NAMES
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, KG (15 June 1330 - 8 June 1376), popularly known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of England. Edward, an exceptional military leader and popular during his life, died one year before his father and so never ruled as king (becoming the first English Prince of Wales to suffer that fate). The throne passed instead to his son Richard, a minor, upon the death of Edward III.
James VI and I (19 June 1566 - 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots. Regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1581. On 24 March 1603, as James I, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He then ruled England, Scotland and Ireland for 22 years, until his death at the age of 58. James achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced great difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and repeated conflicts with the English Parliament. James's taste for political absolutism, his financial irresponsibility, and his cultivation of unpopular favourites established the foundation for the English Civil War. James himself was a talented scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie (1597) and Basilikon Doron (1599).
Richard II (6 January 1367 - 14 February 1400) was the King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He is famed for his pivotal role in resolving the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and for his purported misdemeanours as King, which led to both to his forced resignation and civil war.
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 - 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. Cromwell was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridge in the Short (1640) and Long (1640-49) Parliaments, and later entered the English Civil War on the side of the "Roundheads" or Parliamentarians. He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army, which defeated the royalists in the English Civil War. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Cromwell dominated the short-lived Commonwealth of England, conquered Ireland and Scotland, and ruled as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658.
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (March 6, 1340 - February 3, 1399) was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. He gained his name "John of Gaunt" because he was born in Ghent, then called Gaunt in English. Gaunt exercised great influence over the English throne during the minority reign of his nephew, Richard II, and during the ensuing periods of political strife, but did not openly associate with opponents of the King.
Sir Christopher Wren (20 October 1632 - 25 February 1723) was a 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects of his time. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral, as well as many secular buildings of note. He was a founder of the Royal Society (president 1680-82), and his scientific work was highly regarded by Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal.
Henry IV (3 April 1367 - 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland 1399-1413. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry Bolingbroke. Henry spent much of his reign defending himself against plots, rebellions, and assassination attempts.
Henry V (16 September 1387 - 31 August 1422) was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the Middle Ages. He reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422. He was son of Henry of Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, and sixteen-year-old Mary de Bohun. He had not only consolidated power as the King of England but had also effectively accomplished what generations of his ancestors had failed to achieve through decades of war: unification of the crowns of England and France in a single person
Henry VI was the only child of Henry V and Catherine of Valois, born on December 6, 1421. He married Margaret of Anjou in 1445. Henry came to the throne as an infant after the early death of his father; in name, he was king of both England and France, but a protector ruled each realm. After Hundred Years' War ended Henry lost his claim to all French soil except for Calais. In 1453, he had an attack of the hereditary mental illness that plagued the French house of Valois; Richard, Duke of York, was made protector of the realm during the illness. Richard captured the king in 1460 and forced him to acknowledge Richard as heir to the crown. Henry escaped, joined the Lancastvian forces and attacked at Towton in March 1461, only to be defeated by the Yorks. Richard's son, Edward IV, was proclaimed king; Margaret and Henry were exiled to Scotland. They were captured in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London until 1470. Henry was briefly restored to power in Settember 1470. Edward, Prince of Wales, died after his final victory at Tewkesbury on May 20, 1471 and Henry returned to the Tower. The last Lancastrian king was murdered the following day.
William III (14 November 1650 - 8 March 1702) was the Prince of Orange from his birth, Stadtholder of the main provinces of the Dutch Republic from 28 June 1672, King of England and King of Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scotland (under the name William II) from 11 April 1689, in each case until his death. Born a member of the House of Orange-Nassau, William III won the English, Scottish and Irish Crowns following the Glorious Revolution, during which his uncle and father-in-law, James II, was deposed. In England, Scotland and Ireland, William ruled jointly with his wife, Mary II, until her death on 28 December 1694. He reigned as 'William II' in Scotland, but 'William III' in all his other realms. Often he is referred to as William of Orange, a name he shared with many other historical figures. William III was appointed to the Dutch post of Stadtholder on 28 June 1672, and remained in office until he died. A Protestant, William participated in many wars against the powerful Catholic King Louis XIV of France. Many Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. It was largely due to that reputation that he was able to take the crowns of England and Scotland, where many, especially the English aristocracy, were intensely fearful of a revival of Catholicism and the papacy. Undoubtedly, his army and sizable naval fleet also played a role. His reign marked the beginning of the transition from the personal rule of the Stuarts to the more Parliament-centered rule of the House of Hanover.
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough KG, (26 May/24 June 1650 - 16 June 1722) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs. When James became king in 1685, Churchill played a major role in crushing the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion; but just three years later, Churchill abandoned his Catholic king for the Protestant William of Orange. He served with distinction in Ireland and Flanders during the Nine Years War. Promoted to Captain-General of British forces, and later to a dukedom, Marlborough found international fame in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, when his wife fell from royal grace as Queen Anne's favourite, the Tories, determined on peace with France, pressed for his downfall. Marlborough was dismissed from all civil and military offices on charges of embezzlement, but the Duke eventually regained favour with the accession of George I in 1714.
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 - 18 March 1745), was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. This position had no official recognition in law, but Walpole is nevertheless acknowledged as having held the de facto office due to the extent of his influence in the Cabinet. Walpole, a Whig, served during the reigns of George I and George II. His tenure is normally dated from 1721, when he obtained the post of First Lord of the and he continued to govern until his resignation in 1742, promoted by the Battle of Cartagena disaster, making his administration the longest in British history.
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 - 30 December 1460) was a member of the English royal family, who served in senior positions in France at the end of the Hundred Years' War, and in England during Henry VI's madness. His conflict with Henry VI was a leading factor in the political upheaval of mid-fifteenth-century England, and a major cause of the Wars of the Roses. Although he never became king, he was the father of Edward IV and Richard III.
Richard III (2 October 1452 - 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death. He was the last king from the House of York, and his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth marked the culmination of the Wars of the Roses and the end of the Plantagenet dynasty. After the death of his brother King Edward IV, Richard briefly governed as regent for Edward's son King Edward V with the title of Lord Protector, but he placed Edward and his brother Richard in the Tower and seized the throne for himself, being crowned on 6 July 1483.
Edmund Burke (12 January 1729[1] - 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher, who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. He is mainly remembered for his support of the American colonies in the dispute with King George III and Great Britain that led to the American Revolution and for his strong opposition to the French Revolution.
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer commonly credited as the first early modern European to discover the North American mainland, in 1497, notwithstanding Leif Ericson's landing (circa 1000). He is believed to have landed on the Island of Newfoundland.
Thomas Paine was an English pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, classical liberal, inventor and intellectual. He lived and worked in Britain until the age of 37, when he migrated to the American colonies just in time to take part in the American Revolution. His main contribution was as the author of the powerful, widely read pamphlet, Common Sense (1776), advocating independence for the American Colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and of The American Crisis, supporting the Revolution. Paine was arrested in Paris and imprisoned in December 1793; he was released in 1794. He became notorious with his book, The Age of Reason (1793-94), which advocated deism and took issue with Christian doctrines.
Horatio Nelson was a British admiral famous for his participation in the Napoleonic Wars, most notably in the Battle of Trafalgar, a decisive British victory in the war, during which he lost his life. Nelson went against the conventional tactics of the time by cutting through the enemy's lines. Nelson was noted for his ability to inspire and bring out the best in his men, to the point that it gained a name: "The Nelson Touch". In 1798, even though he had been married since 1787, Nelson famously became embroiled in an affair with Emma, Lady Hamilton, the wife of William Hamilton, the British Ambassador to Naples which lasted until his death. By his death in 1805 Nelson had become a national hero, and he was given a State funeral.
Thomas Wolsey was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, around 1475. He became chaplain to the archbishop of Canterbury and later to Henry VII, who employed him on diplomatic missions. Wolsey made a name for himself as an efficient administrator both for the crown and the church. In 1514, he was created archbishop of York and a year later the Pope made him a cardinal. The king appointed him lord chancellor. Henry asked Wolsey to use his influence in Rome to get a papal annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could re-marry. Wolsey was unable to accomplish this and became widely disliked. With this failure, his downfall quickly followed. Wolsey was arrested near York in November 1530 and accused of treason. He died on 29 November of the same year at Leicester on his journey south to face trial.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was a British Army soldier and statesman, one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century. Commissioned an ensign in the British Army, he rose to prominence in the Napoleonic Wars, eventually reaching the rank of field marshal, after the Battle of Vittoria in 1813. His military career culminated at Waterloo, where he, along with von Blücher, defeated the French Emperor, Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo. He was twice Tory Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and was one of the leading figures in the House of Lords until his retirement in 1846.
Saint Thomas More was an English lawyer, author, and statesman. During his lifetime he earned a reputation as a leading humanist scholar and occupied many public offices, including that of Lord Chancellor from 1529 to 1532. More coined the word "utopia", a name he gave to an ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in a book published in 1516. He is chiefly remembered for his principled refusal to accept King Henry VIII's claim to be Supreme Head of the Church of England, a decision which ended his political career and led to his execution for treason.
John Wycliffe was born in the 1300s, he criticized abuses and false teachings in the Church. In 1382 he translated an English Bible—the first European translation done in over 1,000 years. The Lollards, itinerant preachers he sent throughout England, inspired a spiritual revolution. But the Lollardy movement was short-lived. The Church expelled Wycliffe from his teaching position at Oxford, and 44 years after he died, the Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned. Intense persecution stamped out his followers and teachings.