Famous People Of The 17th Century

List of famous people of the 17th century who changed the world with their great deeds. Check out their biographies that include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.

Famous People Of The 17th Century
WritersLeadersScientistsIntellectuals & AcademicsPhysiciansMusiciansHistorical PersonalitiesPainters
The 17th century was a politically chaotic period in almost all parts of the world. Several great military conflicts took place including the Thirty Years' War, the Great Turkish War, and the Dutch-Portuguese War which led to the emergence of military leaders like Gustav II Adolf and Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna, and other important political personnel like John III Sobieski and Mehmed IV. European politics were majorly controlled by Louis XIV and the period marked in earnest the European colonization of the Americas. The 17th century was also an important one in the scientific field. It saw the birth of Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher. Pierre de Fermat, Robert Hooke, Sir Isaac Newton, and Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz were also prominent scientists born in this era. The world of music and fine arts was enriched by the birth of the likes of Dieterich Buxtehude, Danish-German composer and Francesco Cavalli, Venetian opera composer. Artists like André Le Nôtre, Jan Steen, and Johannes Vermeer were also born in this era. Read on to learn more about the life and works of famous people of the 17th century.
Galileo GalileiGalileo Galilei
(Astronomer, Mathematician, Philosopher, Rebel Scientist, Physicist)

15 February 1564

08 January 1642

Pisa

Italian

Aquarius

Isaac NewtonIsaac Newton
(Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer)

25 December 1642

20 March 1727

Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth

British

Capricorn

Elizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I of England
(Queen of England)

07 September 1533

24 March 1603

Palace of Placentia

British

Virgo

John LockeJohn Locke
(Father of Classical Liberalism)

29 August 1632

28 October 1704

Wrington, Somerset, England

British

Virgo

Charles I of EnglandCharles I of England
(King of England, Scotland and Ireland)

19 November 1600

30 January 1649

Dunfermline Palace

British

Scorpio

Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV of France
(King of France)

05 September 1638

01 September 1715

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

French

Virgo

VoltaireVoltaire
(Writer)

21 November 1694

30 May 1778

Paris

French

Scorpio

Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach
(Composer)

31 March 1685

28 July 1750

Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach

German

Aries

AkbarAkbar
(Mughal Emperor)

14 October 1542

27 October 1605

Umerkot

Indian

Libra

René DéscartesRené Déscartes
(Mathematician, Philosopher and Writer)

31 March 1596

11 February 1650

La Haye en Touraine, Touraine, France

French

Aries

Francis BaconFrancis Bacon
(Philosopher)

22 January 1561

09 April 1626

Strand, London, England

British

Aquarius

Thomas HobbesThomas Hobbes
(Philosopher)

05 April 1588

04 December 1679

Wiltshire

British

Aries

ShivajiShivaji
(King)

19 February 1627

03 April 1680

Shivneri

Indian

Aquarius

Mariam-uz-ZamaniMariam-uz-Zamani
(Akbar's Third Wife)

1542 AD

19 May 1623

Indian

Peter the GreatPeter the Great
(First Emperor of Russia)

09 June 1672

08 February 1725

Moscow

Russian

Gemini

RembrandtRembrandt
(Painter)

15 July 1606

04 October 1669

Leiden

Dutch

Cancer

Johannes KeplerJohannes Kepler
(Astronomer, Mathematician & Astrologer)

27 December 1571

15 November 1630

Weil der Stadt

German

Capricorn

Blaise PascalBlaise Pascal
(French Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Writer and Catholic Philosopher)

19 June 1623

19 August 1662

Clermont-Ferrand,, Auvergne, France

French

Gemini

AurangzebAurangzeb
(Mughal Emperor)

04 November 1618

03 March 1707

Dahod

Indian

Scorpio

Robert HookeRobert Hooke
(Philosopher)

28 July 1635

03 March 1703

Freshwater, Isle of Wight

British

Leo

John MiltonJohn Milton
(Poet, Polemicist, and Civil Servant for the Commonwealth of England.)

09 December 1608

08 November 1674

Cheapside, City of London, United Kingdom

British

Sagittarius

Henry IV of FranceHenry IV of France
(King of France, King of Navarre)

13 December 1553

14 May 1610

Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

French

Sagittarius

Baron de MontesquieuMontesquieu
(Philosopher)

18 January 1689

10 February 1755

Château de la Brède, La Brède, Aquitaine, France

French

Capricorn

Henry HudsonHenry Hudson
(Navigator and Explorer)

1565 AD

1611 AD

England, United Kingdom

British

Baruch SpinozaBaruch Spinoza

24 November 1632

21 February 1677

Amsterdam, Dutch Republic

Dutch

Sagittarius

Jonathan SwiftJonathan Swift
(Author and Satirist)

30 November 1667

19 October 1745

Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Irish

Sagittarius

Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
(Explorer)

31 July 1574

25 December 1635

Hiers-Brouage

French

Leo

Johannes VermeerJohannes Vermeer
(Painter)

31 October 1632

15 December 1675

Delft

Dutch

Scorpio

Antonie van LeeuwenhoekAntonie van Leeuwenhoek
(Scientist)

24 October 1632

26 August 1723

Delft

Dutch

Scorpio

William PennWilliam Penn
(Founder of the Province of Pennsylvania)

14 October 1644

30 July 1718

London, United Kingdom

British

Libra

Louis XIII of FranceLouis XIII of France
(King of France)

27 September 1601

14 May 1643

Fontainebleau

French

Libra

Christiaan HuygensChristiaan Huygens
(Mathematician)

14 April 1629

08 July 1695

The Hague

Dutch

Aries

Thomas RolfeThomas Rolfe
(Pocahontas' Son)

30 January 1615

1680 AD

Varina Farms, Virginia

American

Aquarius

Alexander PopeAlexander Pope

21 May 1688

30 May 1744

London

British

Taurus

Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe

13 September 1660

24 April 1731

London, England

British

Virgo

Robert BoyleRobert Boyle
(Founder of Modern Chemistry, Boyle's Law)

25 January 1627

30 December 1691

Ireland

Irish,British

Aquarius

Mary II of EnglandMary II of England
(Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland)

30 April 1662

28 December 1694

St James's Palace

British

Taurus

Guru Gobind SinghGuru Gobind Singh
(Warrior)

22 December 1666

07 October 1708

Patna

Indian

Sagittarius

Claudio MonteverdiClaudio Monteverdi
(Composer)

15 May 1567

29 November 1643

Cremona

Italian

Taurus

Cotton MatherCotton Mather
(Church Minister)

12 February 1663

13 February 1728

Boston

American

Aquarius

Johann PachelbelJohann Pachelbel
(Composer, Organist and Teacher)

01 September 1653

09 March 1706

Nuremberg

German

Virgo

Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys
(Member of Parliament)

23 February 1633

26 May 1703

Kingdom of England

British

Pisces

Henry PurcellHenry Purcell
(Composer)

10 September 1659

21 November 1695

Westminster

British

Virgo

Christopher WrenChristopher Wren
(Architect)

20 October 1632

25 February 1723

East Knoyle

British

Libra

Robert WalpoleRobert Walpole
(First Prime Minister of Great Britain)

26 August 1676

18 March 1745

Houghton, Norfolk

British

Virgo

George BerkeleyGeorge Berkeley

12 March 1685

14 January 1753

County Kilkenny, Ireland

Irish,British

Pisces

Abel TasmanAbel Tasman
(Navigator)

1603 AD

10 October 1659

Lutjegast

Dutch

Anne BradstreetAnne Bradstreet
(Poet)

20 March 1612

16 September 1672

Northampton

British

Pisces

John DrydenJohn Dryden

09 August 1631

12 May 1700

Northamptonshire, England

British

Leo

Pierre de FermatPierre de Fermat
(Lawyer)

17 August 1601

12 January 1665

Beaumont-de-Lomagne

French

Leo

John HarrisonJohn Harrison

03 April 1693

24 March 1776

Foulby

British

Aries

John BunyanJohn Bunyan
(Writer, Preacher)

28 November 1628

31 August 1688

Elstow, Bedfordshire, England

British

Sagittarius

William ByrdWilliam Byrd
(Music composer)

1543 AD

04 July 1623

Lincoln

British

Domenico ScarlattiDomenico Scarlatti
(Musical Composer)

26 October 1685

23 July 1757

Naples

Italian

Scorpio

Jean-Baptiste LullyJean-Baptiste Lully
(Composer)

28 November 1632

22 March 1687

Florence, Italy

French,Italian

Sagittarius

Edmond HalleyEdmond Halley
(Astronomer)

08 November 1656

14 January 1742

Haggerston, Shoreditch, London, England

British

Scorpio

Prince Rupert of the RhinePrince Rupert of the Rhine
(Military Leader)

17 December 1619

29 November 1682

Prague

German

Sagittarius

Guru Tegh BahadurGuru Tegh Bahadur
(Ninth Sikh Guru)

01 April 1621

24 November 1675

Amritsar

Indian

Aries

Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de Bergerac
(Dramatist and Playwright)

06 March 1619

28 July 1655

Paris

French

Pisces

Guru Har KrishanGuru Har Krishan
(Eighth Sikh Guru)

23 July 1656

30 March 1664

Kiratpur Sahib

Cancer

Murad IVMurad IV
(Ottoman Sultan)

26 July 1612

08 February 1640

Constantinople, Ottoman Empire

Turkish

Leo

Antonio StradivariAntonio Stradivari
(Luthier)

1644 AD

18 December 1737

Cremona

Italian

Arcangelo CorelliArcangelo Corelli
(Composer)

17 February 1653

08 January 1713

Fusignano

Italian

Aquarius

Giovanni Antonio CanalCanaletto
(Painter)

28 October 1697

19 April 1768

Venice

Italian

Scorpio

Aphra BehnAphra Behn
(Playwright)

10 July 1640

16 April 1689

Canterbury

British

Cancer

Jean-Philippe RameauJean-Philippe Rameau
(Music composer and theorist)

25 September 1683

12 September 1764

Dijon

French

Libra

Andrew MarvellAndrew Marvell
(Poet)

31 March 1621

16 August 1678

Winestead, England

British

Aries

Evangelista TorricelliEvangelista Torricelli
(Physicist)

15 October 1608

25 October 1647

Faenza

Italian

Libra

Jacob BernoulliJacob Bernoulli
(Mathematician)

27 December 1654

16 August 1705

Basel, Switzerland

Swiss

Capricorn

John GayJohn Gay
(Dramatist & Poet)

30 June 1685

04 December 1732

Barnstaple

British

Cancer

Joseph AddisonJoseph Addison
(Essayist & Poet)

01 May 1672

17 June 1719

Milston

British

Taurus

Jan van RiebeeckJan van Riebeeck
(Dutch Colonial Administrator)

21 April 1619

18 January 1677

Culemborg

Dutch

Taurus

James OglethorpeJames Oglethorpe
(Founder of the colony of Georgia)

22 December 1696

30 June 1785

Surrey

British

Sagittarius

Thomas NewcomenThomas Newcomen
(Inventor of Atmospheric Steam Engine)

31 January 1664

05 August 1729

Dartmouth

British

Aquarius

Matthew HenryMatthew Henry

18 October 1662

22 June 1714

Flintshire

British

Libra

John SmithJohn Smith
(Explorer)

06 January 1580

21 June 1631

Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

British

Capricorn

George FoxGeorge Fox

30 June 1624

13 January 1691

Leicestershire, Kingdom of England

British

Cancer

Giovanni Battista TiepoloGiovanni Battista Tiepolo
(Painter, Printmaker)

05 March 1696

27 March 1770

Venice

Italian

Pisces

Johann BernoulliJohann Bernoulli
(Mathematician)

06 August 1667

01 January 1748

Basel

Swiss

Leo

Pope Benedict XIIIPope Benedict XIII
(Servant of God)

02 February 1649

21 February 1730

Gravina in Puglia

Italian

Aquarius

Dieterich BuxtehudeDieterich Buxtehude
(Musical Composer and Organist)

24 June 1637

09 May 1707

Bad Oldesloe

German,Danish

Cancer

Pierre CorneillePierre Corneille
(Tragedian)

06 June 1606

01 October 1684

Rouen

Gemini

Giovanni Domenico CassiniGiovanni Domenico Cassini
(Astronomer and Mathematician)

08 June 1625

14 September 1712

Perinaldo

Italian

Gemini

Thomas FairfaxThomas Fairfax
(Political leader)

17 January 1612

12 November 1671

Denton Hall, Wharfedale

British

Capricorn

Jethro TullJethro Tull
(Agricultural Pioneer)

30 March 1674

21 February 1741

Basildon

British

Aries

Thomas BloodThomas Blood

1618 AD

24 August 1680

County of Clare, Kingdom of Ireland

Irish,British

Charles Le BrunCharles Le Brun
(Painter)

24 February 1619

22 February 1690

Paris

French

Pisces

Jan SteenJan Steen
(Genre Painter)

1626 AD

03 February 1679

Leiden

Dutch

John RayJohn Ray
(Naturalist)

29 November 1627

17 January 1705

Black Notley, near Braintree

British

Sagittarius

Marcello MalpighiMarcello Malpighi
(Physician)

10 March 1628

30 September 1694

Crevalcore

Italian

Pisces

Giuseppe TartiniGiuseppe Tartini

08 April 1692

26 February 1770

Piran

Italian

Aries

Guru Har RaiGuru Har Rai
(Seventh Sikh Guru)

16 January 1630

06 October 1661

Kiratpur

Capricorn

Madame de MontespanMadame de Montespan
(Maîtresse en titre of Louis XIV)

05 October 1640

27 May 1707

Lussac-les-Châteaux

French

Libra

BashoBasho
(Poet)

1644 AD

28 November 1694

Ueno, Mie

Japanese

Andrea dal Pozzo Andrea Pozzo
(Painter, Architect)

30 November 1642

31 August 1709

Trento, County of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empire

Italian

Sagittarius

Edward YoungEdward Young
(Poet)

03 July 1683

05 April 1765

Upham

British

Cancer

Angelus SilesiusAngelus Silesius
(Priest)

25 December 1624

09 July 1677

Wrocław

German

Capricorn

Francesco CavalliFrancesco Cavalli
(Composer, Organist)

14 February 1602

14 January 1676

Crema, Lombardy

Italian

Aquarius

William RandolphWilliam Randolph
(Colonist and Land Owner)

07 November 1650

11 April 1711

Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, England

British

Scorpio

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