Galloglaich
First Post
Forked from: Mundane vs. Fantastical
One argument I have heard many, many times from people who don't like low fantasy, is that they don't want a boring game about some peasant who has fleas and dies of the plague anonymously at age 27. They want to be a hero, someone remarkable, someone who transcended the mundane. Most of all they don't want to be anything like reality, which for some of us is like the life of Dilbert. We don't want to play Dilbert in the Dungeon.
Well, if you prefer high fantasy that is ok, but as someone who enjoys history, I wanted to point out that there are rather quite a few remarkable real people from history who had adventures seldom matched in any Fantasy Novel, DnD game, or all the WoW games ever played, and they were a long way from Dilbert. In fact, many of the people on this list were IMO greater warriors than Conan, wiser than King Arthur, and more ruthless and intrepid than Elric.
In my opinion at least. Here are just a few examples from Europe and the Middle East:
Warriors, Bandits, Pirates, Rebels, Explorers, Mercenaries, Conquerors
These are the ‘B’ players, most are not household names (at least in the US) though some are quite well known in their own parts of the world. Not kings or emperors in most cases, but people from the middle or even lower ranks of society who rose to achieve greatness. I put an estimated alignment next to each entry, for greatness in this context does not necessarily equate with virtue, so if you are looking for someone you might sympathize with or find interesting, maybe that will help. Some of these people were good, some are thoroughly evil, most are neither or both.
.
Criteria: Traveled to exotic lands, lived a life of adventure, conquered great nations, triumphed against impossible odds, lived a long time despite constant danger, displayed multiple talents, demonstrated phenomenal skill as a warrior or military leader (often clearly the best in their generation), showed remarkable pluck, humor and / or creativity, broke tradition and pioneered new innovations.
Most important: regardless of where they started in life, these people transcended expectations and the limitations of their position, and went far beyond the achievements of their peers.
Artemisia of Halicarnassus (aka Artemisia I of Caria), 5th Century BC N
Greek queen, tyrant, naval commander, political advisor. A female pirate queen who fought on the wrong side of the battle of Salamis and escaped to fight another day
Artemisia I of Caria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xenophon, 431-355 BC (96 years old) LN
Greek soldier, mercenary, author, historian, tactician, philosopher, and horse whisperer. Fought his way out of deepest Persia with 10,000 Greek Mercenaries and lived to tell the tale
Xenophon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viriathus the Lusitani, 180 BC – 139 BC (59 years old) CG
Celtic warrior, guerilla leader, rebel - confounder of the Roman Empire
Viriathus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spartacus, 120 BC – 70 BC (50 years old) CG
Roman gladiator, slave, rebel, bandit, warrior - pain the Roman Empires ass
Spartacus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josephus (aka Flavius Josephus), 37 – 100 AD (63 years old) LN
Hebrew guerilla, warrior, Roman collaborator, author, historian, math whiz
Josephus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Martel, 686 – 741 AD (55 years old) NG
Frankish aristocrat, warlord, general
Charles Martel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"And in the shock of the battle the men of the North seemed like a sea that cannot be moved. Firmly they stood, one close to another, forming as it were a bulwark of ice; and with great blows of their swords they hewed down the Arabs. Drawn up in a band around their chief, the people of the Austrasians [sic] carried all before them. Their tireless hands drove their swords down to the breasts of the foe."
Pelayo of Asturias, 690-737 AD (47 years old) LN
Visigoth nobleman, Spanish guerilla leader, founder of the Kingdom of Asturias
Pelayo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bjorn Ironside (aka Björn Järnsida ), 9th Century AD CN
Swedish chieftain / jarl, resourceful pirate leader, Viking, warrior
Björn Ironside - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gange-Rolf (aka Rollo of Normandy, aka Ganger Rolf, aka Hrólfr Rögnvaldsson and
Göngu-Hrólfr), 860-932 AD (72 years old) N
Norse Viking, pirate, bandit, soldier, duke of Rouen, founder of Normandy
Rollo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Egil Skallagrimsson, 910-990 AD (80 years old) CN / CE
Norse Viking, poet, sorcerer, skald, pirate, duelist
Egill SkallagrÃ
msson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Egil is the great anti-hero of Icelandic literature, known for breaking his oaths, killing for trifles, and practicing sorcery. Many historians consider Egil to be one of the deadliest men that ever lived in bladed combat- several accounts tell of him slaughtering as many as 20 or more armed men single-handedly, and even dispatching a feared berserker with relative ease. In spite of this, he was considered a great healer, and his saga tells of him curing a girl who had been ill for quite some time where all other efforts had proven futile.”
Doge Enrico Dandolo, 1107-1205 AD (98 years old) N / CE
Blind Doge (ruler) of Venice, crusader, military adventurer, conqueror of Byzantium at age 90
Enrico Dandolo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Marshal, 1146-1219 AD (73 years old) CN
English soldier, knight, first earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Nevsky, 1220-1263 AD (43 years old) LN
Swedish –Russian prince, warlord, soldier, and statesman
Alexander Nevsky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roger de Flor (Aka Roger von Blum),1266-1306 AD (40 years old) CN
German templar, pirate, Byzantine Caesar, leader of the Catalan Grand Company
Roger de Flor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Douglas (aka “The Black Douglas”), 1286- 1330 AD CN
Scottish knight, guerilla, rebel, and bandit (44 years old)
Earl of Douglas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeanne De Clisson CN
Female Pirate and Breton rebel, scourge of the French Navy
"Jeanne de Clisson, enraged and bewildered over her husband's execution, swore revenge on the King, and Charles de Blois in particular. She sold off the remnants of the Clisson lands to raise money, whereupon she bought three warships, and the aid of many of the lords and people of Brittany to ensure their independence.
The ships that Clisson purchased were painted all black on her command, and the sails dyed red. The 'Black Fleet' took to the waters and began hunting down and destroying the ships of King Philip VI, and were merciless with the crews. But Clisson would always leave two or three of Philip's sailors alive, so that the message would get back to the King that the “Lioness of Brittany” had struck once again. Jeanne and her fleet also assisted in keeping the English Channel free of French warships, and it is very likely that as a privateer she had a hand in keeping supplies available to the English forces for the Battle of Crécy in 1346. When King Philip VI died in 1350, it was not the end to Jeanne's revenge. She continued to wreak havoc among French shipping, and it was reported that she took particular joy in hunting down and capturing the ships of French noblemen, as long as they were aboard. She would then personally behead the aristocrats with an axe, tossing their lifeless bodies overboard."
Jeanne de Clisson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bertrand du Guesclin, (aka ‘The Eagle of Brittany’)1320-1380 AD NG
Breton knight and French military commander (60 years old)
Bertrand du Guesclin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Hawkwood, 1320-1394 AD (74 years old) NE
English mercenary leader, condottieri, leader of the ‘White Company’
John Hawkwood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Žižka, 1360-1424 AD (64 years old) CG
Czech soldier, Hussite military leader, military innovator and rebel
Jan Žižka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Braccio da Montone, 1368-1424 AD (56 years old) LN
Italian aristocrat, prince of Capua, condottieri, and military innovator
Braccio da Montone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Hunyadi, 1387-1456 AD (58 years old) LG
Vlach aristocrat, Capitan-general and regent of Hungary, War Leader and rebel
Omnipelagos.com ~ article "John Hunyadi"
Skanderbeg aka Gjergj Kastrioti, 1405-1468 (63 years old) CG
Albanian nobleman, Ottoman war leader, Albanian rebel, guerilla leader, warrior
Skanderbeg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pierre Terrail, aka seigneur de Bayard1473-1524 (51 years old) LG
French knight, military leader
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grutte Pier (aka Pier Gerlofs Donia)1480-1520 (40 years old) CN
Frisian Pirate, revolutionary
Pier Gerlofs Donia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernal Diaz, 1492-1584 AD (92 years old) LN
Spanish conquistador, soldier, author
Bernal DÃaz del Castillo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John of Austria, (aka Don Juan) 1547 – 1578 AD (31 years old) LG
Austrian noble, admiral
John of Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Adams, 1564-1620 AD (56 years old) LG
English samurai, shipwright, pilot, navigator, sailor
William Adams (sailor) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miyamoto Musashi, 1584 – 1645 AD (61 years old) CN
Japanese samurai, duelist, fencing master, author, artist and philosopher
Miyamoto Musashi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Kenelm Digby, 1603-1665 AD (62 years old) LG
English gentleman, privateer, scientist, alchemist, Catholic activist, author, duelist
Kenelm Digby - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Extraordinary Street Fight of Sir Kenelm Digby
Henry Morgan, 1635 – 1688 AD (53 years old) CN
English / Welsh soldier / sailor, pirate / Buccaneer / Privateer
Henry Morgan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julie d'Aubigny (aka “La Maupin”), 1670-1707 AD (37 years old) CN
French aristocrat, swordswoman, duelist, storyteller, outlaw and opera singer
Julie d'Aubigny - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://home.comcast.net/~brons/Maupin/LaMaupin.html
Donald McBane, circa 1670 ? -1730 AD ? (60 years old) CN
Scottish adventurer, fencing master, soldier, pimp, tobacco spinner et al
History : The Expert Swordsman : The Royal Scots - The Royal Regiment
Runners Up
Pytheas of Massalia, 380-310 BC (70 years old) N
Greek merchant, geographer, and explorer
Pytheas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
‘Discovered’ British Isles (‘pretania’) and “Thule”
Aud the Deep-Minded, 834-900 AD LG
Norse noblewoman, one of the founding settlers of Iceland
Aud the Deep-Minded - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmad ibn Fadlan, 10th Century AD LN
Arab writer, diplomat and traveler
Ahmad ibn Fadlan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bohemond I of Antioch, 1058 – 1111 AD CN
Norman Crusader, Prince of Taranto and later Antioch
Bohemond I of Antioch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freydís Eiríksdóttir, 11th Century AD CE
Norse explorer, warrior, pioneer, killer
FreydÃs EirÃksdóttir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Usamah ibn Munqidh, 1095-1188 LN
Arab historian, politician, and diplomat
Usamah ibn Munqidh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Reresby, 1634 – 1689 AD LN
English English politician, author, duelist and gentleman
Sir John Reresby, 2nd Baronet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Reresby: Seventeenth-Century Scrapper
Villains and Monsters
Don’t think real life villains could be as scary as monsters in the fiend folio? Check out a few of these historical characters.
[FONT="]Sawney Bean NE[/FONT]
Sawney Bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gilles de Rais, 1404-1440 AD NE
French aristocrat, soldier, and serial killer.
Gilles de Rais - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cesare Borgia, 1475-1507 AD LE
Spanish-Italian aristocrat, condottiero (soldier), statesman, killer
Cesare Borgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stube Peter (aka Peter Stump) (??- 1589 AD) CE
German serial killer and alleged werewolf
Peter Stumpp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elizabeth Báthory, (aka “the Blood Countess”) 1560-1614 AD CE
Hungarian countess, sadist and serial killer
Elizabeth Báthory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beast of Gevaudan 1767 CE
Man eating wolf or werewolf
Beast of Gévaudan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semi - Historical (we knew they existed, but most stories about them are really legends)
Ragnar Lodbrok CN
Ragnar Lodbrok - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lathgertha CN
Viking Shield -maiden and pirate, possible the coolest female warrior who ever lived
"....With a measure of vitality at odds with her tender frame, roused the mettle of the faltering soldiery by a splendid exhibition of bravery. She flew round the rear of the unprepared enemy in a circling maneuver and carried the panic which had been felt by the allies into the camp of their adversaries".
Ragnar’s Saga
Lathgertha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semi - Mythological / Quasi- Historical figures
William Tell, 14th Century
Swiss archer, rebel, guerilla leader
William Tell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hiawatha, 15th Century AD LG
Iroquois chieftain, warrior, statesman, and orator
Hiawatha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sawney Bean, 16th Century AD CE
Scottish bandit and cannibal
Sawney Bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Few Historical Alchemists and Wizards
(I just got started on these, this is only a tiny random sampling mostly some Arab and Persian alchemist I'd been researching, there are several dozen fascinating characters from the European renaissance alone)
Archimedes of Syracuse 287-212 BC LG
Archimedes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heron of Alexandria 10- 70 AD LN
Hero of Alexandria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jabir Ibn Hayyan, 721 – 815 AD LG
Persian alchemist, pharmacist, physician, astronomer, physicist and philosopher, known as ‘Geber’ in the West.
Geber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Kindi, 801-873 AD LN
Arab scientist, philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician, also known by the Latinised version of his name Alkindus to the Western world.
Al-Kindi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Kindi was the first of the Muslim peripatetic philosophers, and is best known for his efforts to introduce philosophy to the Arab world
Al Razi, 865-925 AD LN
Persian Alchemist and Scholar
Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Avicenna, (aka Ibn Sina aka “ibn Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā”)980-1037 AD LG
Persian polymath and the foremost physician and Islamic philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, Hafiz, logician, mathematician, physicist, poet, psychologist, scientist, Sheikh, soldier, statesman and Islamic theologian.
Avicenna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ibn Rushd, 1126-1198 LG
Moorish philosopher and physician
Averroes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hassan I Sabbah 1031-1141 AD CN (CE?)
Persian Assassin Cult leader and founder of the Ismaili Shia sect of Islam
Hassan-i Sabbah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[FONT="]Omar Khayyám [/FONT][FONT="]1048-1131 AD CG[/FONT]
Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer
Omar Khayyám - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, (aka “the Maharal of Prague”) 1529-1605 AD LG
Jewish rabbi, philosopher, mystic, Talmudic scholar and creator of the Golem
Judah Loew ben Bezalel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giodorno Bruno 1558 - 1600 C?
Giordano Bruno - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Italian. Either a subtle philosopher or a heretical demon worshiper, depending on who you believe. Burned at the stake for writing among other works, the infamous "De Umbris Idearum" (aka 'Shadow of Ideas') and Lo Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante (The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast, 1584) and De gl' Heroici Furori (On Heroic Frenzies, 1585).
One argument I have heard many, many times from people who don't like low fantasy, is that they don't want a boring game about some peasant who has fleas and dies of the plague anonymously at age 27. They want to be a hero, someone remarkable, someone who transcended the mundane. Most of all they don't want to be anything like reality, which for some of us is like the life of Dilbert. We don't want to play Dilbert in the Dungeon.
Well, if you prefer high fantasy that is ok, but as someone who enjoys history, I wanted to point out that there are rather quite a few remarkable real people from history who had adventures seldom matched in any Fantasy Novel, DnD game, or all the WoW games ever played, and they were a long way from Dilbert. In fact, many of the people on this list were IMO greater warriors than Conan, wiser than King Arthur, and more ruthless and intrepid than Elric.
In my opinion at least. Here are just a few examples from Europe and the Middle East:
Warriors, Bandits, Pirates, Rebels, Explorers, Mercenaries, Conquerors
These are the ‘B’ players, most are not household names (at least in the US) though some are quite well known in their own parts of the world. Not kings or emperors in most cases, but people from the middle or even lower ranks of society who rose to achieve greatness. I put an estimated alignment next to each entry, for greatness in this context does not necessarily equate with virtue, so if you are looking for someone you might sympathize with or find interesting, maybe that will help. Some of these people were good, some are thoroughly evil, most are neither or both.
.
Criteria: Traveled to exotic lands, lived a life of adventure, conquered great nations, triumphed against impossible odds, lived a long time despite constant danger, displayed multiple talents, demonstrated phenomenal skill as a warrior or military leader (often clearly the best in their generation), showed remarkable pluck, humor and / or creativity, broke tradition and pioneered new innovations.
Most important: regardless of where they started in life, these people transcended expectations and the limitations of their position, and went far beyond the achievements of their peers.
Artemisia of Halicarnassus (aka Artemisia I of Caria), 5th Century BC N
Greek queen, tyrant, naval commander, political advisor. A female pirate queen who fought on the wrong side of the battle of Salamis and escaped to fight another day
Artemisia I of Caria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xenophon, 431-355 BC (96 years old) LN
Greek soldier, mercenary, author, historian, tactician, philosopher, and horse whisperer. Fought his way out of deepest Persia with 10,000 Greek Mercenaries and lived to tell the tale
Xenophon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viriathus the Lusitani, 180 BC – 139 BC (59 years old) CG
Celtic warrior, guerilla leader, rebel - confounder of the Roman Empire
Viriathus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spartacus, 120 BC – 70 BC (50 years old) CG
Roman gladiator, slave, rebel, bandit, warrior - pain the Roman Empires ass
Spartacus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Josephus (aka Flavius Josephus), 37 – 100 AD (63 years old) LN
Hebrew guerilla, warrior, Roman collaborator, author, historian, math whiz
Josephus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Martel, 686 – 741 AD (55 years old) NG
Frankish aristocrat, warlord, general
Charles Martel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"And in the shock of the battle the men of the North seemed like a sea that cannot be moved. Firmly they stood, one close to another, forming as it were a bulwark of ice; and with great blows of their swords they hewed down the Arabs. Drawn up in a band around their chief, the people of the Austrasians [sic] carried all before them. Their tireless hands drove their swords down to the breasts of the foe."
Pelayo of Asturias, 690-737 AD (47 years old) LN
Visigoth nobleman, Spanish guerilla leader, founder of the Kingdom of Asturias
Pelayo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bjorn Ironside (aka Björn Järnsida ), 9th Century AD CN
Swedish chieftain / jarl, resourceful pirate leader, Viking, warrior
Björn Ironside - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gange-Rolf (aka Rollo of Normandy, aka Ganger Rolf, aka Hrólfr Rögnvaldsson and
Göngu-Hrólfr), 860-932 AD (72 years old) N
Norse Viking, pirate, bandit, soldier, duke of Rouen, founder of Normandy
Rollo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Egil Skallagrimsson, 910-990 AD (80 years old) CN / CE
Norse Viking, poet, sorcerer, skald, pirate, duelist
Egill SkallagrÃ
msson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia“Egil is the great anti-hero of Icelandic literature, known for breaking his oaths, killing for trifles, and practicing sorcery. Many historians consider Egil to be one of the deadliest men that ever lived in bladed combat- several accounts tell of him slaughtering as many as 20 or more armed men single-handedly, and even dispatching a feared berserker with relative ease. In spite of this, he was considered a great healer, and his saga tells of him curing a girl who had been ill for quite some time where all other efforts had proven futile.”
Doge Enrico Dandolo, 1107-1205 AD (98 years old) N / CE
Blind Doge (ruler) of Venice, crusader, military adventurer, conqueror of Byzantium at age 90
Enrico Dandolo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Marshal, 1146-1219 AD (73 years old) CN
English soldier, knight, first earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Nevsky, 1220-1263 AD (43 years old) LN
Swedish –Russian prince, warlord, soldier, and statesman
Alexander Nevsky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roger de Flor (Aka Roger von Blum),1266-1306 AD (40 years old) CN
German templar, pirate, Byzantine Caesar, leader of the Catalan Grand Company
Roger de Flor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Douglas (aka “The Black Douglas”), 1286- 1330 AD CN
Scottish knight, guerilla, rebel, and bandit (44 years old)
Earl of Douglas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeanne De Clisson CN
Female Pirate and Breton rebel, scourge of the French Navy
"Jeanne de Clisson, enraged and bewildered over her husband's execution, swore revenge on the King, and Charles de Blois in particular. She sold off the remnants of the Clisson lands to raise money, whereupon she bought three warships, and the aid of many of the lords and people of Brittany to ensure their independence.
The ships that Clisson purchased were painted all black on her command, and the sails dyed red. The 'Black Fleet' took to the waters and began hunting down and destroying the ships of King Philip VI, and were merciless with the crews. But Clisson would always leave two or three of Philip's sailors alive, so that the message would get back to the King that the “Lioness of Brittany” had struck once again. Jeanne and her fleet also assisted in keeping the English Channel free of French warships, and it is very likely that as a privateer she had a hand in keeping supplies available to the English forces for the Battle of Crécy in 1346. When King Philip VI died in 1350, it was not the end to Jeanne's revenge. She continued to wreak havoc among French shipping, and it was reported that she took particular joy in hunting down and capturing the ships of French noblemen, as long as they were aboard. She would then personally behead the aristocrats with an axe, tossing their lifeless bodies overboard."
Jeanne de Clisson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bertrand du Guesclin, (aka ‘The Eagle of Brittany’)1320-1380 AD NG
Breton knight and French military commander (60 years old)
Bertrand du Guesclin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Hawkwood, 1320-1394 AD (74 years old) NE
English mercenary leader, condottieri, leader of the ‘White Company’
John Hawkwood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Žižka, 1360-1424 AD (64 years old) CG
Czech soldier, Hussite military leader, military innovator and rebel
Jan Žižka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Braccio da Montone, 1368-1424 AD (56 years old) LN
Italian aristocrat, prince of Capua, condottieri, and military innovator
Braccio da Montone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Hunyadi, 1387-1456 AD (58 years old) LG
Vlach aristocrat, Capitan-general and regent of Hungary, War Leader and rebel
Omnipelagos.com ~ article "John Hunyadi"
Skanderbeg aka Gjergj Kastrioti, 1405-1468 (63 years old) CG
Albanian nobleman, Ottoman war leader, Albanian rebel, guerilla leader, warrior
Skanderbeg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pierre Terrail, aka seigneur de Bayard1473-1524 (51 years old) LG
French knight, military leader
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grutte Pier (aka Pier Gerlofs Donia)1480-1520 (40 years old) CN
Frisian Pirate, revolutionary
Pier Gerlofs Donia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernal Diaz, 1492-1584 AD (92 years old) LN
Spanish conquistador, soldier, author
Bernal DÃ
az del Castillo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJohn of Austria, (aka Don Juan) 1547 – 1578 AD (31 years old) LG
Austrian noble, admiral
John of Austria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Adams, 1564-1620 AD (56 years old) LG
English samurai, shipwright, pilot, navigator, sailor
William Adams (sailor) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miyamoto Musashi, 1584 – 1645 AD (61 years old) CN
Japanese samurai, duelist, fencing master, author, artist and philosopher
Miyamoto Musashi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Kenelm Digby, 1603-1665 AD (62 years old) LG
English gentleman, privateer, scientist, alchemist, Catholic activist, author, duelist
Kenelm Digby - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Extraordinary Street Fight of Sir Kenelm Digby
Henry Morgan, 1635 – 1688 AD (53 years old) CN
English / Welsh soldier / sailor, pirate / Buccaneer / Privateer
Henry Morgan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julie d'Aubigny (aka “La Maupin”), 1670-1707 AD (37 years old) CN
French aristocrat, swordswoman, duelist, storyteller, outlaw and opera singer
Julie d'Aubigny - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://home.comcast.net/~brons/Maupin/LaMaupin.html
Donald McBane, circa 1670 ? -1730 AD ? (60 years old) CN
Scottish adventurer, fencing master, soldier, pimp, tobacco spinner et al
History : The Expert Swordsman : The Royal Scots - The Royal Regiment
Runners Up
Pytheas of Massalia, 380-310 BC (70 years old) N
Greek merchant, geographer, and explorer
Pytheas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
‘Discovered’ British Isles (‘pretania’) and “Thule”
Aud the Deep-Minded, 834-900 AD LG
Norse noblewoman, one of the founding settlers of Iceland
Aud the Deep-Minded - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahmad ibn Fadlan, 10th Century AD LN
Arab writer, diplomat and traveler
Ahmad ibn Fadlan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bohemond I of Antioch, 1058 – 1111 AD CN
Norman Crusader, Prince of Taranto and later Antioch
Bohemond I of Antioch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freydís Eiríksdóttir, 11th Century AD CE
Norse explorer, warrior, pioneer, killer
FreydÃ
s EirÃksdóttir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaUsamah ibn Munqidh, 1095-1188 LN
Arab historian, politician, and diplomat
Usamah ibn Munqidh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Reresby, 1634 – 1689 AD LN
English English politician, author, duelist and gentleman
Sir John Reresby, 2nd Baronet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir John Reresby: Seventeenth-Century Scrapper
Villains and Monsters
Don’t think real life villains could be as scary as monsters in the fiend folio? Check out a few of these historical characters.
[FONT="]Sawney Bean NE[/FONT]
Sawney Bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gilles de Rais, 1404-1440 AD NE
French aristocrat, soldier, and serial killer.
Gilles de Rais - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cesare Borgia, 1475-1507 AD LE
Spanish-Italian aristocrat, condottiero (soldier), statesman, killer
Cesare Borgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stube Peter (aka Peter Stump) (??- 1589 AD) CE
German serial killer and alleged werewolf
Peter Stumpp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elizabeth Báthory, (aka “the Blood Countess”) 1560-1614 AD CE
Hungarian countess, sadist and serial killer
Elizabeth Báthory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beast of Gevaudan 1767 CE
Man eating wolf or werewolf
Beast of Gévaudan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semi - Historical (we knew they existed, but most stories about them are really legends)
Ragnar Lodbrok CN
Ragnar Lodbrok - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lathgertha CN
Viking Shield -maiden and pirate, possible the coolest female warrior who ever lived
"....With a measure of vitality at odds with her tender frame, roused the mettle of the faltering soldiery by a splendid exhibition of bravery. She flew round the rear of the unprepared enemy in a circling maneuver and carried the panic which had been felt by the allies into the camp of their adversaries".
Ragnar’s Saga
Lathgertha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semi - Mythological / Quasi- Historical figures
William Tell, 14th Century
Swiss archer, rebel, guerilla leader
William Tell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hiawatha, 15th Century AD LG
Iroquois chieftain, warrior, statesman, and orator
Hiawatha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sawney Bean, 16th Century AD CE
Scottish bandit and cannibal
Sawney Bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Few Historical Alchemists and Wizards
(I just got started on these, this is only a tiny random sampling mostly some Arab and Persian alchemist I'd been researching, there are several dozen fascinating characters from the European renaissance alone)
Archimedes of Syracuse 287-212 BC LG
Archimedes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heron of Alexandria 10- 70 AD LN
Hero of Alexandria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jabir Ibn Hayyan, 721 – 815 AD LG
Persian alchemist, pharmacist, physician, astronomer, physicist and philosopher, known as ‘Geber’ in the West.
Geber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Kindi, 801-873 AD LN
Arab scientist, philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician, also known by the Latinised version of his name Alkindus to the Western world.
Al-Kindi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Kindi was the first of the Muslim peripatetic philosophers, and is best known for his efforts to introduce philosophy to the Arab world
Al Razi, 865-925 AD LN
Persian Alchemist and Scholar
Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Avicenna, (aka Ibn Sina aka “ibn Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā”)980-1037 AD LG
Persian polymath and the foremost physician and Islamic philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, Hafiz, logician, mathematician, physicist, poet, psychologist, scientist, Sheikh, soldier, statesman and Islamic theologian.
Avicenna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ibn Rushd, 1126-1198 LG
Moorish philosopher and physician
Averroes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hassan I Sabbah 1031-1141 AD CN (CE?)
Persian Assassin Cult leader and founder of the Ismaili Shia sect of Islam
Hassan-i Sabbah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[FONT="]Omar Khayyám [/FONT][FONT="]1048-1131 AD CG[/FONT]
Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer
Omar Khayyám - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, (aka “the Maharal of Prague”) 1529-1605 AD LG
Jewish rabbi, philosopher, mystic, Talmudic scholar and creator of the Golem
Judah Loew ben Bezalel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giodorno Bruno 1558 - 1600 C?
Giordano Bruno - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Italian. Either a subtle philosopher or a heretical demon worshiper, depending on who you believe. Burned at the stake for writing among other works, the infamous "De Umbris Idearum" (aka 'Shadow of Ideas') and Lo Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante (The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast, 1584) and De gl' Heroici Furori (On Heroic Frenzies, 1585).
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