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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4 results
Thomas Becket
1119–1170EuropeUnited Kingdom
He was Henry II's closest friend and most trusted official until Henry made him Archbishop of Canterbury — and then he became the king's most implacable enemy.
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Thomas Cranmer
1489–1556EuropeUnited Kingdom
He helped Henry VIII get his first divorce, shaped the English Reformation, wrote the Book of Common Prayer, and was burned at the stake when the next monarch changed her mind about all of it.
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Thomas Cromwell
1485–1540EuropeUnited Kingdom
He rose from the son of a blacksmith to the second most powerful man in England, dismantled the monasteries, and was executed when he arranged a royal marriage that went badly.
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Timur
1336–1405OtherUZB
He claimed to be building a new Mongol Empire, destroyed cities that resisted him so thoroughly they were never rebuilt, and left a legacy that later rulers still invoked centuries after his death.
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