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 Historical Figures
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5 results
Edward I of England
1239–1307EuropeUnited Kingdom
He was determined to bring the whole of Britain under English rule — and came close enough that Scotland has been pushing back ever since.
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Edward II of England
1284–1327EuropeUnited Kingdom
His father conquered Scotland and he lost it — at Bannockburn, against a force half the size of his own, in one of the most complete military reversals of the medieval era.
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Edward III of England
1312–1377EuropeUnited Kingdom
He started the Hundred Years' War over a claim to the French throne that even his own lawyers found unconvincing, and then made it look plausible by winning every battle for a decade.
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Edward the Confessor
1003–1066EuropeUnited Kingdom
He reigned for twenty-three years without producing an heir, and the war over who came next transformed England more completely than anything he had done while alive.
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Eleanor of Aquitaine
1122–1204EuropeFrance
She was queen of France, then queen of England, was imprisoned by her own husband, outlived him, and spent her eighties managing European diplomacy on behalf of her sons.
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