Historical figures of the Middle Ages
The atlas holds 75 people and 1,141 moments here, from 476 to 1452. The most recorded lives are Ibn Battuta, Charlemagne and Nasir Khusraw. Among them Writers, Philosophers and Political Leaders.
Notable people
Geoffrey Chaucer
from 1359 to 1400
16 moments here
English poet, courtier, diplomat, and civil servant, best known for The Canterbury Tales. His documented career included military service in France,…
Giovanni Boccaccio
from 1313 to 1375
26 moments here
Italian writer, poet, and humanist, best known for the Decameron. His documented life moved between Florence, Naples, Romagna, papal Avignon and…
Hafez
from 1315 to 1390
2 moments here
Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez Shirazi was a Persian lyric poet. Surviving biographical evidence is notably sparse; the defensible physical-presence…
Harun al-Rashid
from 763 to 809
16 moments here
Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph, reigning from 786 to 809. Born at Ray, he led expeditions against Byzantium before becoming caliph,…
Hulegu Khan
from 1217 to 1265
15 moments here
Mongol prince, founder and first ruler of the Ilkhanate. Hulegu led the Mongol conquest of much of western Asia, including the destruction of the…
Husayn ibn Ali
from 626 to 680
12 moments here
Husayn ibn Ali was an Alid political and religious leader, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima, grandson of Muhammad, and the third Imam in Shia…
Ibn al-Haytham
from 965 to 1040
4 moments here
Ibn al-Haytham, also known in Latin as Alhazen, was an Iraqi-born mathematician, astronomer, and physicist whose documented life is chiefly…
Ibn Battuta
from 1304 to 1369
113 moments here
Maghrebi Muslim jurist, traveller, explorer, and author from Tangier. Between 1325 and 1354 he journeyed through North and East Africa, the Middle…
Ibn Khaldun
from 1332 to 1406
15 moments here
Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) was a Tunis-born historian, jurist, political official, teacher, and author of the Muqaddimah.…
Jabir ibn Hayyan
from 721 to 815
2 moments here
Jabir ibn Hayyan is the traditional name attached to a large Arabic alchemical corpus. Modern scholarship questions whether a single historical…
Joan of Arc
from 1412 to 1431
23 moments here
French visionary and military figure of the Hundred Years' War. Born at Domrémy, Joan sought the support of Charles VII, helped relieve Orléans,…
Johannes Gutenberg
from 1400 to 1450
9 moments here
German inventor and craftsman associated with the development of European movable-type printing.…
Justinian I
from 482 to 565
7 moments here
Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565, noted for the Corpus Juris Civilis, extensive building programs, religious policy, and campaigns that…
Kabir
in 1398
1 moment here
15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His chronology is disputed: Wikipedia notes competing 1398–1448 and 1440–1518 lifespans.…
Khadija bint Khuwaylid
from 554 to 619
5 moments here
Khadija bint Khuwaylid was a Meccan merchant, the first wife of Muhammad, and—within Islamic tradition—the first person to accept his message.…
Kublai Khan
from 1224 to 1294
15 moments here
Kublai Khan (1215–1294) was a Mongol ruler who became Great Khan in 1260 and founded the Yuan dynasty in China.…
Leonardo da Vinci
in 1452
1 moment here
Italian Renaissance painter, draftsman, engineer, architect, anatomist, and natural philosopher.…
Li Bai
from 701 to 762
27 moments here
Li Bai (701–762), also known as Li Bo or Li Po, was a major Tang-dynasty Chinese poet. His surviving biography documents a childhood relocation to…
Mahmud al-Kashgari
from 1057 to 1072
2 moments here
Kara-Khanid scholar and lexicographer best known for the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, a foundational dictionary of Turkic languages.…
Mansa Musa
from 1280 to 1337
6 moments here
Mansa Musa (c. 1280–c. 1337), also known as Musa I of Mali, was mansa of the Mali Empire. The securely documented movements of his life are…
Marco Polo
from 1254 to 1324
25 moments here
Venetian merchant, traveler, and author whose account describes journeys across Asia between 1271 and 1295.…
Muhammad
from 570 to 632
32 moments here
Muhammad ibn Abdullah was an Arab religious, political, and military leader and the founder of Islam.…
Muhammad al-Bukhari
from 810 to 870
29 moments here
Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (810–870) was a hadith scholar from Bukhara whose travels for study, teaching, and transmission ranged across Central…
Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
from 780 to 825
3 moments here
Persian mathematician, astronomer, geographer, and author active under the Abbasid caliphs. Biographical evidence is exceptionally sparse and his…
Moments
- 611 Study at Jingtu Monastery Xuanzang
- 614 Birth in Mecca Aisha
- 615 Migration to Abyssinia Uthman ibn Affan
- 616 Public prayer after conversion Umar ibn al-Khattab
- 618 Flight to Chengdu Xuanzang
- 619 Burial at Jannat al-Mu'alla Khadija bint Khuwaylid
- 619 Confinement during the Quraysh boycott Khadija bint Khuwaylid
- 619 Return to Mecca before death Khadija bint Khuwaylid
- 619 Seeks support in Ta'if Muhammad
- 619 Takes refuge in a Ta'if orchard Muhammad
- 619 Resettlement in Mecca after Abyssinian migration Uthman ibn Affan
- 620 Marriage to Muhammad Aisha
- 622 Arrival in Medina Abu Bakr
- 622 Refuge during the Hijra Abu Bakr
- 622 Arrival and fraternity in Medina Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 622 Stayed in Mecca as Muhammad's decoy Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 622 Migration to Medina Fatima
- 622 Arrives in Yathrib from Mecca Muhammad
- 622 Hides in the Cave of Thawr Muhammad
- 622 Migration and residence at Quba Umar ibn al-Khattab
- 622 Migration to Medina Uthman ibn Affan
- 623 Marriage consummation in Medina Aisha
- 623 Stays at Buwat during a patrol Muhammad
- 623 Reaches Waddan on the al-Abwa patrol Muhammad
- 624 Guard at the Battle of Badr Abu Bakr
- 624 Standard-bearer at Badr Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 624 Battle of Badr Umar ibn al-Khattab
- 624 Remaining in Medina during the Battle of Badr Uthman ibn Affan
- 624 Reported birth at Lizhou Wu Zetian
- 624 Commands at the Battle of Badr Muhammad
- 624 Besieges Banu Qaynuqa Muhammad
- 625 Battle of Uhud Abu Bakr
- 625 Defended Muhammad at Uhud Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 625 Tending Muhammad after the Battle of Uhud Fatima
- 625 Besieges Banu Nadir Muhammad
- 625 Battle of Uhud Umar ibn al-Khattab
- 625 Battle of Uhud Uthman ibn Affan
- 625 Camps at Hamra al-Asad Muhammad
- 625 Regroups at Mount Uhud Muhammad
- 626 Birth in Medina Husayn ibn Ali
- 627 Battle of the Trench Abu Bakr
- 627 Defeated Amr ibn Abd al-Wud at the Trench Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 627 Directs Medina's defense during the Trench Muhammad
- 627 Leads forces against Banu Qurayza Muhammad
- 627 Battle of the Trench Umar ibn al-Khattab
- 627 Siege of Banu Qurayza Uthman ibn Affan
- 628 Battle of Khaybar Abu Bakr
- 628 Commanded the expedition to Fadak Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 628 Standard-bearer at Khaybar Ali ibn Abi Talib
- 628 Wrote the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya Ali ibn Abi Talib