Famous People Born In 1585

Discover the most famous people born in 1585. The list includes people like Cardinal Richelieu, Hamnet Shakespeare, Heinrich Schütz, John Cotton, John Rolfe and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include poets, playwrights, priests and spiritual & religious leaders born in 1585. This list includes people from France, England, Netherlands and many more countries.
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 1 
Cardinal Richelieu
(French Clergyman and First Minister of State (1624 - 1642))
Cardinal Richelieu
10
Birthdate: 9th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 4, 1642

Cardinal Richelieu was a French clergyman and statesman who was active in the early 17th century. He held powerful positions in both the Catholic Church and French government and served as the chief minister to Louis XIII of France in 1624. He helped the French maintain their dominance in the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe. 

 2 
Hamnet Shakespeare
(William Shakespeare's Son)
Hamnet Shakespeare
3
Listed In: Family Members
Birthdate: 31st December
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Stratford-upon-Avon
Died: July 31, 1596
 3 
Heinrich Schütz
(German Early Baroque Composer and Organist)
Heinrich Schütz
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 18th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bad Köstritz, Germany
Died: November 6, 1672
German composer and organist Heinrich Schütz was one of the first to bring the Italian style of music to Germany. While he had initially studied law, he later began his musical career in Venice. He is remembered for his works such as Symphoniae sacrae and the first German opera, Dafne.
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 4 
John Cotton
(Theologian & Preacher)
John Cotton
3
Listed In: Preachers
Birthdate: 4th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Derbyshire, England
Died: December 23, 1652
John Cotton was a clergyman in the American and England colonies. He was widely regarded as the greatest theologian and minister of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A prolific writer, John Cotton is credited with writing the first known children's book by an American, Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes.
 5 
John Rolfe
(English settlers of North America)
John Rolfe
2
Listed In: Explorers
Birthdate: 6th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Heacham, United Kingdom
Died: 1622 AD

British colonial official John Rolfe was one of the first English settlers in North America. He not only gained fame as a tobacco planter in Virginia, but also married Pocahontas, the daughter of Native American chief Powhatan. He died in the infamous Jamestown massacre of 1622.

 6 
Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel
(Former Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom)
Thomas Howard, 14th Earl of Arundel
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 7th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Finchingfield, Essex, England
Died: October 4, 1646

Thomas Howard, 2nd earl of Arundel is also sometimes referred to as the 14th or 21st earl of Arundel. A lover of paintings, marble sculptures, and coins, he also gained the nickname Collector Earl. Most of his prized possessions are now housed at the Oxford University and the British Museum.

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 7 
Caspar Berthelsen Bartholin
(Polymath)
Caspar Berthelsen Bartholin
0
Birthdate: 12th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Malmö Municipality, Sweden
Died: July 13, 1629

Danish physician Caspar Berthelsen Bartholin, or Caspar Bartholin the Elder, is best known for his work on anatomy, Anatomicae Institutiones Corporis Humani. He also made pioneering research on the olfactory nerve. However, he is incorrectly attributed with the discovery of the Bartholin’s gland, which his grandson, Caspar Bartholin the Younger, had discovered.

 8 
Uriel Acosta
(Philosopher)
Uriel Acosta
2
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
Died: March 31, 1640
 9 
Zacharias Janssen
(Spectacle-maker)
Zacharias Janssen
0
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: 1638 AD

Dutch optician Zacharias Janssen is credited with discovering the compound microscope and the first optical telescope. Since he worked along with his father, Hans, many believe Hans had a greater role in his inventions, while others feel the claims of his inventions were mere fabrications by his son.

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 10 
Siti Wan Kembang
(Queen)
Siti Wan Kembang
0
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Unknown
 11 
William Lithgow
(Traveler)
William Lithgow
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Lanark, Scotland
Died: 1645 AD
 12 
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill
(Soldier)
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Armagh, Ireland
Died: November 6, 1649
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 13 
Hendrick Avercamp
(Painter)
Hendrick Avercamp
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 27th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: May 15, 1634
 14 
William Drummond of Hawthornden
(The First Notable Poet in Scotland to Write Deliberately in English)
William Drummond of Hawthornden
1
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 13th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Midlothian, Scotland
Died: December 4, 1649

William Drummond was a Scottish poet best remembered for his work the Cypresse Grove. An influential and important poet of his generation, Drummond is among the 16 Scottish writers and poets whose faces have been carved on the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.

 15 
Cornelius Jansen
(Dutch Catholic Bishop Best Remembered as the Father of a Theological Movement Called 'Jansenism')
Cornelius Jansen
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 28th October
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Acquoy, Netherlands
Died: May 6, 1638

Cornelius Jansen was the Dutch Catholic bishop of Ypres best remembered as the father of an early modern theological movement called Jansenism, which was declared a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. Jansenism was used as a major political force in France up until the French Revolution.

 16 
Anna of Tyrol
(Queen)
Anna of Tyrol
1
Birthdate: 4th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Innsbruck, Austria
Died: December 14, 1618

Known as the Working Empress, Anna of Tyrol was a Holy Roman Princess and the queen consort of Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia, by virtue of her marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Matthias. Her contributions include the formation of the Imperial Crypt and the transfer of the Imperial court from Prague to Vienna.

 17 
William Rowley
(Dramatist)
William Rowley
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: England, United Kingdom
Died: January 31, 1626
 18 
Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc
(Trader)
Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc
0
Birthdate: 9th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Allouville-Bellefosse, France
Died: 1636 AD
 19 
Gerbrand Bredero
(Dutch Poet and Playwright)
Gerbrand Bredero
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 16th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died: August 23, 1618

Gerbrand Bredero was a Dutch playwright and poet who played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. His works include the famous De klucht van de koe, which can be translated as Farce of the Cow. A memorial to Gerbrand Bredero can be seen in Amsterdam.

 20 
John George I, Elector of Saxony
(Elector of Saxony)
John George I, Elector of Saxony
2
Listed In: Military Leaders
Birthdate: 5th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Died: October 8, 1656
 21 
Luis Carrillo y Sotomayor
(Poet)
Luis Carrillo y Sotomayor
0
Listed In: Poets
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Baena, Spain
Died: January 22, 1610
 22 
Jacques Lemercier
(French Architect)
Jacques Lemercier
0
Listed In: Civil Engineers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Pontoise, France
Died: January 13, 1654

Jacques Lemercier was a French engineer and architect. Along with François Mansart and Louis Le Vau, Jacques Lemercier helped develop the French Classical style and introduced classicism to French Baroque architecture. During the late-1630s, he was made the chief architect, a position that came with the responsibility of overseeing all the royal building enterprises.

 23 
Claude Favre de Vaugelas
(Grammarian)
Claude Favre de Vaugelas
2
Birthdate: 6th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bourg-en-Bresse, France
Died: February 26, 1650
 24 
Louis Cappel
(Scholar)
Louis Cappel
0
Birthdate: 15th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saumur, France
Died: June 18, 1658
 25 
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
(Novelist)
Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses
0
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: January 27, 1638