7.Rabban Sauma
Rabban Bar Sauma (c. 1220–1294) is the Marco Polo of the East, and yet is relatively unknown. He was a Turkic/Mongol monk, turned diplomat, of the Nestorian Christian faith. He is known for embarking on a pilgrimage from Mongol-controlled China to Jerusalem with one of his students, Rabban Markos. Due to military unrest along the way, they never reached their destination, but instead spent many years in Mongol-controlled Baghdad. Markos was eventually chosen as Nestorian Patriarch, and later suggested his teacher, Rabban Bar Sauma, be sent on another mission, as Mongol ambassador to Europe. The elderly monk met with many of the European monarchs, as well as the Pope, in attempts to arrange a Franco-Mongol alliance. The mission bore no fruit, but in his later years in Baghdad, Rabban Bar Sauma documented his lifetime of travel. His written account of his journeys is of unique interest to modern historians, as it gives a picture of medieval Europe at the close of the Crusading period, painted by a keenly intelligent, broadminded and statesmanlike observer. His travels occurred prior to the return of Marco Polo to Europe, and his writings give a reverse viewpoint of the East looking to the West.
6
Mary Anning
Mary Anning (21 May 1799 – 9 March 1847) was a British fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for a number of important finds she made in the Jurassic age marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis, where she lived. Her work contributed to the fundamental changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the earth that occurred in the early 19th century, and yet she is barely known today, while Darwin has become a household name. Her discoveries included the first ichthyosaur skeleton to be correctly identified, which she and her brother, Joseph, found when she was just twelve years old, the first two plesiosaur skeletons ever found, the first pterosaur skeleton located outside Germany, and some important fish fossils. Because of her sex and religious rebellion, much of her work was never published and, in fact, she rarely even received credit for her scientific contributions.
5
Fighting Women of Dahomey
The Dahomey Amazons, or Mino, were a Fon (a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria) all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin), which lasted until the end of the 19th century. They were so named by Western observers and historians due to their similarity to the semi-mythical Amazons of ancient Anatolia and the Black Sea. The Mino were recruited from among the ahosi (“king’s wives”), of which there were often hundreds. They trained with intense physical exercise. Discipline was emphasized. In the latter period, they were armed with Winchester rifles, clubs and knives. Units were under female command. Captives who fell into the hands of the Amazons were often decapitated. The French army lost several battles to them due to the female warriors’ skill in battle that was “the equal of every contemporary body of male elite soldiers from among the colonial powers”. The last surviving Amazon of Dahomey died in 1979.
4
Jan Wnęk
Since reading about Jan Wnęk a year ago, I have desperately sought an opportunity to include him on a list. I am very glad that today that opportunity has arisen, for Wnęk truly was a remarkable man who is little known outside of his native Poland. Wnęk was an illiterate carpenter, born in 1828, who went on to become a prolific sculptor, artist and aviation pioneer. All of this with only natural talent. He studied the wings of ducks to try to learn how to fly, and ultimately built a glider that allowed him to make a number of short flights. His fame was great in the towns around where he lived because of his flying ability. He died at the age of 41, when one of his flights went wrong. He left no written records or drawings of his work in aviation. Above is one of the incredible sculptures he created.
3
Pope Leo the Great
Most of us know Pope Saint Gregory the Great – the inventor of our calendar, but far fewer have heard of Pope St Leo the Great (400 – November 10, 461) who single handedly did what no army could do: stop Attila the Hun. In 452, when the King of the Huns, Attila, invaded Italy and threatened Rome, Pope Leo went to meet him personally to beg him to withdraw. Attila, so impressed by Leo, simply turned around and left. Unfortunately, Leo’s intercession could not prevent the sack of the city by the Vandals in 455, but murder and arson were repressed by his influence. In addition to this great achievement, St Leo is remembered for his writings on equality of all men, and the call for all to live in dignity. His feast day is April 11. Pictured above is the famed meeting between St Leo and Attila.
2
Empress Myeongseong
Empress Myeongseong (19 October 1851 – 8 October 1895), also known as Queen Min, was the first official wife of King Gojong, the twenty-sixth king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. At the age of 16 she was married to the then 15 year old King. But, instead of being the demure queen expected of her, she was assertive and ambitious. She gave up many of the royal functions such as hosting tea parties for the aristocracy, and, instead, read books reserved for men only, teaching herself philosophy, history, science, politics and religion. When her husband took full power (at 22), Queen Min took a very active role in politics, and placed her own family members into high positions, solidifying her power. It was during her so-called rule that Korea began to open to modernization – first with the help of the much despised Japanese (due to forced treaties and threats of war) and later from the West. The Queen reorganized government to deal with the influence of Westernization, and allowed freedom of religion which had previous been suppressed. This caused great upset amongst her own political leaders. The Japanese, seeing her power, decided to assassinate her – which they did, in 1895, by stabbing her multiple times. The King, despairing from the loss of his wife, began to sign treaty after treaty with the Japanese, which eventually led to their colonial rule from 1910-1945. Pictured above is a purported photograph of the Queen.
1
Baldwin IV
Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1161–16 March 1185) was the King of Jerusalem, from 1174 to 1185. In his youth it was discovered that he had contracted leprosy and, due to his young age, most people thought he would not reign long. He was crowned at the age of 13, and so Jerusalem was ruled by two regents, one of whom signed a treaty of peace with Saladin. When Baldwin came of age he did not renew the treaty, and, instead, began a series of wars against him – fighting on horseback despite suffering from leprosy. He had numerous successes in his battles, which led the Muslim population to refer to him as “the pig”. Baldwin was courageous in battle and wise in politics – organizing marriages that would fortify the kingdom and his power. He ended up reigning for eleven years – the last two years of which he co-reigned with his five year old nephew, King Baldwin V. Oh – and unlike the movie Kingdom of Heaven, Baldwin IV did not wear a mask.
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