When most people think of medieval kings, the same names get dragged out every time. Richard the Lionheart charging into battle, King John signing Magna Carta, or William the Conqueror taking England. They make for good stories, but the Middle Ages stretched far beyond England and France, and many rulers who shaped history barely receive a mention outside of specialist books. Some were brilliant builders of empires, others were visionaries who dragged their people into a new age, and a few were