| A | B |
|---|
| Henry III of France | Fought in War of Three Henrys and remained Catholic, assinated |
| Prince William of Orange | Led a Netherland Revlot against Philip II |
| Philip II | Attempted to rebuild the Spanish Armada, participated in the Thirty Years' War, Inquisition introduced during his rule |
| Gustavus Adolphus | Swedish King who supported the Protestants in the Thirty Years War |
| Cardinal Richelieu | First Minister to Louis XIII, made many changes in France including crushing power of nobility |
| Henry IV of France | Won War of Three Henrys and began reconstruction of France, issued Edict of Nantes |
| Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain | Rulers who funded explorations and converted people to Christianity |
| Prince Henry II the Navigator | Set up schools for navigation in Portugal |
| Hernando Cortes | Conquered the Aztex empire for Spain |
| Christopher Columbus | Reached the "New World" in 1492 where he enslaved and killed many Indians |
| Ferdinand Magellan | Lead an expedition around the world, died before it was completed |
| Francisco Pizarro | Opened silver mines in Peru for Spain |
| John Cabot | Genoese merchant who sailed for Brazil and discovered Newfoundland |
| Michel De Montaigne | Creator of the essay; believed object of life was to "know thyself" |
| Edmund Spenser | Wrote the moral epic Faerie Queene |
| Christopher Marlowe | His plays, such as The Jew of Malta, paved the way for Shakespeare |
| William Shakespeare | English playwright who wrote many plays including Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth |
| Peter Paul Rubens | Baroque painter who used color and monumental size |
| Johann Sebastian Bach | One of the greatest composers of the Western Hemisphere |
