History People To Know Flashcards
John Lloyd Stephens
Archeologist who discovered ancient Mayan cities in the jungle (1839 AD)
Urban II
Pope; wanted to reunite the two Christian churches
Parchacuti
First of the Inca rulers (1438-1471 AD); concentrated on exploring the empire
Empress wu
Only woman to rule china;took after husband/emperor; remembered for prosperity; improving government service, being fair to the people, and ruthless to her enemies
Wendi
Chinese General; declared himself emperor in 581 AD; established Sui dynasty unifying china
Confucius
Chinese philosopher; lived 551 BC-479BC; principles emphasized personal & governmental morality, justice and sincerity, and the importance of study; teachings
Marco Polo
Italian explorer; famous for visiting china around 1300 AD
Buddha
Means “awakened one”;Indian; lived sometime between 6th and 4th centuries BC; philosopher/teacher; ultimate goal to attain enlightenment and the sublime state of nirvana; spread throughout Asia
Genghis khan
means “strong ruler”; set ot to unify Mongol clans; created new legal code; military leader known for using extreme terror and cruel fighting; 1167 AD-1227 AD
Richard I
(Richard the Lionheart); ended the Third Crusade by singing a truce with the muslim leader Saladin
Constantine
first Roman Emperor to accept Christianity; 312 AD
King Clovis
first Germanic ruler to accept Christianity
Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer)
lead the fight at the Battle of Tours against the Muslims; historians believe the win ended the spread of Christianity throughout Europe
Charlemagne
King of the Franks; expanded kingdom in what today is known as Germany, France, Northern France, and most of Italy; defended the pope and thereby declard Emperor of Rome
King Otto
elected King of Germany by Frankish nobles; defended pope; crowned Pope of the Holy Roman Empire
vikings
invaders from the north (Scandinavia); also known as Norseman or Vikings
St Benedict of Nersia
the man most responsible for the creation of Christian monasteries in the West; 480 AD-547 AD; stressed simplicity; learning, the importance of community; and the goal of helping others
Pope Gregory VII
conflict with Emperor Henry Iv of the Holy Roman Empire over who could appoint bishops, Pope excommunicated Henry
Alfred the Great
united England; halted the Viking advance
William the Great
from France; also the Duke of Normandy; conqured England in 1066; conducted the first census to decide taxes; counted each person and animal; created doomsday book
