Epicharis – a former slave and a foreigner – participated in the doomed Pisonian conspiracy against the Emperor Nero. In Tacitus’ depiction of her and in her rich after-life in western drama, we find a woman of remarkable integrity who fought the good fight against tyranny.
Inventor, sculptor, and taxidermist by trade, Carl Akeley was an early pioneer of wildlife photography. His life’s lessons still echo in the effort to conserve wildlife.
Philip Thicknesse, 18th century writer, libertine, and scandal maker, found joy in his countryside retreat – a grotto inspired by the romantic fashion for ‘ornamental hermits’.
A great lover of children and social reform, Janusz Korczak’s heroic death was matched by his zeal for educating the poorest of Polish society.
After unpromising beginnings and innumerable controversies, Pittacus, seventh-century ruler of Mytilene on Lesbos, should be remembered as one of the great leaders of his age.
This astonishingly inventive, often radical, musician, whose influence, imagination, and friendship were cherished by her artistic contemporaries – Barbara Hepworth and Michael Tippett among them – deserves to be better-remembered.
Driven by a desire for intellectual and spiritual truth, Raïssa Maritain’s writings search for peace and justice – but are sadly forgotten in our own time.
‘Good King René’ is remembered for the chivalry of his words and deeds, despite his numerous setbacks in the cruel arena of medieval politics.
Dreamer, looter, pyromaniac, fantasist, Edward Daniel Clarke brought back from Egypt the single most important find in the history of Egyptology – the Rosetta Stone.
Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony, was an artistic polymath who helped re-shape elite culture in the Enlightenment age.
The Bordeaux-born teacher and scholar, Decimus Magnus Ausonius, exemplified broad-mindedness. His life offers us a glimpse into the last days of the Roman Empire and the value of toleration in a polarised society.
All but forgotten, Sid Cara played a pioneering role in French and Algerian politics and left behind a troubled legacy.
Socialite and literary pioneer – Anna de Noailles was a bright star in the firmament of the Parisian Belle Époque.
At a time of moral and political crisis, the medieval poet pioneered a daring and emotive vernacular style which inspired generations of Italian literature.
Stalin’s lieutenant oversaw communism in Mongolia, becoming – like his mentor – a ruthless cult-leader.
An artist and occultist at the turn of the century, Moina Mathers’ life is a celebration of female power and radical self-expression.
The violinist-composer who mixed the sacred and profane in his fantastical music is a lost genius of the 17th century.
The first female Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University was a trailblazer for women’s achievement in a nascent meritocratic society.
Unfairly maligned in her lifetime, Aspasia of Miletus, wife of Pericles and friend to philosophers, was a remarkable woman in her own right.
The Genevan-born French financier was a political visionary, fomenting radical reform whilst battling the forces of globalisation, capitalism and extremism.
As chairman of JP Morgan and of the US Council on Foreign Relations, Leffingwell epitomised the public-service ethos of America’s mid-century elite.
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