Who Was Alive
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Unknown illustrator. Per Nigel Morgan Survey, probably London, 1250 or earlier. Style of Matthew Paris, but not him., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Historian and bishop

Born 1090–1110 · died c. 1155
Also known as Geoffrey Monmouth

Who was alive at the same time as Geoffrey of Monmouth?

  1. Omar Khayyam, c. 1049 – 1131
  2. Pope Paschal II, 1050s – 1118
  3. Al-Ghazali, c. 1057 – 1111
  4. Pope Callixtus II, c. 1065 – 1124
  5. Henry I of England, c. 1068 – 1135
  6. Peter Abelard, 1079 – 1142
  7. Bernard of Clairvaux, c. 1091 – 1153
  8. Geoffrey of Monmouth, c. 1101 – c. 1155
  9. Hildegard of Bingen, c. 1098 – 1179
  10. Pope Alexander III, c. 1100 – 1181
  11. Pope Gregory VIII, 1100s – 1187
  12. Pope Celestine III, 1106 – 1198
  13. Muhammad al-Idrisi, c. 1110 – c. 1167
  14. Pope Lucius III, 1110 – 1185
  15. Louis VII of France, 1120 – 1180
  16. Frederick Barbarossa, 1122 – 1190
  17. Averroes, 1126 – 1198
  18. Chrétien de Troyes, c. 1130s – c. 1180s
  19. Zhu Xi, 1130 – 1200
  20. Henry II of England, 1133 – 1189
  21. Maimonides, c. 1137 – 1204
  22. Saladin, 1138 – 1193
  23. Nizami Ganjavi, c. 1141 – c. 1209
  24. Pope Honorius III, 1148 – 1227

Drag across the timeline, or use the arrow keys, to see who was alive in any year and the age each person reached that year. Dashed lines mark world events. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.

Born during Geoffrey of Monmouth’s lifetime: Saladin, Averroes, Zhu Xi, Maimonides, Frederick Barbarossa, Nizami Ganjavi, Henry II of England and Pope Honorius III.

Not quite contemporaries: Genghis Khan was born about 4 years after Geoffrey of Monmouth died, William the Conqueror died about 3 years before Geoffrey of Monmouth was born, Shota Rustaveli was born about 14 years after Geoffrey of Monmouth died and Pope Innocent III was born about 2 years after Geoffrey of Monmouth died.

Where Geoffrey of Monmouth’s contemporaries were born

Geoffrey of Monmouth is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (38 of 38 placed); tap one to open that person.
Birthplaces as a list

Compare Geoffrey of Monmouth

The 37 best-known contemporaries

37 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Geoffrey of Monmouth. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in 1132.

  1. Omar Khayyam c. 1049 – 1131
  2. Saladin 1138 – 1193
  3. Al-Ghazali c. 1057 – 1111
  4. Averroes 1126 – 1198
  5. Zhu Xi 1130 – 1200
  6. Hildegard of Bingen c. 1098 – 1179
  7. Maimonides c. 1137 – 1204
  8. Peter Abelard 1079 – 1142
  9. Frederick Barbarossa 1122 – 1190
  10. Bernard of Clairvaux c. 1091 – 1153
  11. Nizami Ganjavi c. 1141 – c. 1209
  12. Muhammad al-Idrisi c. 1110 – c. 1167
  13. Pope Alexander III c. 1100 – 1181
  14. Henry II of England 1133 – 1189
  15. Henry I of England c. 1068 – 1135
  16. Pope Gregory VIII 1100s – 1187
  17. Pope Honorius III 1148 – 1227
  18. Pope Callixtus II c. 1065 – 1124
  19. Pope Celestine III 1106 – 1198
  20. Louis VII of France 1120 – 1180
  21. Chrétien de Troyes c. 1130s – c. 1180s
  22. Pope Paschal II 1050s – 1118
  23. Pope Lucius III 1110 – 1185
  24. Manuel I Komnenos 1118 – 1180
  25. Alexios I Komnenos 1048 – 1118
  26. Pope Gelasius II c. 1065 – 1119
  27. Anna Komnene 1083 – c. 1154
  28. Afonso I of Portugal c. 1109 – 1185
  29. Attar of Nishapur 1145 – 1221
  30. Stephen, King of England 1095 – 1154
  31. Thomas Becket c. 1119 – 1170
  32. Eleanor of Aquitaine 1124 – 1204
  33. Empress Matilda c. 1102 – 1167
  34. Louis VI of France 1081 – 1137
  35. Bhāskara II c. 1114 – c. 1185
  36. Saxo Grammaticus c. 1150 – c. 1213
  37. Abdul Qadir Gilani 1078 – 1166