NOTABLE PEOPLE

OF MEDIEVAL
PERIOD
GROUP IV
ALFRED THE GREAT
 Occupation: King of Wessex
 Born: 849 in Wantage, England
 Died: 899 in Winchester, England
 Reign: 871 - 899
 Best known for: Establishing peace with the Vikings and building the Kingdom of
England

Early Life
Alfred was born in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex which was located in the
southwest of England. Alfred's father, Aethelwulf, was king of Wessex and Alfred grew up
as a prince. He had four older brothers, however, so it was doubtful that he would ever
be king.

Alfred was an intelligent child who loved to learn and memorize poems. He traveled to
Rome as a child where he met the pope. The pope anointed Alfred as an honorary
consul of Rome.

After Alfred's father died in 858, his brother Aethebald became king. Over the next
several years each of his brothers died until his last elder brother, Aethelred, was
crowned king.
Fighting the Vikings
Becoming King
Burning of the Cakes Legend
Peace with the Vikings
Ruling as King
Death
CONTIBUTIONS

LITERATURE
LAW
LEARNING
Interesting Facts about Alfred the Great
 He is the only English ruler to be called "the Great".
 Alfred divided his army into two groups. One group
would stay home with their families while the other group
guarded the borders from Viking raids.
 Alfred was called "King of the English" on his coins.
 Alfred captured London in 886 and rebuilt much of the
city.
 Legend says that Alfred once disguised himself as a
minstrel and snuck into a Viking war camp to spy on
them.
 Despite being very courageous and a great leader,
Alfred was physically a sickly and frail man. He struggled
with illness most of his life.
CHARLEMAGNE
 Occupation: King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor
 Born: April 2, 742 in Liege, Belgium
 Died: January 28, 814 in Aachen, Germany
 Best known for: Founding father of the French and German Monarchies

Charlemagne becomes King of the Franks

Charlemagne was son of Pepin the Short, King of the Franks.

Pepin had begun the rule of the Carolingian Empire and the
golden age of the Franks. When Pepin died he left the empire to
his two sons, Charlemagne and Carloman. There would likely
have been war between the two brothers eventually, but
Carloman died leaving Charlemagne to be King
Franks
Charlemagne Expands
the Kingdom
Holy Roman Emperor
Government and
Reforms
Fun Facts about Charlemagne
He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on
Christmas Day.
Charlemagne was illiterate, but he believed
strongly in education and enabling his people to
be able to read and write.
He was married to five different women during
his lifetime.
He is nicknamed the "Father of Europe" as the
founding father of both the French and the
German Monarchies
He left his empire to his son Louis the Pious.
GENGHIS KHAN
 Occupation: Supreme Khan of the Mongols
 Reign: 1206 to 1227
 Born: 1162
 Died: 1227
 Best known for: Founder of the Mongol Empire

Early Life
Genghis Khan grew up on the harsh cold plains of Mongolia. His name as a boy was
Temujin, which meant "finest steel". His father, Yesugai, was the khan (like a chief) of
their tribe. Even though life was difficult, Temujin enjoyed his childhood years. He rode
horses from a young age and enjoyed hunting with his brothers
Married
Betrayed
Building an Army
Revenge on the Tartars
A Brilliant General
Leader
Conquests
Muslim Lands
Death
CONTRIBUTIONS
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND
PROMOTED TRADE
EDUCATION
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
ESTABLISH THE LARGEST LAND
EMPIRE IN HISTORY
Interesting Facts about Genghis Khan
 Despite being one of the most powerful rulers in the world,
he preferred to live in a tent called a yurt.
 The Mongols used a similar system to the Pony Express to
carry messages quickly throughout the empire.
 His four favorite sons were Ogedei, Tolui, Chagatai, and
Jochi. Tolui's son was Kublai Khan who would conquer all of
China and establish the Yuan Dynasty.
 He once said that "conquering the world on horseback is
easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard."
 One of his greatest generals was Jebe. Jebe was once an
enemy who shot Genghis in battle with an arrow. Genghis
was so impressed he spared Jebe's life. Jebe's nickname
became "The Arrow".
JOAN OF ARC
Occupation: Military Leader
Born: 1412 in Domremy, France
Died: May 30, 1431 Rouen, France
Best known for: Leading the French against the
English in the Hundred Years War at a young age

Joan of Arc grew up in a small town in France. Her

father, Jacques, was a farmer who also worked as an
official for the town. Joan worked on the farm and
learned how to sew from her mother, Isabelle. Joan
was also very religious.
Visions from God
Journey to King Charles VII
Siege of Orleans
King Charles is Crowned
Captured
Trial and Death
CONTRIBUTIONS

CHRISTIANITY
WOMEN RIGHTS
 Interesting Facts about Joan of Arc
 When King Charles first met Joan he dressed as a courtier to try and fool
Joan. Joan, however, immediately approached the king and bowed to
him.
 When Joan traveled she cut her hair and dressed to look like a man.
 King Charles of France, who Joan had helped to reclaim his throne, did
nothing to help her once she was captured by the English.
 In 1920, Joan of Arc was proclaimed a Saint of the Catholic Church.
 Her nickname was "The Maid of Orleans".
 It is said that Joan knew she would be wounded in the Battle of Orleans.
She also predicted that something bad would happen at the city of
Compiegne where she was captured.
JUSTINIAN I
 Occupation: Emperor of Byzantium
 Born: 482 in Macedonia
 Died: 565 in Constantinople
 Reign: 527 - 565
 Best known for: The Golden Age of Byzantium and the Justinian Code of Law
 Unlike most of the great rulers during the Middle Ages, Justinian was not born
into a royal family. He was born to a peasant woman named Vigilantia in the
Macedonian town of Tauresium. Fortunately for Justinian, his uncle Justin was a
rising star in the emperor's imperial guard. Justin adopted Justinian and had him
move to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. There Justinian
received a good education learning how to read and write as well as law and
history.

Justinian's uncle was an ambitious man. He became very close to the emperor
and gathered many strong allies. When the emperor died without an heir in 518,
Justin seized the position of emperor. Justinian soon became one of his Uncle
Justin's chief advisors and generals.
Marrying Theodora
Becoming Emperor
Expanding the Empire
Justinian Code
Building, Religion, and the Arts
Chariot Race Riots
Death
 Interesting Facts about Justinian I
He introduced new laws that protected both
slaves and women.
There was a horrible plague in Constantinople
during the 540s. Justinian got sick, but managed
to recover.
He was the last Roman emperor to speak Latin.
Because of his hard work he was sometimes
called the "emperor who never sleeps."
MARCO POLO
Occupation: Explorer and Traveler
Born: Venice, Italy in 1254
Died: January 8, 1324 Venice, Italy
Best known for: European traveler to China
and the Far East

Marco was born in Venice, Italy in 1254.

Venice was a wealthy trading city and
Marco's father was a merchant.
The Silk Road
When did he first travel to
China?
Where did he travel?
Living in China
How do we know about Marco
Polo?
 Fun Facts
 The Travels of Marco Polo was also called Il Milione or "The Million".
 The Polo's traveled home in a fleet of ships that also carried a princess who
was to marry a prince in Iran. The journey was dangerous and only 117 of
the 700 original travelers survived. This included the princess who made it
to Iran safely.
 Some have speculated that Marco made up much of his adventures.
However, scholars have checked his facts and believe many of them are
likely true.
 During the time when the Mongols and Kublai Khan ruled China,
merchants were able to elevate themselves in Chinese society. During
other dynasties merchant were considered lowly and looked down upon
as parasites on the economy.
 Marco had to travel across the great Gobi Desert to get to China. It took
months to cross the desert and it was said to be haunted by spirits.
SAINT FRANCIS ASSISI
 Occupation: Catholic Friar
 Born: 1182 in Assisi, Italy
 Died: 1226 in Assisi, Italy
 Best known for: Founding the Franciscan Order

 Saint Francis of Assisi was a Catholic friar who gave up a

life of wealth to live a life of poverty. He established the
Franciscan Order of friars and the women's Order of the
Poor Ladies. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in 1182. He grew
up leading a privileged life as the son of a wealthy cloth
merchant. Francis loved to learn and sing songs as a boy.
His father wanted him to become a businessman and
taught him about the French culture
Going to Battle
Visions from God
The Franciscan Order
Other Orders
Love for Nature
Death
 Interesting Facts about Saint Francis of Assisi
October 4th is observed as Saint Francis feast day.
It is said that he received the stigmata two years
before he died. This was the wounds of Christ from the
cross including his hands, feet, and side.
Francis traveled to the Holy Lands during
the Crusades hoping to conquer the Muslims with love
rather than war.
Francis set up the first known Nativity scene to
celebrate Christmas in 1220.
He believed that actions were the best example,
telling his followers to "Preach the Gospel at all times
and when necessary use words."
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
 Occupation: King of England
 Born: 1028 in Normandy, France
 Died: 1087 in Normandy, France
 Reign: 1066 - 1087
 Best known for: Leading the Norman Conquest of England
 William was born in 1028 in the city of Falaise which was part of the
Duchy of Normandy. His father was the powerful Robert I, Duke of
Normandy, but his mother was the daughter of a local tanner. His
parents weren't married, making William an illegitimate child.
Despite being an illegitimate child, William grew up and was
raised as the future Duke of Normandy. When William was seven
years old, his father decided to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Since William was his only son, Robert assembled his nobles and
had them swear that William would be his heir should he die.
When Robert died on his return trip from Jerusalem, William was
made Duke of Normandy.
Duke of Normandy
Marriage
Invading England
Battle of Hastings
Becoming King of England
Anglo-Saxon Revolts
 Building Castles
Domesday Book
Death
 Interesting Facts about William the Conqueror
 Even when he was king of England he spent most of his time in
Normandy.
 William's wife Matilda was only 4 feet 2 inches tall.
 Unlike many monarchs of his day, it is thought that William
remained faithful to his wife.
 To conquer England William gathered men from Normandy,
France, and even other countries in Europe. He promised them
land in England for their service.
 He rode into battle riding a black stallion that had been given
to him by the King of Spain.
 When William was crowned king the English nobles attending
the ceremony shouted their approval. Unfortunately, William's
soldiers outside the abbey thought it was an attack. They
began to burn down the nearby buildings.
QUEEN ELIZABETH OF YORK
Occupation: Queen of England

Born: September 7, 1533 in Greenwich,

England

Died: March 24, 1603 in Richmond, England

Reign: 1486-1503

Best known for: Rulling England for 44 years

Growing Up as a Princess
King Henry wanted a Boy
No Longer a Princess
Her Father dies
Sister to the Queen
From prisoner to Queen
Being Queen
Plots Against the Queen
War with Spain
The Elizabeth Age
Death