Famous People Born In 1494

Discover the most famous people born in 1494. The list includes people like William Tyndale, François Rabelais, Pontormo, Suleiman The Magnificent, Francis I of France and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include artists, priests, poets and political leaders born in 1494. This list includes people from Germany, Spain, Italy & France and many more countries.
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 1 
Suleiman The Magnificent
(10th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire)
Suleiman The Magnificent
82
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 6th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Trabzon, Turkey
Died: September 6, 1566
Suleiman The Magnificent ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 and was instrumental in the empire’s expansion, leading the conquests of Belgrade, Rhodes, and Hungary. He was a patron of art and culture, and a talented poet and goldsmith himself. He married Roxelana, a Christian-turned-Muslim from his harem.
 2 
Francis I of France
(Former King of France (1515 – 1547))
Francis I of France
6
Listed In: Emperors & Kings
Birthdate: 12th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Château de Cognac, Cognac, France
Died: March 31, 1547

Francis I, son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, was the king of France from 1515 to 1547. He was an art connoisseur and invited Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci to his court. His contribution to the promotion of French language earned him the title Father and Restorer of Letters.

 3 
François Rabelais
(French Renaissance Writer and Physician Known for His Work ‘Gargantua and Pantagruel’)
François Rabelais
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Chinon, France
Died: 1553 AD

François Rabelais was a French writer, Renaissance humanist, physician, monk, and Greek scholar. Regarded as one of the great writers by Western literary critics, Rabelais is also considered one of the creators of modern European writing. He is remembered for Gargantua and Pantagruel, a pentalogy of novels that are regarded as one of the earliest forms of the modern novel.

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 4 
Bona Sforza
(Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1518 to 1548)
Bona Sforza
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 2nd February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vigevano, Italy
Died: November 19, 1557

An ideal elite Renaissance woman, Bona Sforza was the queen of Poland and the wife of Sigismund I the Old. She is remembered for her fiery resistance to the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I, when he suggested Bona be planted as a Habsburg spy to counter the Jagiellonian dynasty.

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 5 
Pontormo
(Italian Mannerist Painter and Portraitist)
Pontormo
1
Birthdate: 24th May
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Empoli, Italy
Died: January 2, 1557

Pontormo was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His style was remarkably different from what characterized the art of the Florentine Renaissance. Orphaned young, he struggled for several years before he was able to establish his painting career. He painted many altarpiece canvases and frescoes, of which only a few survive today. 

 6 
Georgius Agricola
(Former Humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist known for his groundbreaking work De Natura Fossilium published in 1546, he is generally referred to as the Father of Mineralogy)
Georgius Agricola
0
Listed In: Philologists
Birthdate: 24th March
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Glauchau, Germany
Died: November 21, 1555
 7 
Leo Africanus
(Diplomat)
Leo Africanus
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Granada, Spain
Died: 1554 AD

Spanish Islamic scholar Leo Africanus is best remembered for his Description of Africa, which served as a relevant treatise on the geography of Africa. Educated in Morocco, he had traveled through places such as Aswan and Timbuktu. He was later captured and converted to Christianity as Giovanni Leone.

 8 
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
(Explorer)
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
0
Listed In: Explorers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Aldeacentenera, Spain
Died: 1520 AD
 9 
Antonio de Mendoza
(diplomat, military personnel)
Antonio de Mendoza
0
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Granada
Died: July 21, 1552
 10 
Lucas van Leyden
(Artist)
Lucas van Leyden
0
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Leiden, Netherlands
Died: September 8, 1533
 11 
William Tyndale
(Theologian)
William Tyndale
26
Listed In: Theologians
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: North Nibley
Died: October 6, 1536

English scholar, William Tyndale, became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He is known for translating the Bible into English. An active writer, he wrote extensively on political issues and religion. He was accused of heresy and condemned to be burned to death. Executed in 1536, he is honored as a martyr.

 12 
Johan Friis
(Statesman)
Johan Friis
0
Birthdate: 20th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Denmark
Died: December 5, 1570
 13 
Qiu Ying
(Chinese Painter)
Qiu Ying
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Taicang, Jiangsu
Died: 1552 AD
 14 
Rosso Fiorentino
(Painter)
Rosso Fiorentino
3
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 8th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: November 14, 1540
 15 
Fuzûlî
(Poet)
Fuzûlî
0
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Karbala, Iraq
Died: 1556 AD
 16 
Pierre Attaingnant
(French Music Publisher)
Pierre Attaingnant
0
Listed In: Publishers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: France
Died: 1552 AD
 17 
Hans Tausen
(Thelogian)
Hans Tausen
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Birkende, Denmark
Died: November 11, 1561

Hans Tausen was a Danish Lutheran thelogian who served as a bishop in Ribe. He is credited with publishing the first translation of the Torah into Danish in 1535. The most important Lutheran theologian of his time, Tausen played a major role in effecting the transition from Catholicism to Lutheranism in the kingdoms governed by the Danish-based House of Oldenburg.

 18 
Christina Gyllenstierna
(Politicians)
Christina Gyllenstierna
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Unknown
Died: December 31, 1559

Respectfully remembered for her attempts to defend Sweden against Christian II of Denmark, Christina Gyllenstierna was known simply as Lady Christina during her lifetime. A leader of the Swedish resistant, she defended Stockholm—besieged by land and sea—for four months before she was persuaded to capitulate in exchange for a letter of amnesty for her family and her followers.

 19 
David Beaton
(Scottish cardinal and statesman)
David Beaton
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Fife, Scotland
Died: May 29, 1546
 20 
Hans Sachs
(Poet, playwright)
Hans Sachs
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 5th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nuremberg, Germany
Died: January 19, 1576
 21 
Johann Agricola
(Theologian)
Johann Agricola
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 20th April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Eisleben, Germany
Died: September 22, 1566