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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9 results
Harald Hardrada
1015–1066OtherNorway
A Norwegian king and seasoned warrior, Harald Hardrada pursued power across Europe before launching the last major Viking invasion of England in 1066.
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Harold Godwinson
1022–1066EuropeUnited Kingdom
He fought one battle in the north of England, marched his exhausted army two hundred miles south, fought another battle the same week, and died with an arrow in his eye.
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Henry I
1068–1135EuropeUnited Kingdom
He had more than twenty illegitimate children, lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, and spent the rest of his reign trying to solve a succession crisis that would outlast him.
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Henry II
1133–1189EuropeUnited Kingdom
He was England's most capable medieval king — and one remark he made in anger led to the murder of his closest friend in a cathedral, a crisis from which he never fully recovered.
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Henry III
1207–1272EuropeUnited Kingdom
He reigned for fifty-six years and spent much of that time in conflict with his own barons — a struggle that produced the first English parliament, though that wasn't what anyone intended.
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Henry IV
1367–1413EuropeUnited Kingdom
He seized the crown from his cousin, spent the rest of his reign defending it against the consequences, and died before his son could show what he had really inherited.
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Henry V
1386–1422EuropeUnited Kingdom
He led a small, sick, exhausted army across northern France and destroyed a much larger force at Agincourt — a victory so unlikely that people have been trying to explain it ever since.
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Henry VIII
1491–1547EuropeUnited Kingdom
He wanted a divorce, couldn't get one through the usual channels, and ended up breaking with Rome and remaking England's relationship with Christianity to get what he wanted.
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Hernan Cortes
1485–1547EuropeSpain
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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