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Bayezit I
1354–1403 - Turkish
Ottoman Sultan. After his succession to the Sultanate in 1389, he enjoyed many military successes, besieged the Byzantine Emperor at Constantinople for a decade, and defeated a crusader army. Then in 1402, Timur (Tamerlane), the legendary ruler of the Central Asian empire centered on Samarkand, tricked him by marching around his forces and poisoned his water sources to the rear, so that the Ottoman soldiers entered battle in poor condition and were defeated. Bayezit, previously known as the "Thunderbolt," was captured, treated with courtesy by Timur, but had to watch helplessly as his women and possessions were divided among his foes. He died shortly thereafter, a poignant reminder of the fickleness of fate and the impermanence of pomp, power and conquest.
Ibn Khaldun
1332–1406 - Tunisian
Writer, historian, and social thinker. He wrote an important history of the Arabs.
St. Joan of Arc
1412–1431 - French
Savior of her king and country. While still an adolescent, she acted on inner voices commanding her to save France from English forces. Remarkably, she succeeded in rallying the dispirited French forces, beating back the English, and leading the uncertain French heir to the throne to be crowned at the Reims Cathedral. She was then captured by the English and burned as a witch. The Roman Catholic Church canonized her in 1920.
Margery Kempe
1373–1440 - English
Author. Mother of fourteen and a controversial religious figure, she wrote the Book of Margery Kempe, a spiritual autobiography.
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