Famous People Of The 17th Century
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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.
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1
William Shakespeare(English Playwright & Poet Who is Regarded as the Greatest Writer in the English Language)
Birthdate: April 26, 1564
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Died: April 23, 1616
2
Isaac Newton(One of the Most Influential Scientists of All Time )
Birthdate: January 4, 1643
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lincolnshire, England
Died: March 31, 1727
3
Galileo Galilei(Known as “Father” of Observational Astronomy who Invented the ‘Thermoscope’ and Various Military Compasses)
Birthdate: February 15, 1564
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Pisa, Italy
Died: January 8, 1642
Birthdate: September 7, 1533
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Palace of Placentia
Died: March 24, 1603
Birthdate: March 31, 1685
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Eisenach, Germany
Died: July 28, 1750
6
John Locke(English Philosopher and Physician, Popularly Known as the ‘Father of Liberalism’)
Birthdate: August 29, 1632
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Wrington, Somerset, England
Died: October 28, 1704
Birthdate: August 7, 1560
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nyírbátor, Hungary
Died: August 21, 1614
8
René Déscartes(French Philosopher, Mathematician and Inventor of ‘Analytic Geometry’)
Birthdate: March 31, 1596
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Descartes, France
Died: February 11, 1650
Birthdate: June 9, 1672
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Moscow
Died: February 8, 1725
Height: 6'8" (203 cm)
10
Francis Bacon(Philosopher, Statesman and Lord High Chancellor of England)
Birthdate: January 22, 1561
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: The Strand, London, England
Died: April 9, 1626
11
Rembrandt(One of the Greatest Visual Artists in the History of Art)
Birthdate: July 15, 1606
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: October 4, 1669
12
Charles II(King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to 1685)
Birthdate: May 29, 1630
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: St James's Palace, London, England
Died: February 6, 1685
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Birthdate: November 10, 1683
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hanover, Germany
Died: October 25, 1760
14
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi(Baroque Composer & Virtuoso Violinist Known for His Violin Concertos 'The Four Seasons')
Birthdate: March 4, 1678
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: July 28, 1741
15
Blaise Pascal(One of the Greatest Mathematicians of All Time Who Invented the Mechanical Calculator)
Birthdate: June 19, 1623
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Clermont-Ferrand, France
Died: August 19, 1662
Birthdate: December 27, 1571
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Weil der Stadt, Germany
Died: November 15, 1630
Birthdate: September 5, 1638
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
Died: September 1, 1715
18
Caravaggio(One of the Most Prominent Italian Painters of His Generation)
Birthdate: September 29, 1571
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: July 18, 1610
Birthdate: December 13, 1553
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Pau, France
Died: May 14, 1610
Birthdate: October 24, 1632
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Delft, Netherlands
Died: August 26, 1723
21
Miyamoto Musashi(Japanese Swordsman and Philosopher Who Became Popular Through His Unique Double-Bladed Swordsmanship)
Birthdate: 1584 AD
Birthplace: Harima Province, Japan
Died: June 13, 1645
22
Thomas Hobbes(English Philosopher and One of the Founders of Modern Political Philosophy)
Birthdate: April 5, 1588
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Westport, Wiltshire, England
Died: December 4, 1679
Birthdate: November 19, 1600
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Dunfermline Palace, Dunfermline, Scotland
Died: January 30, 1649
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Birthdate: January 6, 1580
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lincolnshire, England
Died: June 21, 1631
Birthdate: October 31, 1632
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Delft, Netherlands
Died: December 15, 1675
26
Jonathan Swift(Satirist & Author of 'Gulliver's Travels',' A Tale of a Tub' and 'A Modest Proposal')
Birthdate: November 30, 1667
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: October 19, 1745
Birthdate: 1565 AD
Birthplace: England, United Kingdom
Died: 1611 AD
28
Walter Raleigh(English Statesman, Soldier, Writer, Explorer and One of the Most Notable Figures of the Elizabethan Era)
Birthdate: 1552 AD
Birthplace: Hayes Barton,United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Died: October 29, 1618
Birthdate: February 19, 1630
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Maharashtra, India
Died: April 3, 1680
Birthdate: July 28, 1635
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Freshwater, Isle of Wight
Died: March 3, 1703
Birthdate: November 6, 1661
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: November 1, 1700
Birthdate: February 6, 1665
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: St James's Palace, Westminster, England
Died: August 1, 1714
33
Akbar(3rd Emperor of the Mughal Empire (1556 - 1605))
Birthdate: October 25, 1542
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Umarkot, Pakistan
Died: October 27, 1605
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
34
John Milton(English Poet and Intellectual Known for His Epic Poem ‘Paradise Lost’)
Birthdate: December 9, 1608
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Cheapside, London, England
Died: November 8, 1674
Birthdate: September 27, 1601
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Château de Fontainebleau, Fontainebleau, France
Died: May 14, 1643
Birthdate: October 14, 1633
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 16, 1701
37
Baruch Spinoza(One of the Most Important Philosophers of the Early Modern Period)
Birthdate: November 24, 1632
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: February 21, 1677
Birthdate: August 13, 1574
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hiers-Brouage, Marennes-Hiers-Brouage, France
Died: December 25, 1635
39
Gottfried W. Leibniz(German Mathematician Who Developed the Present Day Notation for the Differential and Integral Calculus)
Birthdate: July 1, 1646
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
Died: November 14, 1716
Birthdate: October 14, 1644
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: July 30, 1718
Birthdate: October 22, 1688
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dargaz, Iran
Died: June 19, 1747
Birthdate: April 30, 1662
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: December 28, 1694
Birthdate: September 21, 1640
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
Died: June 9, 1701
44
El Greco(Greek Painter, Sculptor and Architect of the Spanish Renaissance)
Birthdate: October 1, 1541
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Heraklion, Greece
Died: April 7, 1614
45
Moliere(French Playwright and One of the Greatest Writers of French Comedy)
Birthdate: January 15, 1622
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rue Saint Honoré, Paris, France
Died: February 17, 1673
Birthdate: July 8, 1593
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: 1652 AD
Birthdate: January 25, 1627
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ireland
Died: December 30, 1691
Birthdate: January 31, 1543
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Okazaki Castle, Mikawa (now Okazaki, Japan)
Died: June 1, 1616
49
Peter Paul Rubens(One of the Most Influential Artists of the Flemish Baroque Tradition)
Birthdate: June 28, 1577
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Siegen, Germany
Died: May 30, 1640
Birthdate: April 18, 1590
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Manisa, Turkey
Died: November 22, 1617