Famous People Born In 1621

Seventeenth-century French author Jean de La Fontaine is best remembered for his Fables. Initially a forest inspector, he later attended the salons of aristocratic patrons, where he met scholars, authors, and philosophers. Though he faced royal opposition, he was eventually made a part of the French Academy.

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the youngest son of Guru Hargobind Sahib, was the ninth Guru of the Sikhs. His 115 hymns find place in the Guru Granth Sahib. He tried to prevent forced conversion of Hindus and Sikhs into Islam, and was, as a result, executed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The son of György I, György Rákóczi, II was the Prince of Transylvania. Though he joined hands with the Swedes in attacking Poland, hoping to earn the Polish crown, he ended up being driven out by the Turks. He codified the laws of the principality but could not prevent Turkish hegemony over Transylvania.

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.

Initially a royal courtier, Jan Andrzej Morsztyn led the opposition during the reign of John III Sobieski. He also served as a Polish agent of French king Louis XIV and later became the comte de Châteauvillain. His best-known works include poems and epigrams, while he also translated Italian and French literature.

Best remembered for his epic poems and epigrams, Polish poet Wacław Potocki chose to be converted to Catholicism, as an alternative to being exiled, as a Unitarian. The Conduct of the Chocim War and Garden of Rhymes remain his best-known works and mirror the social conduct of the Polish gentry.

Anglo-Welsh metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan was a major literary figure of the Commonwealth period and is best remembered for Silex Scintillans. While he initially studied law, the Civil War disrupted his studies and he was called back home to serve Sir Marmaduke Lloyd. He was also a practicing physician.