The Almost Forgotten

Count Amadeus VI of Savoy was from a small mountain county of the Holy Roman Empire in the western Alps, and helped turn it into what would eventually be one of the most important states in early modern Europe.

Rajendra I, Emperor of the Chola, ruled southern India in the 11th century. Rajendra’s father expanded the Chola empire to become the dominant power in southern India, and Rajendra grew it well beyond that, to become...

Eumenes II brought the Kingdom of Pergamon to its greatest height, and helped make the city into something that would be influential for centuries. He did what he had to do to keep his kingdom strong and independent...

Attalus led Pergamon in the latter half of the 3rd century BC, as it grew from a small city to a major player in the Mediterranean in the span of a couple of generations. They took on the most powerful Hellenistic...

Isar Samy was king of Ebla during its golden age, the 24th century BC. Ebla ruled a kingdom in northwest Syria that traded with Egypt, Sumer, and beyond, and manage to preserve a collection of some of the oldest written...

Turenne was a major figure in France during the golden age of the Ancien Regime. Napoleon said his “audacity grew with years and experience” as some of his greatest victories were when he was in his mid-60s. He was a...

Frederick II was the grandson of Barbarossa and of Roger the Great of Sicily. He inherited kingdoms from both lineages, and then lost and regained them both. He wound up ruling a vast territory and at least in some of...

Frederick Barbarossa was succeeded by his sons, Henry and Philip. Both were capable rulers who looked to follow in their father’s footsteps and expand imperial power. Henry had significant successes, but neither lived...

Frederick Barbarossa was Holy Roman Emperor in the 12th century. He forced his way into the imperial office, and then forced the office back into relevance after a century or so of decline. He was an incredibly...

Yuknoom led the powerful Maya kingdom ruled by Snake Dynasty. He installed vassal kings in neighboring cities and succeeded in dividing the royal line of his main rival, the city of Tikal. He eventually sacked Tikal...

Harsha took over a growing kingdom in eastern Punjab, during a time of divided polities after the collapse of the huge Gupta Empire. He expanded his lands east along the Ganges river, absorbing kingdoms along the way...

Kanishka led the Kushan Empire at its height, connecting China and India to lands west in the early era of the Silk Road. Kanishka was a strong leader who expanded the empire, stabilized it, and help connect cultures...

Mithridates took charge of a relatively small kingdom that nominally held lands south and east of the Caspian sea. By the end of his reign, he had turned it into a powerful empire that ruled from Syria to India, and had...

Bardylis united the tribes of Illyria in the late 5th and early 4th century BC, created a powerful kingdom that held sway over Macedon and threatened the Peloponnese, and may have helped drive the development of the...

Argishti ruled the ancient kingdom of Urartu, located in today's Armenia and Eastern Turkey. During Argishti's reign in the 8th century BC, Urartu held sway over its powerful neighbor, the Neo-Assyrian Empire