People
Historical Figures and Influential People in History
Explore rulers, generals, thinkers, scientists and reformers who shaped world history. Search for a specific person, or browse by era, region, country and A–Z.
Medieval Period Figures from Spain in Europe
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Francisco Pizarro
1478–1541
He arrived in Peru with 168 men, took the Inca emperor hostage at a diplomatic meeting, and used that leverage to destroy the most powerful empire in the Americas.
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Hernan Cortes
1485–1547
He arrived in Mexico without authorisation, burned his own ships to prevent retreat, and two years later was master of the most powerful empire in the Americas.
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Juan Sebastián Elcano
1486–1526
Magellan gets the credit for circumnavigating the globe — but Magellan died halfway round, and it was Elcano who brought the surviving ship home.
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Pope Alexander VI
1431–1503
He was a pope who fathered children, bribed his way to the papacy, and helped divide the entire western hemisphere between two countries — and the Church never fully disowned him.
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