Leading Figures in History

Discover the people who shaped our world — from rulers and scientists to artists and activists.

62247 persons found

Maria of Jever

b. 1500

Last ruler of Jever from the Wiemken dynasty

Maria of Jülich-Berg

b. 1491

German princess

Maria of Looz-Heinsberg

Dutch noble lady (1424–1502)

Maria of Montpellier

Queen of Aragon from 1204 to 1213

Maria of Orange-Nassau

b. 1642

Maria of the Palatinate, Duchess of Södermanland

b. 1561

Duchess of Södermanland

Maria Ouspenskaya

b. 1876

Russian actress (1876–1949)

Maria Petri

English football supporter (1939–2022)

Maria Petrou

Greek-born British AI researcher (1953–2012)

Maria Pia of Savoy

b. 1847

Queen of Portugal from 1862 to 1889

Maria Reiche

b. 1903

Peruvian archaeologist, mathematician and technical translator (1903–1998)

Maria Ressa

b. 1963

Filipino and American journalist (born 1963)

María Rubio

b. 1934

Mexican actress (1934–2018)

Maria Sakkari

b. 1995

Greek tennis player (born 1995)

Maria Salviati

b. 1499

Florentine noblewoman

María Sánchez Lorenzo

b. 1977

Spanish tennis player (born 1977)

Maria Schell

Austrian-Swiss actress (1926–2005)

Maria Sergejeva

b. 1992

Estonian figure skater and model

Maria Sharapova

b. 1987

Russian former tennis player (born 1987)

Maria Shriver

b. 1955

American journalist and author (born 1955)

Maria Sophia of Neuburg

b. 1666

Queen of Portugal from 1687 to 1699

Maria Sophie of Bavaria

b. 1841

Queen of the Two Sicilies from 1859 to 1861

Maria Spiridonova

Russian revolutionary (1884–1941)

Maria Szymanowska

Polish composer and pianist (1789–1831)