Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Roman Britain | |
~ 54 BC |
Celtic chieftain in Britain who resisted the invasion of Julius Caesar. |
d. 61 |
Queen of the Iceni. Led the largest revolt of Celtic Britons against the Romans. |
Dark Ages | |
~ 488 |
King of the Britons. Usurped the throne from rightful heir. Invited Hengist and Horsa to settle Britain. |
~ 500 |
Knight of the Round Table. Considered the noblest and worthiest of knights. |
~ 500 |
Knight of the Round Table. Famous for his encounter with the Green Giant. |
460–510 |
Legendary king of the Britons. |
~ 500 |
Knight of the Round table. Raised in the woods by mother who didn't want him to be a knigtht. |
d. 488 |
Two Jute princes were invited to Britain in order to help fight the Picts. |
British Saints | |
d. 304 |
First martyr of England. Killed for hiding a priest in his home. |
389–461 |
Kidnapped as a child and brought to Ireland, returned later to spread Christianity. |
451–525 |
Patron saint of Ireland (with Patrick). Founded a monastery at Kildare in Ireland. |
d. 604 |
Sent by St. Gregory to Britain to preach to the Saxons. Converted Ethelbert. |
539–612 |
Christian princess who married the Saxon king, Ethelbert. Helped convert him to Christianity. |
552–616 |
First Christian Saxon King. Invited St. Augustine to Kent to preach in Britain. |
634–687 |
Bishop at Lisdisfarne. Helped to unify the Celtic and Roman Churches. |
672–735 |
Monk at Jarrow. Scholar and author of The Ecclesiastical History of English People. |
~ 540 |
Early Christian missionary to Scotland. |
521–597 |
Missionary who helped to christianize Scotland. Founded a monastery on Iona in Scotland. |
275–303 |
Patron saint of England. Soldier who killed a dragon and died a martyr's death. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Saxons | |
770–837 |
United the Saxon and Angle kingdoms in a federation to resist the Danes. |
849–899 |
Noblest of Saxon kings. Fought the Danes and made peace. Built churches and schools. |
895–939 |
Grandson of King Alfred. Fought the Danes and Celts at the Battle of Brunanburh. |
~ 960 |
Saxon queen, wife of Edgar, mother of Athelred the Unready. Thought to be involved in her stepson's murder. |
909–988 |
Influential archbishop at the court of Edgar of England. |
968–1016 |
Acsended to the Saxon throne at a young age, ruled poorly and was unable to effectively resist the Danes. |
988–1016 |
Eldest son of Aethelred the Unready, fought Canute for the throne, but then died. |
1001–1053 |
Very influential Earl of Wessex during reigns of Canute and Edward the Confessor. Father of Harold. |
~ 1066 |
Saxon rebel who led resistance to William the Conqueror for many years. |
1022–1066 |
Son of Godwin. Ascended to the Saxon throne when Edward the Confessor died childless. |
1026–1066 |
Brought an army of Vikings to fight his brother, Harold Godwinson, at Stamford Bridge. |
1004–1066 |
Last Saxon king of the Wessex line. Raised in Normandy, befriended William the Conqueror. |
1045–1093 |
Wife of Malcolm III of Scotland. Pius and noble Queen. Mother of Maude the Good. |
1080–1118 |
Scottish wife of Henry I. Grandmother of Henry II. Patron and benefactor to poor of England. |
Danes | |
d. 890 |
Danish king defeated by Alfred the Great. Agreed to become Christian and settle in England. |
994–1035 |
Danish king of Britain who ruled well. Married Emma, the wife of his enemy, Ethelred the Unready. |
Normans | |
988–1052 |
Norman princess, wife first of Aethelred, then of Canute. Mother of Edward the Confessor. |
1028–1087 |
Claimed the crown of England and won it at the Battle of Hastings. Ruled forcefully but justly. |
1056–1100 |
Son of William the Conqueror. A bad and brutal king. Killed in the New Forest. |
1033–1109 |
Archbishop of Canterbury under William Rufus and Henry I. Feuded with both kings. |
1068–1135 |
Son of William the conqueror. Competent king who reigned for 35 years. Left throne to Matilda. |
1096–1154 |
Grandson of William the Conquer. Usurped the throne from Matilda. Was profligate and weak. |
1102–1167 |
Daughter of Henry I. Fought her cousin Stephen for the throne. Her son Henry II won the crown. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Henry II and Sons | |
1133–1189 |
Reclaimed kingdoms in England and Normandy after chaotic reign of Stephen. Founded Plantagenet dynasty. |
1122–1204 |
Wife of Henry II, queen of Aquitaine. Led dramatic, adventurous life. |
1118–1170 |
Appointed Archbishop by Henry II, but strove for an independent church. Martyred. |
1157–1199 |
Son of Henry II. Spent almost his entire reign crusading and fighting in France. |
~ 1200 |
Leader of a legendary band of benevolent bandits who stole from rich and gave to the poor. |
1167–1216 |
Wicked king, murdered his nephew and usurped throne. Forced to sign the Magna Carta. |
1150–1228 |
Archbishop who rallied opposition to king John and forced him to sign Magna Carta. |
1197–1253 |
Appointed by the Pope against the wishes of Henry III. Faithful servant of the poor. |
1207–1272 |
Blundering king whose government lay largely in the hands of Simon de Montfort throughout his reign. |
1208–1265 |
French nobleman who led resistance to Henry III and laid foundations of English Parliament. |
Edward I, II, III and Richard II | |
1239–1307 |
Competent and decisive king of England. Reformed government, pacified Wales and Scotland. Ruled 35 years. |
1284–1327 |
Weak and profligate son of Edward I. Lost all his father's holdings in Scotland. |
1272–1305 |
Commoner who led resistance to Edward I's conquest of Scotland. |
1274–1329 |
Scottish nobleman who claimed the crown and led resistance to England at Bannockburn. |
1286–1330 |
Associate of Robert the Bruce. Fought in wars of Scottish Independence. |
1313–1369 |
Wife of Edward III and mother of 13. Intervened at siege of Calias in favor of citizens. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Edward III, Black Prince, and Richard II | |
1330–1376 |
Excellent general and leader who ruled alongside his father, Edward III. Victor at the Battle of Poitiers. |
1312–1377 |
Reigned for nearly 50 years. Invaded France, and won the Battles of Crecy and Calias. |
d. 1381 |
Leader of a peasant rebellion during reign of Richard II. He was killed during talks. |
1335–1384 |
Early proponent of reform in the Catholic Church. Favored power of state over church. |
1340–1400 |
Wrote the first widely read epic poem in the English language, Canterbury Tales. |
1367–1400 |
Son of the Black Prince. Reigned after Edward III. Deposed by Henry Bolingbroke. |
Henry IV, V, and VI (Lancasters) | |
1367–1413 |
Son of John of Gaunt. Assumed the throne after Richard II was deposed. |
1359–1416 |
Last Welshman to be crowned Prince of Wales. He led an unsuccessful Welsh revolt. |
1387–1422 |
Led a victorious army of longbowmen against France at Agincourt. |
d. 1450 |
Led a rebellion against Henry VI's government. Rebels looted London and many were killed. |
Edward IV and Richard III (Yorks) | |
1411–1460 |
Aspirant to the throne in the early years of War of the Roses. Killed in action with eldest son. |
1428–1471 |
Primary figure in war of the Roses. Changed sides from York to Lancaster. Killed at Barnet. |
1429–1482 |
Ruled in stead of her weak husband, Henry VI. Led armies against Yorks. Deposed after the York victory at Hexham. |
1442–1483 |
Son of the Duke of York. Became king of England when other aspirants were dead or deposed. |
1432–1485 |
On death of his brother Edward IV, he killed his nephews and usurped the throne. |
1441–1509 |
Mother of Henry Tudor. Benefactor of Cambridge University. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Tudor Monarchs | |
1457–1509 |
Descendent of John of Gaunt (a Lancaster) who fought Richard the Usurper for the throne. |
1491–1547 |
King of England famous for marrying and dispensing with six wives. |
1502–1536 |
Second wife of Henry VIII. Executed when she fell from grace. |
1537–1554 |
Young noblewoman executed for involvement in conspiracies engineered by ambitious relatives. |
1537–1553 |
Raised as a protestant, Edward's brief reign was controlled largely by his uncles, the Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland. |
1516–1558 |
Eldest daughter of Henry VIII. Tried to restore Catholicism to England. |
1533–1603 |
Led England through tumultuous age of reformation and discovery. Reigned 45 years. |
1512–1542 |
Father of Mary Stuart. He was defeated in battle and died shortly after Mary was born. |
1542–1587 |
Queen of Scotland. Deposed and exiled. Held captive and executed by Queen Elizabeth. |
Statesmen/Military | |
1471–1530 |
Rose from humble beginnings to become Chancellor of England. Stalled on Henry VIII's divorce. |
1489–1540 |
Minister under Henry VIII. who encouraged his divorce and helped dissolve the monasteries. |
1478–1543 |
Lord Chancellor under Henry VIII. Fired and later executed when he opposed Henry's divorce. |
1501–1544 |
Daughter of Thomas More. Supported him throughout his ordeal. |
1554–1586 |
Favorite of Queen Elizabeth's court. Was a poet, soldier, courtier, and adventurer. |
1532–1588 |
Favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth. Granted many favors, but not much power. |
1520–1598 |
Minister of Queen Elizabeth throughout her entire reign. |
1566–1601 |
Favorite of Queen Elizabeth. Involved in a conspiracy and died in prison. |
Exploration | |
1537–1583 |
Sea-faring adventurer. Founded the first English colony in Canada. |
1535–1594 |
Explored much of Canada in seach of the Northwest Passage. Fought in the Armada. |
1540–1596 |
Greatest sea adventurer. Sailed around the world, harassed Spanish ships. Fought in Armada. |
1550–1605 |
British explorer who sought the Northwest Passage through Canada. |
1552–1618 |
Courtier of Queen Elizabeth. Explorer, mastermind of the Jamestown colony in Virginia. |
Arts/Science/Religion | |
1564–1611 |
Greatest dramatist in the history of the English language. |
1552–1599 |
Elizabethan era poet. Wrote The Fairy Queen. |
1533–1603 |
Religious leader in Scotland who embraced Calvinism, founder of Presbyterian Church. |
1489–1556 |
Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII. Broke with Rome. Founded Anglican Church. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Stuarts | |
1566–1625 |
First Stuart king of England. Intelligent and competent, but unable to work effectively with Parliament. |
1600–1649 |
Second Stuart king. His quarrels with Parliament led to civil war and his execution. |
1630–1685 |
Restored to the throne after death of Cromwell. Presided over the great fire and plague of London. |
1633–1701 |
Catholic king of England, deposed by his daughter Mary and William III. |
1650–1702 |
King of Netherlands, called to be king of England when James II, his father-in-law, was deposed. |
1609–1669 |
Daughter of Henry IV of France, and Queen of Charles I, and mother of Charles II and James II. |
Political/Military | |
1599–1658 |
Military leader of Parliament who headed the Commonwealth government after death of Charles I. |
1599–1657 |
Military commander turned admiral who took a leading role in the Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars. |
1633–1703 |
Kept a diary during the reign of Charles II; mentions the plague, the great fire, and much else. |
1593–1641 |
Minister of Charles I and governor of Ireland. Impeached and executed by Parliament. |
1636–1723 |
Wife of Lord Russell, who was executed for opposing the restoration of Charles II. |
1570–1606 |
Explosives expert of the infamous "Gunpowder Plot" to blow up Parliament. |
Arts and Sciences | |
1561–1626 |
Chancellor of England, and advocate of the scientific method of experiment and induction. |
1608–1674 |
John Milton was friend of Cromwell and a poet. His most famous work was Paradise Lost. |
1642–1727 |
Outstanding scientist. Made important breakthroughs in physics, optics, and mathematics. |
Exploration | |
1575–1611 |
Explorer who discovered Hudson Bay and other parts of North America. |
1580–1631 |
Adventurer, leader and early settler at Jamestown. Befriended Pocahontas. |
Religion | |
1573–1645 |
Governed the Church of England during the reign of Charles I. Very unpopular with parliament. |
1624–1691 |
Founder of the 'Society of Friends,' better known as Quakers. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Early Kings and Heroes | |
800–859 |
United the Scots and the Picts into a single kingdom, reigned as first King of 'Alban' or Scotland. |
1005–1057 |
Murdered Duncan, the rightful king of Scotland. Ruled until he was murdered by MacDuff. |
1030–1093 |
Long reigning King of Scotland, married St. Margaret, befriended Saxon exiles from Normans. |
1241–1286 |
Last direct descendant of Malcolm Canmore. His death ushered in years of turmoil in Scotland. |
1272–1305 |
Commoner who led resistance to Edward I's conquest of Scotland. |
1274–1329 |
Scottish nobleman who claimed the crown and led resistance to England at Bannockburn. |
1286–1330 |
Associate of Robert the Bruce. Fought in wars of Scottish Independence. |
1248–1297 |
Appointed King of Scotland by Edward I on the condition that he surrender Scotland's independence. |
1312–1369 |
Favorite Scottish heroine who opposed the English, with great flair, during the Scottish war of Independence. |
Stuart Kings | |
1394–1437 |
King of Scotland, who as also a poet. Imprisoned for many years by the King of England. |
1430–1460 |
King of Scots who brought rebel Barons under control. Destroyed power of Black Douglases. Died at Roxburgh. |
1452–1488 |
Weak ruler of Scotland who tried to make alliances with England, but was unpopular with nobles. |
1473–1513 |
Strong and effective ruler of Scotland. Brought the Barons under control. Died at Flodden Field. |
1512–1542 |
Father of Mary Stuart. He was defeated in battle and died shortly after Mary was born. |
1542–1587 |
Queen of Scotland. Deposed and exiled. Held captive and executed by Queen Elizabeth. |
saints | |
~ 540 |
Early Christian missionary to Scotland. |
521–597 |
Missionary who helped to christianize Scotland. Founded a monastery on Iona in Scotland. |
1045–1093 |
Wife of Malcolm III of Scotland. Pius and noble Queen. Mother of Maude the Good. |
Art, Science, Religion | |
1533–1603 |
Religious leader in Scotland who embraced Calvinism, founder of Presbyterian Church. |
1723–1790 |
Leading theorist of modern capitalism. Wrote The Wealth of Nations. |
1759–1796 |
Romantic Poet, who wrote in a Scottish dialect. National Poet of Scotland. |
1736–1819 |
Inventor of the Steam Engine, and founder of the Industrial Revolution. |
1771–1832 |
Author best known for novels set in Scotland. |
~ 1637 |
Commoner who led a rebellion against Church of England in Scotland. |
Jacobite Rebellions | |
1678–1743 |
Led royalist forces loyal to George I against the Jacobites in 1715. |
1720–1788 |
Grandson of James II, led Jacobites in bid to restore Stuarts to the throne of England. |
1722–1790 |
Heroine who help Bonnie Prince Charles escape from Scotland. |
Character/Date | Short Biography |
---|---|
Heroes | |
1275–1318 |
Declared himself king of Ireland and led a rebellion against the English governors of Ireland. |
941–1014 |
King who unified all of Ireland briefly before the Norman invasion. |
~ 1000 BC |
Legendary hero of the Irish folklore. |
1477–1534 |
Pretender to the throne of England during the reign of Henry Tudor. |
1530–1567 |
Chieftain of the O'Neill clan of Ulster, under Queen Elizabeth. |
Saints | |
389–461 |
Kidnapped as a child and brought to Ireland, returned later to spread Christianity. |
451–525 |
Patron saint of Ireland (with Patrick). Founded a monastery at Kildare in Ireland. |
521–597 |
Missionary who helped to christianize Scotland. Founded a monastery on Iona in Scotland. |
Statesmen/Imposters | |
1746–1820 |
Irish politician who strove to create and independent Irish Parliament. He resisted the Union of 1801. |
1775–1847 |
Political leader of Irish Catholics during early 19th century. Promoted Catholic Emancipation. |
1846–1891 |
Irish Catholic politician who fought for home rule for Ireland. |
Arts/Literature | |
1552–1599 |
Elizabethan era poet. Wrote The Fairy Queen. |
1667–1745 |
Poet, essayist, and satirist. Best known as author of Gulliver's Travels. |
1730–1774 |
Poet and novelist, best known for The Vicar of Wakefield |