Recaredo was born around 560 to Leovigildo. They lived in the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. The Visigoths held rule over a large part of the peninsula after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in 476. 1/10
The 550s saw the Visigoths in a state of civil war, with the King Agila struggling against Atanagildo. With help from Constantinople, Atanagildo deposed Agila and became King. But this also led to Constantinople acquiring area in the peninsula. 2/10
The presence of Constantinople changed the power equations in the peninsula. The people of the Roman Empire, including in the Iberian peninsula, followed the Roman version of Christianity, updated after Council of Chalcedon in 451. But Visigoths followed Arian Christianity. 3/10
King Atanagildo was unable to remove Roman authority from the peninsula. After his death in 568, the Visigoths elected another King - Liuva, brother of Leovigildo. Leovigildo married the King's widow, Gosvinta. Leovigildo succeeded his brother as King in 573. 4/10
Leovigildo campaigned to unite the Iberian peninsula under his rule and was largely successful. He had conquered the Kingdom of the Suevi by 585. He also encouraged the population to take up Arian Christianity, but was not as successful. 5/10
Instead, Recaredo's elder brother, Hermenegildo, left Arian Christianity and rebelled against his father in 581. But Leovigildo defeated his son, who was later exiled and executed. Recaredo succeeded his father as King in 586. 6/10
Recaredo, however, took a different stance on religion from his father. In 589, at the Council of Toledo, he accepted Roman Christianity and initiated conversion of his Kingdom to the Roman faith, thereby uniting the Iberian peninsula in faith, at least in theory. 7/10
Recaredo was succeeded by his son, Liuva, in 601. But Liuva was quickly deposed in 603, threatening to reverse Recaredo's change in religion. But after an initial period of instability, Recaredo's change got reinforced. In 621, Recaredo's younger son, Suíntila, became King. 8/10
In 624, Suíntila conquered the remaining part of the Iberian peninsula ruled by Constantinople and united the Iberian peninsula under one rule. But the Kingdom did not last long. In 711, Umayyads began their conquest of the peninsula and had captured most of it by 718. 9/10
But a small Kingdom stayed on under Pelayo, who defeating the Umayyads at Covadonga. The next seven centuries saw Christian Kingdoms work, at times, together, to retake the peninsula, with the help of the Church in Rome - A mission that became complete in 1492 with Granada. 10/10
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Murad was born in 1404 to Mehmed. Mehmed was the son of Bayezid, the Ottoman Sultan who was captured by Timur in 1402. This led to a period of anarchy in the Sultanate. By 1413, Mehmed had managed to defeat his brothers and take over as Sultan of the entire Sultanate. 1/10
The Ottoman had Sultanate emerged in late 13th century after the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm was defeated by the Mongols. Many beyliks rose up in the Anatolian peninsula, one among which was ruled by the ancestors of Bayezid, Mehmed and Murad. 2/10
Rastislav was born in early 9th century. His father may have been Wistrach and his uncle Mojmír, the Duke of Moravia. Little is known about Rastislav's youth, until 846 when Franks invaded Moravia and installed Rastislav as the Duke of Moravia. 1/10
Moravia emerged as a semi independent state in Central Europe not long after the Franks had defeated the Avars in late 8th century. Moravia was not the first power in the region though. The Slavic states of Samo and of Nitra had lasted briefly during various times as well. 2/10
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born in 1815 to Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand von Bismarck and Wilhelmine Luise Mencken. Hailing from Schönhausen, the Bismarcks were a prominent noble family of the Kingdom of Prussia, with connections in Pomerania. 1/10
Prussia became a kingdom in 1701, but its major part was Brandenburg in the centuries old Holy Roman Empire. Invasion by the French in early 19th century led to the dissolution of this empire, with many of its regions joining Napoleon backed Confederation of the Rhine. 2/10
Camillo Benso was born in 1810 to Michele Benso, Marquis of Cavour, and Adélaïde Suzanne de Sellon. The Bensos were prominent nobility of Savoy. Camillo also had a distinguishing French connection thanks to his mother and his godmother Pauline, sister of Emperor Napoleon. 1/10
The early 18th century saw the French under Napoleon occupy Savoy. But the Bensos managed to see through it in a favourable manner eventually. Young Camilo's career prospects improved with his appointment as page to Carlo Alberto, Prince of Carignano in 1824. 2/10
Iaroslav Vladimirovich was born around 980 to Vladimir Sviatoslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev, and Rogned of Polotsk. Vladimir was initially supposed to rule only in Novgorod, but he had taken Kiev and Dereva from his brothers by 980. 1/10
Iaroslav was given an early charge of Rostov and, later, of Novgorod by 1010. But he sought Kiev and rebelled against his father, when he saw that one of his many brothers may be given Kiev. However, Vladimir died in 1015 and his domain got divided between his sons. 2/10
Birger Magnusson was born around 1210 to Magnus "Minnesköld" Bengtsson and Ingrid Ilva. Magnus was the grandson of the powerful Scandinavian noble, Folke, while Ingrid may have been a descendant of Sverker, King of Sweden in mid 12th century. 1/10
The kingdom of Sweden claimed land on the western and eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea in the 13th century. However, the crown itself was held between two dynasties since Sverker's death in 1156; by Sverker's family and that of Erik who became king after Sverker. 2/10