William Shakespeare
Inferred to be born on April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare was the most famous English playwright and poet of the Elizabethan Era. Not much is known about his family life, and no birth records for him exist. However, church records in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom (where he was born) show that Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564. He was the third child after two girls of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. William also had three younger brothers.
On November 28, 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. At the time of their marriage, Shakespeare himself was 18 years of age, while his wife was 26. They got married in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. They had three children, one of which died at the age of 11.
Shakespeare came to London in 1592, when stage plays were already an enjoyment for the people of Queen Elizabeth. Famous theaters of this time include the Globe and the Blackfriars.
Shakespeare was known well for his writing, but he was also an actor as well as a shareholder of a theater company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Shakespeare mainly wrote for this company.
Because of Shakespeare’s phenomenal pieces of writing, to this day he is viewed to be the greatest writer of the English language, as well as one of the greatest playwrights of all time. From tragedies to comedies, all of Shakespeare’s work remains an important and memorable part of history.
Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. The cause of his death is unknown.
On November 28, 1582, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway. At the time of their marriage, Shakespeare himself was 18 years of age, while his wife was 26. They got married in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. They had three children, one of which died at the age of 11.
Shakespeare came to London in 1592, when stage plays were already an enjoyment for the people of Queen Elizabeth. Famous theaters of this time include the Globe and the Blackfriars.
Shakespeare was known well for his writing, but he was also an actor as well as a shareholder of a theater company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Shakespeare mainly wrote for this company.
Because of Shakespeare’s phenomenal pieces of writing, to this day he is viewed to be the greatest writer of the English language, as well as one of the greatest playwrights of all time. From tragedies to comedies, all of Shakespeare’s work remains an important and memorable part of history.
Shakespeare died at the age of 52 on April 23, 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom. The cause of his death is unknown.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Queen Elizabeth I
Born on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich, United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth I became Queen of England at the age of 25, and held her position for 44 years. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Her mother was beheaded because of her father’s false accusations against her. King Henry VIII then married Jane Seymour, which made her Elizabeth’s official stepmother. Jane died a little while after her son, Edward, was born. Katherine Parr was Elizabeth’s last stepmother, and the sixth wife of Henry VIII. Elizabeth lived with her, but left after an event with Thomas Seymour, Katherine Parr’s new spouse. It is not certain what happened between the two, but rumors have it that there was love involved, and Katherine was pregnant at the time. She died a little while after she gave birth to her daughter, Mary.
After the death of Queen Mary, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth was crowned the Queen of England on January 15, 1559.
The “Golden Age” took place in the later years of Queen Elizabeth I. Several problems arose, including the threat of Mary, the Queen of Scots. Mary wanted Elizabeth’s throne, and when a serious plot arose, Elizabeth had her executed.
Queen Elizabeth I never married. She died on March 24, 1603, thus ending the Tudor dynasty. She was succeeded by James I, who was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. This was the beginning of the Stuart dynasty, therefore uniting both the kingdoms of Scotland and England.
After the death of Queen Mary, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth was crowned the Queen of England on January 15, 1559.
The “Golden Age” took place in the later years of Queen Elizabeth I. Several problems arose, including the threat of Mary, the Queen of Scots. Mary wanted Elizabeth’s throne, and when a serious plot arose, Elizabeth had her executed.
Queen Elizabeth I never married. She died on March 24, 1603, thus ending the Tudor dynasty. She was succeeded by James I, who was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. This was the beginning of the Stuart dynasty, therefore uniting both the kingdoms of Scotland and England.
Alexander the Great
King Henry VIII
Born on June 28, 1491, King Henry VIII is known for his six wives and his crucial acts towards them.
Henry Tudor was named after his father, Henry VII. His mother was Elizabeth of York. He was born in Greenwich Palace. Henry VIII was the second son of his parents. His older brother, Arthur, was married to Catherine of Aragon. They were married when Henry was 10 years old in the year 1501. Four months after the marriage, Arthur died, leaving Catherine of Aragon a widow.
A treaty was made, which stated that Catherine of Aragon was to marry the next heir to the throne, who happened to be the young Henry. The marriage, however, did not take place until after King Henry VII died.
Henry Tudor became King of England just before he turned 18 years old. At the time, he was tall, athletic, and handsome unlike his later self, where he was rather big and unhealthy.
On June 11, 1509, King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon. Catherine bore him a son in January of 1511, who died just two months into his life. There were several incidents like this afterwards.
On February 18, 1516, Catherine bore King Henry VIII a daughter, who was the first to survive her infancy. Her name was Mary. Henry didn't like the fact that she wasn't giving him a son, and therefore got into an affair with Anne Boleyn. This led to Catherine and Henry’s divorce.
King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn after she became pregnant in January of 1533. In August, Anne Boleyn bore him a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne had two miscarriages after that, leading to King Henry VIII’s interest in another woman. Her name was Jane Seymour. Henry falsely accused Anne of committing adultery and planning to kill him. After a ruling that Anne and Henry’s marriage was invalid, Anne was beheaded. Henry then married Jane Seymour, his third- but not last- wife. Jane Seymour bore him a son in October of 1537. His name was Edward. Nine days after his birth, Jane died.
Three years later, Henry married Anne of Cleves, whom he divorced after six months to marry Catherine Howard, age 19, who happened to be a first cousin to Anne Boleyn. Henry, at this point, was 49 years old. In addition to his age, King Henry VIII had gained a lot of weight and had a bad leg as well.
Catherine Howard was very beautiful, and therefore began to seek the attention of other men that were around her age. After investigating, she was guilty of committing adultery, and was executed by the order of King Henry VIII on February 13, 1542.
Catherine Parr was King Henry VIII sixth and final wife. They were married in the year 1543.
King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547. He was 55 years old when he left Catherine Parr a widow. His son, Edward VI became King after him, while Princesses Elizabeth and Mary waited their turns.
Henry Tudor was named after his father, Henry VII. His mother was Elizabeth of York. He was born in Greenwich Palace. Henry VIII was the second son of his parents. His older brother, Arthur, was married to Catherine of Aragon. They were married when Henry was 10 years old in the year 1501. Four months after the marriage, Arthur died, leaving Catherine of Aragon a widow.
A treaty was made, which stated that Catherine of Aragon was to marry the next heir to the throne, who happened to be the young Henry. The marriage, however, did not take place until after King Henry VII died.
Henry Tudor became King of England just before he turned 18 years old. At the time, he was tall, athletic, and handsome unlike his later self, where he was rather big and unhealthy.
On June 11, 1509, King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon. Catherine bore him a son in January of 1511, who died just two months into his life. There were several incidents like this afterwards.
On February 18, 1516, Catherine bore King Henry VIII a daughter, who was the first to survive her infancy. Her name was Mary. Henry didn't like the fact that she wasn't giving him a son, and therefore got into an affair with Anne Boleyn. This led to Catherine and Henry’s divorce.
King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn after she became pregnant in January of 1533. In August, Anne Boleyn bore him a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne had two miscarriages after that, leading to King Henry VIII’s interest in another woman. Her name was Jane Seymour. Henry falsely accused Anne of committing adultery and planning to kill him. After a ruling that Anne and Henry’s marriage was invalid, Anne was beheaded. Henry then married Jane Seymour, his third- but not last- wife. Jane Seymour bore him a son in October of 1537. His name was Edward. Nine days after his birth, Jane died.
Three years later, Henry married Anne of Cleves, whom he divorced after six months to marry Catherine Howard, age 19, who happened to be a first cousin to Anne Boleyn. Henry, at this point, was 49 years old. In addition to his age, King Henry VIII had gained a lot of weight and had a bad leg as well.
Catherine Howard was very beautiful, and therefore began to seek the attention of other men that were around her age. After investigating, she was guilty of committing adultery, and was executed by the order of King Henry VIII on February 13, 1542.
Catherine Parr was King Henry VIII sixth and final wife. They were married in the year 1543.
King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547. He was 55 years old when he left Catherine Parr a widow. His son, Edward VI became King after him, while Princesses Elizabeth and Mary waited their turns.
Mozart and Beethoven
Beowulf
An old poem from the magnificent Middle Ages, Beowulf was about a young man (whose name just happened to be Beowulf) who conquered many evil creatures that were spreading terror in Hall Heorot, which was created by the King of the Danes, King Hrothgar. Beowulf had poor eyesight and loved bees. When Beowulf first heard about the evil monster Grendel’s attacks at Hall Heorot, he left for the land of the Danes with his men to help solve the problem.
When Beowulf got to the land of the Danes and faced King Hrothgar, he was warned about Grendel’s fury. Beowulf was still determined to fight and get rid of Beowulf once and for all.
When the time came for Beowulf to fight Grendel, he was asked what his plan was to defeat him. Beowulf replied that he had no plan, which shocked everyone. Even more shocking than that was when Beowulf said that he wasn’t going to use any weapons except for his fingers, saying that weapons (swords) hadn’t helped before, so why would they be of help then?
When Beowulf faced Grendel, he used his power of words and the power of his touch, which were enriched with the light of goodness. Beowulf pulled Grendel’s arm out of its socket, which killed Grendel once and for all.
Everyone was happy about the riddance of Grendel, except for one person: Unferth. Unferth admired Grendel’s evil, and when Beowulf got rid of him, he was extremely upset and became obsessed with him. He also became mad.
The second monster Beowulf faced was Grendel’s mother. She had no name. When She first came into Hall Heorot, Unferth welcomed her in and killed Aeschere, a friend of King Hrothgar’s. Then, She killed Unferth.
The next day, Beowulf set out to find and get rid of Grendel’s mother. When he and his men got there, they saw Unferth’s head.
Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother and Grendel’s soul as well when he went to kill Her in her den. He used a sword as well as the light of goodness in his words and touch to defeat Grendel’s mother.
Beowulf returned to his home land and after several years became the King of it. He was old by the time. The last monster he had to fight to save his home land was the Fire Drake. Since he was old, he had the help of a young man named Wiglaf. He defeated the Fire Drake with the help of his dear bees, which entered its mouth and stung the monster to death after Wiglaf placed a stake in its mouth so they could enter. Beowulf died shortly after that.
Wiglaf eventually became King of the land. Whenever he was asked about Beowulf, he would just laugh and say, “Beowulf was Beowulf.”
When Beowulf got to the land of the Danes and faced King Hrothgar, he was warned about Grendel’s fury. Beowulf was still determined to fight and get rid of Beowulf once and for all.
When the time came for Beowulf to fight Grendel, he was asked what his plan was to defeat him. Beowulf replied that he had no plan, which shocked everyone. Even more shocking than that was when Beowulf said that he wasn’t going to use any weapons except for his fingers, saying that weapons (swords) hadn’t helped before, so why would they be of help then?
When Beowulf faced Grendel, he used his power of words and the power of his touch, which were enriched with the light of goodness. Beowulf pulled Grendel’s arm out of its socket, which killed Grendel once and for all.
Everyone was happy about the riddance of Grendel, except for one person: Unferth. Unferth admired Grendel’s evil, and when Beowulf got rid of him, he was extremely upset and became obsessed with him. He also became mad.
The second monster Beowulf faced was Grendel’s mother. She had no name. When She first came into Hall Heorot, Unferth welcomed her in and killed Aeschere, a friend of King Hrothgar’s. Then, She killed Unferth.
The next day, Beowulf set out to find and get rid of Grendel’s mother. When he and his men got there, they saw Unferth’s head.
Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother and Grendel’s soul as well when he went to kill Her in her den. He used a sword as well as the light of goodness in his words and touch to defeat Grendel’s mother.
Beowulf returned to his home land and after several years became the King of it. He was old by the time. The last monster he had to fight to save his home land was the Fire Drake. Since he was old, he had the help of a young man named Wiglaf. He defeated the Fire Drake with the help of his dear bees, which entered its mouth and stung the monster to death after Wiglaf placed a stake in its mouth so they could enter. Beowulf died shortly after that.
Wiglaf eventually became King of the land. Whenever he was asked about Beowulf, he would just laugh and say, “Beowulf was Beowulf.”