Important Individuals of Global History

1. Important Individuals of Global History

2. 1) Hammurabi • Babylonian ruler • Established first written law code that set standards of justice for all classes, although laws favored the upper classes. • Main principle behind his laws, “Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a Tooth”.

3. 2) Alexander the Great • Greek King • Expanded the Greek empire to include Egypt, the Middle East, and parts of India. • Hellenistic culture spread by Alexander throughout his exploits.

4. 3) Socrates • Greek philosopher • Developed Socratic method, which is learning about beliefs and ideas by asking questions.

5. 4) Plato • Greek philosopher. • Socrates' student. • Wrote political essay the Republic. • Believed government should control lives of people.

6. 5) Aristotle • Greek philosopher. • Student of Plato. Teacher of Alexander the Great. • Believed people learned through reason. • Believed that one strong moral leader should rule.

7. 6) Julius Caesar • Roman General • Appointed dictator for life in Rome. • Introduced many reforms, which strengthened Rome's power. • Assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15).

8. 7) Confucius • Chinese philosopher. • Believed that in order to maintain stability, citizens must perform duties and services depending on their roles in society. • Wrote the Analects, a collection of his teachings and beliefs.

9. 8) Jesus of Nazareth • According to Christian teaching, Jesus is the Messiah, sent by God. • Traveled throughout Israel and Palestine preaching his philosophies. • Followers of Jesus formed the Christian religion based on Jesus’ teachings.

10. 9) Muhammad • According to Islamic tradition, the angel Gabriel commanded Muhammad to spread the message of Allah and Islam. • Proclaimed that Allah was the one true God. • Muslims believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, taught by Muhammad.

11. 10) Siddhartha Gautama • By meditation he found out the meaning of human suffering, then became the Buddha. • The central philosophy of Buddhism revolve around the Four Noble Truths. • Ultimate goal for Buddhist is to reach nirvana.

12. 12) Justinian • Emperor of the Byzantine Empire. • Created Justinian Code. It organized ancient laws of the Romans, which became a body of civil laws. • Justinian code basis for laws of the Roman Catholic Church and medieval rulers.

13. 13)Charlemagne (Charles the Great) • King of the Franks, a Germanic tribe. • Built an empire across Europe. • Brought stability to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. • Responsible for spreading Christianity throughout empire. • Established schools and libraries.

14. 14)Genghis Khan • Leader of the Mongols (Northern China) • Assembled a disciplined and organized military which conquered much of Asia and Eastern Europe. • Spread Mongol culture throughout his empire.

15. 15) Kublai Khan • Grandson of Genghis Khan • Leader of the Mongols • Took Control of China-Yuan Dynasty • Kublai Khan spread terror and destruction throughout hid empire.

16. 16) Marco Polo • Italian merchant • Traveled to China, which was under the control of Kublai Khan • He introduced Europeans to Chinese culture.

17. 18) Leonardo da Vinci • Renaissance painter, sculptor, inventor, and architect. • Painted the Mona Lisa and Last Supper.

18. 19) Michelangelo • Renaissance sculptor, engineer, and architect. • Created statue of David • Painted the dome of St. Peters Basilica in Rome.

19. 20) Niccolo Machiavelli • Renaissance writer. Wrote The Prince. • His book advises rulers on how to maintain power by using any means necessary to ensure their success. • Machiavelli’s philosophy was “The End Justifies the Mean”.

20. 21) Martin Luther • German monk • Wrote 95 These, which were arguments against the Roman Catholic Church’s abuse of power. • Event sparked the Protestant Reformation. • Luther believed that heaven could be attained by faith. • Excommunicated from RC Church.

21. 22) John Calvin • French, Roman Catholic priest • Promoted the idea of Predestination, or the idea that God has chosen, before time began, who would be saved. • Calvin’s followers, Calvinists, lived strict, disciplined, and frugal lives.

22. 25) Mansa Musa • Powerful ruler of the Mali Kingdom. • Musa’s dominated West Africa. • Brought Islamic faith to Africa, by converting to Islam. • The great city of Timbuktu became a center for Muslim learning.

23. 26) Suleiman the Magnificent • Ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520-1566. • Effective military leader. • Expanded the Ottoman Empire. • His reign considered the “Golden Years” of the empire

24. 27) Henry the Navigator • Prince Henry of Portugal. • Gathered experts in science, mapmaking, and ship-building in order to find trade routes to Asia. • His explorations opened up much of West Africa to Portuguese interests.

25. 30) Christopher Columbus • Italian sailor. • Convinced Spanish monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, to finance his trip. • Believed if he sailed west he would reach Asia, creating a faster route to Asia. • Ship landed in the Caribbean, where Columbus inadvertently discovered The New World.

26. 31) Ferdinand Magellan • Portuguese noble and explorer. • First person to circumnavigate (go completely around) the world. • Claimed the Philippine islands for Spain in 1521. • Established a trading port in Philippines for trade with China, and spread Catholicism.

27. 32) Hernan Cortes • Spanish conquistador. • Conquered the Aztec empire in Mexico in 1521. • Came to the New World in search of gold and silver.

28. 33) Francisco Pizarro • Spanish conquistador. • Conquered the Incan empire in 1532.

29. 35) Ivan the Terrible • Czar Ivan IV. • Harsh treatment of his subjects and violent disposition earned him the nickname, “Terrible”. • Organized a personal police force to slaughter anyone who opposed him.

30. 37) Nicolaus Copernicus • Polish scholar. • Challenged the belief that the earth was the center of the universe. • Used mathmatics to state that sun was at center of universe (Heliocentric model).

31. 38) Galileo Galilei • Italian astronomer. • Provided evidence regarding Copernicus’ theory by observing the skies with a telescope that he constructed. • His findings enraged the Church, and he was forced to take back his statements, or face execution.

32. 39) Isaac Newton • English scholar. • Used math to prove theory of gravity. • Used same formulas to prove that the Earth rotates around the sun staying in a fixed orbit.

33. 36) Peter the Great • Czar of Russia from 1682-1725. • Adopted Western ideas in an attempt to modernize Russia. (Westernization) • Expanded territory to incorporate ports in the Baltic Sea. • Tried to gain warm-weather port in Black sea, but failed.

34. 34) Louis XIV • Ruled France for 72 years. • Referred to as the “The Sun King”. • Used the sun as symbol of power. • Used the idea of Divine Right. • Wars and extravagant living caused social unrest and political instability.