Key Figures of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
Philosophers and Scholars
Roger Bacon: An English philosopher and Franciscan friar who emphasized the study of nature through empirical methods. He is credited as one of the earliest European advocates of the modern scientific method, inspired by Aristotle.
Geoffrey of Monmouth: A cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Known as the father of English literature, he is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages. He was the first poet to be buried in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey. He was also famed as a philosopher, alchemist, and astronomer, and had an active civil life.
Dante Alighieri: A major Italian poet of the Middle Ages. His greatest literary work is the *Divina Commedia* (Divine Comedy).
Petrarch: An Italian scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. He is often called the “Father of Humanism.”
Giovanni Boccaccio: An Italian author, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. He wrote notable books like the *Decameron*.
Humanists: Adherents to a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, preferring critical thinking and evidence.
Literary Works and Figures
Beowulf: The conventional title of an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines.
Song of Roland: A heroic poem based on the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. It is the oldest surviving major work of French literature.
Troubadour: A composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages.
Political and Military Leaders
El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar): The national hero of Spain. Born near Burgos, he became the commander and royal standard-bearer of Castile. He was famous for his military prowess.
Eleanor of Aquitaine: One of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. She became Queen of France and later, Queen of England.
Lorenzo de Medici: An Italian statesman and *de facto* ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was a diplomat, politician, and patron of scholars.
Baldassare Castiglione: Count of Casatico, an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier, and prominent Renaissance author.
Niccolo Machiavelli: An Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance.
Genghis Khan: Founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia.
Explorers and Innovators
Johann Gutenberg: A German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe. His mechanical movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period.
Marco Polo: An Italian merchant traveler from Venice whose travels are recorded in a book that introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China.
Leif Ericson: The first European to land in North America. He established a Norse settlement at Vinland.
Henry the Navigator: He was important in 15th-century Portuguese politics and in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and the Age of Discoveries. He was responsible for the early development of European exploration and maritime trade with other continents.
Christopher Columbus: An Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. He completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents.
Ferdinand Magellan: A Portuguese explorer who organized the Spanish expedition to the East Indies that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano.