Articles Index
El Cid
El Cid - National Hero of Spain - Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar
The Bayeux Tapestry
This priceless artifact of the Norman Conquest details events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the battle itself.
Emperor Zeno
Zeno was emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire when the Western Roman Empire officially ended in 476.
King Henry IV of England
King Henry IV of England usurped the English crown from Richard II, beginning the Lancastrian dynasty and planting the seeds of the Wars of the Roses.
Irene of Athens
A quick profile of the first woman to rule the Byzantine Empire in her own name, Irene of Athens.
Vortigern
Vortigern was an early British chieftan who invited the Saxons to help him fight the Picts, essentially opening the door to a significant Saxon presence in England.
The Knights Templar: Warrior Monks
A concise introduction to the origins, expansion, organization and downfall of the Templars, the warrior monks who defended pilgrims in the Holy Land.
Anna Comnena
Byzantine Princess Anna Comnena is considered the world's first female historian.
Gildas
As the author of a treatise on The Ruin of Britain, Gildas may be considered the first British historian.
Albertus Magnus
Albertus Magnus was a philosopher, a bishop, a prolific writer, and one of the most influential scientists of the Middle Ages.
Geoffrey Chaucer
An introduction to the most famous English writer of the Middle Ages.
Cardinal Wolsey
The extremely influential Archbishop of York, Wolsey served Henry VIII as an advisor faithfully for nearly two decades before falling from grace, primarily for his failure to secure a divorce for the king.
Leon Battista Alberti
Humanist philosopher, writer, Renaissance artist and architect, Leon Battista Alberti is considered by many scholars to be the quintessential Renaissance universal man of learning.
Donatello
Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, called Donatello, was one of the foremost sculptors of the Italian Renaissance. He was a master of both marble and bronze, and had an extensive knowledge of ancient sculpture.
Study Questions & Further Reading
This study guide offers general information to help you learn about Charlemagne. These study questions will get you thinking about what you've learned, and the books and websites will provide additional information.
Richard de Bury
Richard de Bury wrote an extraordinary book about books.
King John of England
During his reign, King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta and lost most of England's possessions in France.
Beowulf - What You Need to Know about the Epic Poem
Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language and the earliest piece of vernacular European literature.
Margaret Paston
An ordinary individual of medieval England whose surviving letters display resilience, ingenuity and fortitude.
Vlad Dracula
The 15th-century Prince of Wallachia, Vlad Dracula, was known for his fierce defense of his homeland against the Turks and for his brutality.
Alexander Nevsky
Prince of Novgorod and Kiev and Grand Prince of Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky is best known for stopping the advance of the Swedes and the Teutonic Knights into Russia.
Edward the Confessor
The third Anglo-Saxon king by the name of Edward was an unfortunately ineffectual king. Known for his piety, he let the powerful Godwin family dominate his reign.
Alfred the Great
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."
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus made a historic voyage in 1492, searching for a westward route to the treasures of the east and instead encountering a new world.
Leif Ericsson
A profile of Leif Ericsson, the Scandinavian explorer who visited North America around the year 1000. Leif also governed Greenland and was a devout convert to Christianity.