Famous People Who Died In 1679

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher. Widely regarded as the co-founder of modern political philosophy, Hobbes is best known for his influential book Leviathan. Apart from political philosophy, Thomas Hobbes also contributed immensely to various other fields, such as ethics, theology, geometry, history, and jurisprudence.

Jan Steen was a Dutch Golden Age painter, counted among the leading genre painters of the 17th century. Born into a wealthy family, he received training under prominent painter Nicolaes Knupfer. For several years, he worked with renowned landscape painter Jan van Goyen, whose daughter he later married. He painted portraits, still life, and historical, mythological, and religious scenes.

While he matriculated in math and taught the subject later, Giovanni Alfonso Borelli also made pioneering discoveries as a physicist and physiologist. With works such as De Motu Animalium, he revolutionized the field of biomechanics, explaining muscular movements with the help of statics and dynamics.

A prominent leather seller, Praise-God Barebone later became known as a sectarian preacher and was known for his support of infant baptism. After the dissolution of the Rump Parliament by Oliver Cromwell, Barebone sat as a representative of London in the new parliament, which came to be known as Barebone's Parliament.

Born to Belgian migrants who had moved to Germany and then to the Netherlands, because of their Mennonite origins, Joost van den Vondel grew up to be one of the most celebrated Dutch authors and dramatists. He not only translated Greek tragedies such as Electra, but also penned masterpieces such as Lucifer.

Apart from being the royal architect, Jean Marot had also designed private buildings such as Hôtel de Pussort and Hôtel de Monceau. He is, however, best known for his engravings Le Petit Marot and Le Grand Marot. He was the father of engraver and furniture designer Daniel Marot.

Baroque architect Antoine Lepautre was born into a family of architects and ended up being one of the most significant architects during Louis XIV’s rule. Of his creations, the most prominent was the Hôtel de Beauvais. His designs were later published as Designs for Several Palaces.

John Mayow is said to have discovered oxygen as piritus nitroaereus about a century before the existence of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and Joseph Pristley. Though he initially studied law, he later switched to practicing medicine and is remembered for his contribution to pneumatic chemistry. He was named a Fellow of The Royal Society.

A major figure of the Second Silesian School, German poet Christian Hofmann von Hofmannswaldau contributed immensely to Baroque literature. In his later years, he became the Bürgermeister of Breslau. Best known for works such as Heldenbriefe, he gained most of his literary fame posthumously. His works contained both erotic and religious elements.