Henry VIII
75 booksHenry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547 and transformed the monarchy through war, dynastic marriage and religious change. His failure to secure a surviving son […]
Historical people
People
Browse historical figures ranked by the number of books linked to them.
Elizabeth I
59 booksElizabeth I ruled England from 1558 to 1603 and established a durable Protestant settlement after years of religious upheaval. Her government confronted Catholic plots, rebellion, war […]
Julius Caesar
56 booksJulius Caesar was a Roman general, politician and writer whose conquest of Gaul gave him wealth, prestige and a loyal army. When his political enemies threatened […]
Adolf Hitler
53 booksAdolf Hitler was the Austrian-born leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party who became chancellor of Germany in 1933 and then established a totalitarian dictatorship. […]
Vespasian
53 booksVespasian was a successful general who became Roman emperor in AD 69 after the civil wars known as the Year of the Four Emperors. He founded […]
Claudius
51 booksClaudius became Roman emperor unexpectedly in AD 41 after the assassination of his nephew Caligula. Although ancient writers mocked his disabilities and dependence on freedmen and […]
Edward I of England
50 booksEdward I ruled England from 1272 to 1307 and transformed royal authority through legal, administrative and military action. He conquered Wales, built a chain of castles […]
Eleanor of Aquitaine
48 booksEleanor of Aquitaine inherited one of the largest territories in France and became successively queen of France and queen of England. Her first marriage to Louis […]
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman whose career included campaigns in India, command of the allied army in the Peninsular […]
Napoleon
47 booksNapoleon Bonaparte rose from Corsican artillery officer to general, first consul and emperor of the French. He preserved and reshaped many gains of the Revolution through […]