Grigori Rasputin Grigori Rasputin, (c. 1872-1916). Russian monk and political figure. An uneducated peasant, he visited Greece as a young man and on his return to his native village …
Raphael Raphael (1483-1520). Italian painter, born Raffaoello Santi. Raphael studied with Perugino and was influenced by the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. In 1508 Pope Julius II …
Rameses II Rameses II (d. c. 1237 BC). King of Egypt from 1304 BC, who restored Egyptian influence after the disastrous reigns of Akhenaton and his successors. His campaigns …
Dame Marie Rambert Dame Marie Rambert, (1888-1982). British ballet dancer and teacher. Rambert was born in Warsaw and danced with Diaghilev’s company (1912-13). In 1920 she started teaching ballet …
Jean Racine Jean Racine, (1639-99). French tragic dramatist. Orphaned in early childhood, he attended the Jansenist school at Port-Royal in Paris before studying theology. His first tragedy, produced by …
Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Rachmaninov, (1873-1943). Russian composer and pianist. Rachmaninov studied at the Moscow and St Petersburg Conservatoires and soon became famous as a pianist and composer both inside …
Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin, (1922-95). Israeli statesman and soldier. Born in Jerusalem, Rabin studied agriculture before beginning a military career. He commanded a brigade in Israel’s War of Independence …
Francois Rabelais Francois Rabelais, (c. 1483-1553). French satirical writer. He became a Franciscan monk in 1521 but after difficulties with the theological authorities moved to a Benedictine community in …
