernando (1485 – 1547) Greatest Spanish Conquistadore , who conquered Mexico (the Aztecs) in 1519 – 1521 with a mere 550 men. He ruled as governor until 1530.

Cromwell, Oliver (1599 – 1658) Leader of the Roundhead (Parliamentary) faction in the civil war in England. Brilliant soldier and great statesman. Had Charles I executed and ruled as Lord Protector of England (1653 – 658).

Cyrus (600 – 529) King of Persia and founder of the Persian empire. He overthrew Croesus and conquered Babylon, freeing the Jews from captivity there.

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Danton, Georges Jacques (1759 – 1794) Lawyer and revolutionary who became a leader in the French Revolution of 1789. He helped organize the Reign of Terror and was himself guillotined by Robespierre.

Darwin, Charles Robert (1809 – 1882) English naturalist whose major work, The Origin of Species , proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. This was utterly opposed to the ideas of the Church and caused major controversy.

Davy, Sir Humphry (1778 – 1829) English chemist who was also an important inventor, best remembered for his miners’ (Davy) lamp. Using electrolysis he isolated potassium, sodium, barium, strontium and magnesium. Proved chlorine to be an element.

De Gaulle, Charles (1890 – 1970) French general and statesman. Only French soldier who successfully withstood the German panzer tank tactics of 1940. After the fall of France in 1940 he organized the Free French movement from London. President of France from 1945 – 1946 and during the important period from 1956 – 1969, with a new constitution (the Fifth Republic). Granted full independence to France’s African colonies in 1960 and ended the war in Algeria in 1962. Retired from politics.

Drake, Sir Francis (1543 – 1596) English adventurer, plundered Spanish settlements in America. Sailed round the world in 1577 – 1580. Burned a Spanish fleet at Cadiz in 1587 and helped to defeat Spanish Armeda in 1588. He died in the West Indies.

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Edward, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376) Son of Edward III, he ‘won his spurs’ at the Battle of Crecy . Regarded as the greatest knight of his age. He died a year before his father and his son became king of England as Richard II.

Einstein, Albert (1879 – 1955) German – born theoretical physicist, made greatest scientific advances since Newton over 200 years earlier. In 1905 used quantum theory to explain photoelectric effect, produced famous E = mc2 equation relating mass to energy, explained Browning movement thus confirming atomic theory of matter, and expounded special theory of relativity. Published general theory of relativity in 1916 (replaced Newton’s gravitational theory) and unified field theory in 1929. Became Swiss citizen 1901, American 1940 (as a Jew could not work in Germany in 1930s). Reluctantly persuaded President Roosevelt to begin atomic research 1939. Fought for world peace. Nobel physics prize 1921.

Ericsson, Lief (cad 970 – ?) Viking explorer who crossed the northern Atlantic about 1000 to found the colonies of ‘Woodland’ and ‘Vinland’ – possibly Newfoundland and Maryland.

Eugene of Savoy, Prince (1663 – 1736) Austrian general, born in France, who with Marlborough won many victories against the French in the War of Spanish Succession. Napoleon considered him to be one of the greatest generals of all time.

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Ford, Henry (1863 – 1947) American car manufacturer who pioneered methods of mass production to make cheap cars.

Fox, Charles James (1749 – 1806) British politician, arch opponent of George III, rival to Pitt. One of few British parliamentarians to support the French Revolution.

Franklin, Benjamin (1706 – 1790) American statesman and scientist and one of the founding fathers of the USA. He invented bifocal glasses and the lightning conductor.

Frederick II, the Great (1712 – 1786) King of Prussia from 1740, brilliant general. Fought Empress Maria Theresa in War of Austrian Succession. Skilled flautist.

Freud, Sigmund (1856 – 1939) Austrian psychiatrist whose theories of the conscious and subconscious mind and infantile sexuality have had a major influence upon modern psychiatry.

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Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (1869 – 1948) Indian Lawyer, ascetic, and Hindu spiritual leader; worked for independence from Britain, largely by non-violent civil disobedience; jailed several times; assassinated by Hindu fanatic because he preached peace with Muslims. Known as Mahatma, qreat soul.

Garibaldi, Giuseppe (1807 – 1882) Italian patriot who played a major part in the struggle to bring about the unification of Italy (1861). His most famous feat was the conquest of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1860 with 1000 men (Redshirts). Twice tried to conquer Rome (1862 – 1867). Fought for France (1870 – 1871). Member of Italian parliament (1874).

Gladstone, William Ewart (1809 – 1898) British Liberal statesman who was four times prime minister of Britain. Failed in several attempts to persuade Parliament to agree to Home Rule for Ireland. When, as an old man in 1894, he went to resign, Queen Victoria, who disliked him, kept him standing throughout the interview.

Goebbels, Joseph Paul (1897 – 1945) Chief of propaganda in Nazi Germany. He perfected a number of propaganda techniques. Close friend of Hitler, committed suicide.

H
Hammurabi the Great (1800 BC) Sixth king of the first Babylonian dynasty, he conquered all Mesopotamia. He was a great builder and his code of laws was not surpassed until Roman times.

Hannibal (247 – 183) Greatest of Carthaginian soldiers and statesmen. Crossed the Alps (with elephants) to invade Italy, where he defeated the Romans in many battles. He was, himself, defeated at Zama in 202 by the Romans and was later exiled. He committed suicide so as not to fall into Roman hands.

Harun-al-Raschid (? – AD 809) Caliph of Baghdad from 786-809, he was one of the greatest and most splendid of the Abbasid rulers made famous through the pages of the Arabian Nights.

Herodotus (c484 – 424) Greek traveller and writer, called the ‘Father of History’. Recorded customs, manners and traditions of peoples in places he visited. St was Herodotus who described Egypt as The Gift of the Nile’.

Homer (c850 BC) Traditionally a Greek poet , author of the lliad and the Odyssey, though nothing certain is known of him.

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Ivan IV, the Terrible (1530 – 1584) First tsar of ail Russia. Became ruler 1533, assumed personal power 1546. Vicious and cruel, had many people murdered and tortured. Developed religious mania murdered eldest son, repented and became a monk on his death bed.

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Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) (1412 – 1431) The peasant girl who ‘heard voices’ and led the French armies against the English in the Hundred Years’ War. She was burnt as a witch by the English,

Johnson, Samuel (1709 – 1784) English writer and debater who was renowned as a wit. He produced his Dictionary in 1755. One of the most famous biographies was Boswell’s Life of Johnson,

Justinian I (483 – 565) Last great Roman emperor, he became emperor of the eastern empire in 526 at Constantinople, and reconquered much of the old western empire (Italy).which was then in the hands of the barbarians.

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Kenyatta, Jomo (c1883 – 1978) Kenyan nationalist leader who spent much of his life campaigning for Kenyan independence from British rule. His book Facing Mount Kenya was a landmark in African nationalism. He became the first prime minister and then president of an independent Kenya (1963). He died in office in 1978.

Kitchener, Horatio Herbert (1850 – 1916) Governor-general Sudan, recapturing Khartoum from Muslim fanatics. British soldier who won the battle of Omdurman in 1898. Became c-in-c in South Africa during the Boer War (1900) and was secretary of state for war in 1914. His features became famous on the first World War poster ‘Your Country Needs You’. Drowned when ship hit mine.

L
Lawrence, Thomas Edward (1888 – 1935) British archaeologist soldier and author who helped to organize the Arab revolt against Turkey in Arabia in 1917. Became famous (and lionized) as Lawrence of Arabia. Wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom and The Mint

Lenin, Vladimir (1870 – 1924) Russian revolutionary who was exiled from Russia from 1895-1917. He founded the Bolshevik (later the Communist) party. Allowed across Germany in a sealed train after the February Revolution, he then led the October Revolution. Fell ill and lost control of government in 1922. Succeeded by Stalin in 1924.

Leo the Great (? – AD 461) First great pope who obtained from the Emperor Valentinian III an edict to the effect that papal decisions had the force of law. He was traditionally credited with stopping Attila the Hun’s westward advance.

Livingstone, David (1813 – 1873) Scottish missionary and explorer of Africa who became a hero to Victorian England. After crossing the Kalahari Desert and travelling down the River Zambesi, he sought sources of Congo and Nile rivers. Feared lost he was found by Stanley. In a famous speech to Cambridge undergraduates he called upon them to go out as missionaries to Africa and a generation was to follow his advice. Died still exploring.

Loyola, St Ignatius (1491 – 1556) Basque nobleman, soldier and theologian. After being wounded in battle, experienced religious conversion that led to his founding Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

M
Mao Tse-tung (1893 – 1976) Chinese Communist leader who defeated the Nationalists, under Chiang Kai-shek, in 1949 to rule all China. His revolutionary method was constantly to upset the Chinese establishment and after his death the Maoist notion of continuous cultural revolution was rejected.

Maria Theresa (1717 – 1780) Austrian empress of Holy Roman empire from 1740. Defended her right to the throne in the War of Austrian Succession, 1740 – 1748. Her husband, Francis of Lorraine, was recognized as emperor in 1748.

Marx, Karl (1818 – 1883) German Jewish philospher who in his writings laid the foundations of Communism. In 1848 (with Engels) he published the Communist Manifesto. His doctrine in Das Kapital (1867) revolutionized political thinking.

More, Sir Thomas (1478 – 1535) English lawyer and statesman who was made chancellor by Henry VIII. His Utopia describes an ideal society. He refused to recognize the king as head of the Church and was executed for treason. Declared a saint in 1935.

N
Nasser, Gamal Abdel (1918 – 1970) Egyptian revolutionary and army officer. Helped depose King Farouk (1952). While president from 1956 tried to modernize country, Nationalized Suez Canal.

Nehru, Jawahalal (1889 – 1964) Indian statesman who played a leading part in the nationalist struggle to gain independence from Britain. Prime minister of India from 1 947-1964. He was one of the founders of the political movement known as Non-Alignment.

Nelson, Horatio (1758 – 1805) British naval hero, lost eye and arm in battle. Destroyed French fleet at Battle of Nile (1798), won Battle of Copenhagen (1801), destroyed another French fleet at Trafalgar (1805), dying in moment of victory. Created viscount, 1801. Liaison with Emma, Lady Hamilton, a public scandal.

Nero (37 – 68) Roman emperor from 54 to 68. Rebuilt city after the great fire and was wrongly depicted by later Christian writers as playing the lyre while Rome burnt. He led a dissolute private life and committed suicide in 68 when the army revolted.

Nightingale, Florence (1820 – 1910) English reformer, became nurse. Against great opposition she organized nursing reforms during the Crimean War when she became known as the ”Lady with the Lamp’. Her system of sanitary barrack hospitals was to be adopted worldwide.

Nkrumah, Kwame (1909 – 1972) Gold Coast nationalist, he founded the Convention People’s Party and became the country’s first prime minister at independence and then its first president when Ghana became a republic in 1960. He was ousted in a coup in 1966 and died in exile in Guinea. He was the author of several books the most important of which was / Speak of Freedom.

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Park, Mungo (1771 – 1806) Scottish explorer who twice went to west Africa in search of the source of the Niger. In 1806, while travelling down the Niger, he was drowned at Bussa.

Pasteur, Louis (1822 – 1895) French chemist, established bacteriology as science – devised method of gentle heating (pasteurization) to kill micro-organisms in wine and beer. Showed air to contain spores of living organisms. Proposed germ theory of disease. Developed inoculation of animals against anthrax and rabies.

Pericles (495 – 429) Greatest Athenian of its ‘golden age’, he led Athens from 460 to 430 and was responsible for making Athens the ‘most beautiful city in the world’. He died in 429 of the plague. Known as the ‘father of democracy’.

Pizarro, Francisco (1474 – 1541) One of the greatest of the Spanish Conquistadores, he conquered the Inca empire of Peru in 1 528 with only 180 men. Assassinated.

Plato (427 – 347) Greek philosopher who was a pupil of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. Enshrined his philosophy in his Dialogues. Platonism, stressing idea of the good rather than material appearances, has had a profound influence upon philosophy.

Polo, Marco (1254 – 1324) Venetian merchant who travelled to the court of the great Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan in Cathay (China). Returned to Venice in 1295, after 24-year absence, a wealthy man. Described journeys in Travels which astonished Europe of his day.

Ptolemy I Sotor (? – 283bc) Half-brother to Alexander the Great and one of his most trusted generals. Ptolemy took Egypt as his ‘share’ of Alexander’s empire when Alexander died and founded the Ptolemaic line of pharaohs which lasted until the time of Julius Caesar.

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Raleigh, Sir Walter (1552 – 1618) English soldier and courtier who established the first colony of Virginia and introduced the habit of smoking to England. Explored Guiana region of South America and was executed by James I after failing to find gold.

Rhodes, Cecil John (1853 – 1902) British statesman. As a young man went out to South Africa for his health. He made a fortune in diamonds, became prime minister of Cape colony and created Rhodesia between 1890 and 1895. His dream was a Cape to Cairo railway through British-controlled territory in Africa. Disgraced over Jameson Raid in Transvaal (1896).

Richelieu, Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis (1585 – 1642) French statesman who became the first minister of Louis XIII from 1624 – 1642 and virtually ruled France. He curbed the old nobility, broke the independent power of the Huguenots and extended France’s boundaries and power in Europe.

Robespierre, Maximilien (1758 – 1794) Leader of the Jacobins in the French Revolution, became the most important figure in the ‘Reign of Terror’. Almost a dictator for a time, he himseif was denounced and guillotined.

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (1884 – 1945) Four times president of the USA, he was responsible for the New Deal in the 1930s to help end the Great Depression. He led his country through the Second World War until his death in 1945. He was a polio victim and spent his last years in a wheelchair.

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Savonarola, Girolamo (1452 – 1498) Italian priest who denounced the corruption of Florentine society, led a rebellion against Pope Alexander VI. Captured and executed for sedition and heresy.

Shaka (1787 – 1828) He became king of the Zulus in 1818 and devised new military strategy and new weapons, creating a standing Zulu army of impis (regiments). His military conquests caused a dispersal of his people that had widespread effects throughout southern Africa.

Shakespeare, William (1564 – 1616) England’s greatest dramatist whose plays and poetry have had a profound effect upon the English language and have been translated into most languages in the world.

Smuts, Jan Christian (1870 – 1950) Boer general in the Boer War of 1899-1902, he was twice prime minister of South Africa and a supporter of the connection with Britain.

Stuart, Charles Edward (1720 – 1788) Known as the ‘Young Pretender’ to the British crown. Son of James Edward Stuart and grandson of King James II. Led the unsuccessful 1745 invasion of Scotland in an attempt to bring about a Jacobite rebellion against the Hanoverian dynasty. Defeated at Culloden (1746), lived rest of his life in exile.

Sun Yat-sen (1866 – 1925) Chinese revolutionary who overthrew the Manchu dynasty and turned China into a republic. He was president of China from 1921 to his death.

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Tamerlane (1336 – 1405) Name means Timur the Lame. He created a huge Mongol empire from Turkey to India and north to Moscow. A brilliant soldier, he was feared for his ruthlessness.

Toussaint L’Ouverture, Pierre Dominique (1743 – 1803) Haitian liberator, born of African slave parents, became leader of French republican rebels. Gained control of island and ruled well until overthrown by French military intervention (1802).

Trotsky, Leon (Lev Davidovich Bronstein; 1879 – 1940) Russian revolutionary. Minister under Lenin (1917). Organized Red Army in civil war of 1918-1921. Opposed Stalin – exiled 1929. Assassinated by a Stalin agent in Mexico.

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Victor Emmanuel II (1820 – 1878) King of Sardinia. Leader in war against Austria and struggle for unification of Italy. First king of Italy (from 1861) guided by Cavour, his chief minister.

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Walpole, Sir Robert (1676 – 1745) Britain’s first and one of her longest serving prime ministers (1721-1742). His general motto was ‘let sleeping dogs lie’.

Wesley, John (1703 – 1791) English evangelist who rode thousands of miles in England on preaching tours. He was the founder of the Methodist Church.

Wilberforce, William (1759 – 1833) English reformer and evangelist who spent his life campaigning to end the slave trade and slavery. Achieved it in 1833.

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Zoroaster (Zarathustra; c660 BC) Persian who founded the religion of Zoroastrianism – said to have written its sacred book, Avesta.