Alphabetical Index for Who's Who: A

Peter Abelard, philosopher, teacher and writer, was a significant contributor to Scholastic philosophy.

When Zeno died, his widow Ariadne selected Anastasius as the next emperor, then married him.

Pope Anastasius II was considered a heretic by his enemies.

Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was a highly influential leader of the early Christian Church.

As Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius precipitated the first notable rift between the Eastern and Western churches, known as the Acacian Schism after him.

Alaric I led the Visigoths in a sack of the city of Rome

Humanist philosopher, writer, Renaissance artist and architect, Leon Battista Alberti is considered by many scholars to be the quintessential Renaissance universal man of learning.

Albertus Magnus was a philosopher, a bishop, a prolific writer, and one of the most influential scientists of the Middle Ages.

Alcuin of York was private tutor to Charlemagne and head of the palace school at Aachen.

Alexius Comnenus was emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire at the time of the First Crusade.

Alfred (also spelled Aelfred) was the King of Wessex who resisted Danish incursion and united much of the individual English kingdoms under one rule in the process. For his military skill, his administrative acumen, his promotion of learning and his achievement in uniting virtually all of England, Alfred is the only English king to be tagged "the Great."

Byzantine Princess Anna Comnena is considered the world's first female historian.

The eldest son of Henry VII was named Arthur in a deliberate attempt to associate the Tudor family with the legendary king.