As George Santayana said, “He who forgets his history is doomed to repeat it,” is a firm and truly true sentence. All historical periods are marked by some relevant event, which marks that time. And all the important events have a name and a surname behind them. In this article we want you to know the people who have marked a dark age, of palace intrigues, conspiracies, revolts, a time that covers a period as long as from the 5th century to the 15th century. Let’s start our journey through the Characters of the Middle Ages according to social classes.
One of the best ways to learn history is meet its protagonists, people who have influenced the evolution of time, to whom we owe inventions, discoveries, independence, technology, beliefs, etc. We place the Middle Ages are in the 5th century, where a series of historical events such as the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the barbarian or Arab invasions, a situation that makes Europe enter a somewhat turbulent period.
the middle ages ends in Europe in the fifteenth century, coinciding with the discovery of America and the fall of the Byzantine Empire. In Spain it also coincides with the expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula. The Middle Ages gave way to another period also full of characters of great relevance, the Renaissance, but this will be the subject of another article. The Middle Ages, due to its extension in time, has been divided into two periods:
- High Middle Ages. 5th to 10th century
- Middle Ages. 11th to 15th century
Learn more about the time:
Characters of the Middle Ages | High Middle Ages
We wanted to review the most important characters of the Middle Ages, both in periods and in location. A vision of the most important characters of Europe-East and other specific In the Iberic Peninsule.
Europe – Middle East
Muhammad (570-632). Merchant of Mecca, recognized as “Apostle of God», after a revelation from the Archangel Gabriel, whose words were the first fragments of the Koran, was in charge of expanding the messages of Allah, on the final judgment and the need for submission or Islam. Driven out of the city by him, he came back to take her by force. By then his message had already crossed borders, it began the spread of Islam.
Charlemagne (742-814). When Pepin the Short died, his kingdom was divided between his sons Carlo and Carloman. Both divided the empire equally, but the early death of Carloman managed to reunite all power in Carlo, establishing his empire in most of Central and Western Europe. Charlemagne, King of the Franks was the founder of the Carolingian empire who would later become the Holy Roman German Empire.
Iberian Peninsula
Leovigildo (Unknown-586). King of the Visigoths from 572-586. Leovigildo carried out intense political and military work, achieving a cohesive kingdom where there were local forms of government that could hinder his authority, they had disappeared. The fights against the Sueves and Byzantines, were settled with important victories.
Don Pelayo (Unknown – 773): Was the first monarch of the Kingdom of Asturias, where he ruled until his death. He is closely linked to the central Asturian zone, by birth. Don Pelayo was in charge of curb muslim expansion towards the north and the beginning of the Reconquest and the foundation of the Asturian Kingdom are attributed to him.
Alfonso I the Catholic (693-757). King of the Asturians and son-in-law of Don Pelayo, with Alfonso I intensified the company of the Reconquest. With the revolt of the Berbers, it provoked the retreat to the south of the Arabs who had already taken possession of Galicia, Astorga and the entire north of the Sierra de Guadarrama, a fact that served the new monarch to expand the borders of his kingdom, annexing Galicia and northern Portugal. He fought insatiably to reconquer the areas occupied by the Muslims.
The role of the Church in the Middle Ages:
Characters of the Middle Ages | Middle Ages
Those of us who have lived through a change of millennium know what it meant in terms of fears, computer disasters, etc. Now we have to place ourselves in the year 999, what will happen in the year 1000? Catastrophic prophecies, great disasters, etc.
In the Late Middle Ages (S X-XV) the change didn’t really mean anything either, or at least nothing terrible, but if there was a change, but of mentality, the dark time that had marked the High Middle Ages is over. The old barbarian enemies are being incorporated and integrated into an increasingly Christian society. The Crusades, the conquests of the Christian kingdoms over the Muslims pushed Islamism back into the interior of Asia and the southern Mediterranean basin.
Europe – Middle East
Almanzor (938-1002). Abu Amir Muhammad ben Abi Amir al-Maafirí, called al-Manūr, better known by the nickname Almanzor, was an Andalusian soldier and politician, leader of the Caliphate of Córdoba and hayib or chamberlain of Hisham II. With a great military talent and a lot of charisma, he carried out a total of 56 campaigns in Christian lands without defeat, which is why he received the nickname of al-Mansur (the Victorious)with which he would go down in history.
As a curiosity, the chronicles tell that after entering Santiago de Compostela, Almanzor, destroyed the entire city, sparing only the tomb of the saint. He forced the imprisoned Christians to carry the bells of the cathedral and the gates of the city on their backs to Córdoba.
Urban II (1042-1099). Urban II Pope of the Catholic Church, between the years 1088 to 1099, in opposition to the antipope “Clement III”. He was a Pope who was obsessed with recovering the sacred sites of Palestine in the hands of the Selucid Turks of the Islamic religion, promoting the Crusades. The granting of indulgences and the promise of offering fertile land were the weapons that the Pope used to create the Crusader orders.
Averroes (1126-1198). He was an Andalusian philosopher and doctor, teacher of philosophy and Islamic law, mathematics, astronomy and medicine. He wrote a medical encyclopedia, commented on Aristotle’s work, receiving the nickname “The Commentator”. In his work Refutation of the refutation. His writings influenced Christian thought in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Richard I of England (1157-1199). King of England or Richard the Lionheart, belonging to the Plantagenet dynasty. He inherited from his mother the Duchy of Aquitaine and Poitiers, territories subject to enormous disputes in which he had to fight continuously in order to control the Nobility. Obsessed with the Crusades of Christianity against Saladin, after the taking of Jerusalem, becoming one of the leaders of the Third Crusade, along with the German emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and the king Philip Augustus of France.
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). During di Alighiero degli Alighieri, he was an Italian poet and writer, born in Florence, famous among other things for writing the Divine Comedy, one of the fundamental works of the transition from medieval to Renaissance thought and one of the summits of universal literature. .
Joan of Arc (1412 – 1431): She was a French soldier and saint, who was decisive for the union of the nation and for the outcome of the 100-year War in favor of France. Little is really known about her life. It is known that she was captured in 1431 and burned alive by Duke John of Bedford. The little that is known about her history is in the records of the trial that led to her death, although historians believe that the trial records were falsified.
Marco Polo: Marco Polo is a merchant, traveler and discoverer, the most important of his time. Marco Polo lived between the years 1254 and 1324, during which he made numerous trips around the world, which are related in the work The Travels of Marco Polo. However, there are certain discrepancies about the veracity of many of the journeys reported in these works, especially those made by China and Mongolia, and which are precisely those that have given him fame as an explorer and adventurer to this day.
Innocent III: He was a Pope who lived between the years 1161 and 1216, and is considered one of the most powerful Popes who have ever existed and one of the main promoters of Christianity. He was of noble origin and was highly trained as a jurist specializing in canon law. Taking refuge in the words of the Bible, he proclaimed the exclusivity of the Church in decision-making regarding Christianity, and put the power of the Church even above the power of the emperor.
Genghis Khan: It was a Mongol conqueror who unified the nomadic tribes of North Asia and who conquered a large number of lands, to the point of being the largest Empire up to the time, which ranged from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean. He stood out for being a skillful general and strategist, creating well-prepared armies (the Mongols were an eminently warlike people) and creating highly advanced messaging, logistics and combat strategy systems for his time.
Iberian Peninsula
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (1048 – 1099): This is a famous Castilian knight who was of great importance during the time of the reconquest. He came to dominate an independent lordship in the Spanish Levante and his deeds have been remembered throughout the ages. known as the Cid Campeador, iIt also inspired what is the best-known epic song, the Cantar del Mio Cid.
Alfonso X the Wise (1221 – 1284): He was a Spanish monarch who ruled for more than three decades, from 1252 until his death. He was a monarch who carried out important economic reforms and who also surrounded himself with a group of wise men who left an important archive of written works, giving rise to the beginning of Castilian prose.
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1224 – 1274): He is one of the most important philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages and of all history. He was a member of the order of preachers and one of the greatest exponents of systematic philosophy. He was one of the first religious thinkers to point out that Aristotelian logic and thought were not at odds with the Catholic faith. He also excelled in the field of politics. His thoughts are collected in two works, Summa theologiae and Summa contra gentile.
Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226): One of the Saints who earned his name. He is known for being the founder of one of the most important religious orders. In his life, he led by example, living in abject poverty and holding continual prayer retreats. He was one of the first saints to be martyred, in fact he died of complications from the wounds he sustained when he was crucified. He was also noted for his love of nature and animals, which he deeply respected.
What women stood out in the Middle Ages
There were also female names among the characters that had a relevant role in the Middle Ages. Let’s see them.
Elizabeth the Catholic (1451 – 1504): She was queen of Spain and together with her husband obtained the ecclesiastical title through the Pope…