Historical figures of the Age of Exploration
The atlas holds 69 people and 1,279 moments here, from 1415 to 1650. The most recorded lives are Christopher Columbus, René Descartes and Elizabeth I. Among them Writers, Philosophers and Political Leaders.
Notable people
Akbar
from 1542 to 1605
23 moments here
Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (1542–1605), commonly known as Akbar, was the third Mughal emperor.…
Albrecht Dürer
from 1471 to 1528
34 moments here
German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the Northern Renaissance. Born and died in Nuremberg, Dürer trained there before traveling through the…
Aurangzeb
from 1618 to 1649
8 moments here
Aurangzeb (Muhi al-Din Muhammad, later Alamgir I) was the sixth Mughal emperor, ruling from 1658 until 1707.…
Babur
from 1483 to 1530
23 moments here
Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur was a Timurid prince from the Fergana Valley who founded the Mughal Empire.…
Bartolomeu Dias
from 1481 to 1500
12 moments here
Portuguese navigator and explorer best known for leading the first recorded European voyage around southern Africa.…
Baruch Spinoza
in 1632
1 moment here
Dutch philosopher Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza lived entirely in the Dutch Republic. His securely documented locations trace a life centered on…
Blaise Pascal
from 1623 to 1648
9 moments here
French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer. Pascal spent his life principally between Clermont-Ferrand, Paris,…
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
from 1500 to 1558
31 moments here
Charles V (1500–1558), also Charles I of Spain, was Holy Roman Emperor, king of Spain, and ruler of the Habsburg Netherlands.…
Christopher Columbus
from 1451 to 1506
73 moments here
Genoese navigator who completed four Castilian-sponsored Atlantic expeditions between 1492 and 1504.…
Desiderius Erasmus
from 1466 to 1536
27 moments here
Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, theologian, editor, and author. Erasmus was born in the Burgundian Netherlands, educated in the Low…
Diego Velázquez
from 1599 to 1650
22 moments here
Spanish Baroque painter and court artist to Philip IV of Spain. Born in Seville, he trained there before establishing his long-term home and career…
Elizabeth I
from 1533 to 1603
36 moments here
Elizabeth I (1533–1603), daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death.…
Ferdinand Magellan
from 1505 to 1521
21 moments here
Portuguese navigator and naval officer who served Portugal in the Indian Ocean, Malacca, and Morocco before relocating to Spain in 1517.…
Francis Bacon
from 1561 to 1626
13 moments here
English philosopher, lawyer, statesman, Attorney General, and Lord Chancellor under James I.…
François Rabelais
from 1520 to 1553
11 moments here
French Renaissance writer, physician, humanist, and Catholic priest. His birth date is disputed, with scholarship placing it between 1483 and 1494;…
Fuzuli
from 1483 to 1556
3 moments here
Fuzuli (Muhammad bin Suleyman) was a 16th-century Azerbaijani-language poet who also wrote in Persian and Arabic.…
Galileo Galilei
from 1564 to 1642
35 moments here
Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, mathematician, and natural philosopher. Born in Pisa, Galileo was educated in Tuscany, taught mathematics at…
Giordano Bruno
from 1548 to 1600
31 moments here
Italian Renaissance philosopher, Dominican friar, writer, and cosmological theorist. Born at Nola, Bruno studied and lived in Italy, Switzerland,…
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
in 1646
1 moment here
German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…
Guru Nanak
from 1469 to 1539
7 moments here
Guru Nanak (1469–1539) was the founder and first guru of Sikhism. His early life is associated with Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib), Sultanpur Lodhi,…
Hernán Cortés
from 1485 to 1547
30 moments here
Spanish conquistador, commander, explorer, governor, and writer whose 1519–1521 campaign against the Aztec Empire helped establish Spanish rule in…
Humayun
from 1508 to 1556
34 moments here
Nasir al-Din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal emperor. His reign in northern India was interrupted by defeat and exile, followed by a…
Ignatius of Loyola
from 1491 to 1556
31 moments here
Basque Spanish priest, former soldier, and founder of the Society of Jesus. His documented movements span Gipuzkoa, Castile, Catalonia, France, the…
Isaac Newton
in 1643
1 moment here
English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, alchemist, author, and public official.…
Moments
- 1415 Return from the fourth voyage Zheng He
- 1417 Ritual at Quanzhou before the fifth voyage Zheng He
- 1418 Accession at Geunjeongjeon Sejong the Great
- 1421 Personal mission to Ganbali Zheng He
- 1424 Diplomatic mission to Palembang Zheng He
- 1424 Military archery display at Gyeonghoeru Sejong the Great
- 1426 Falconry in the eastern suburb Sejong the Great
- 1426 Falconry journey via Noryang Sejong the Great
- 1427 Reception of Ming envoys at Gyeongbokgung Sejong the Great
- 1428 Takes refuge at Neufchâteau Joan of Arc
- 1429 Assembles forces at Bourges Joan of Arc
- 1429 Helps restore French control of Troyes Joan of Arc
- 1429 Departs Vaucouleurs for Chinon Joan of Arc
- 1429 Arrives at Château de Chinon Joan of Arc
- 1429 Enters besieged Orléans Joan of Arc
- 1429 Besieges Beaugency Joan of Arc
- 1429 Fights at Jargeau Joan of Arc
- 1429 Meets Charles at Fleury Abbey Joan of Arc
- 1429 Reaches the Patay battlefield Joan of Arc
- 1429 Rejoins the army bound for Jargeau Joan of Arc
- 1429 Takes the bridge at Meung-sur-Loire Joan of Arc
- 1429 Enters Reims with the royal army Joan of Arc
- 1429 Attacks Paris from La Chapelle Joan of Arc
- 1429 Besieges La Charité-sur-Loire Joan of Arc
- 1429 Captures Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier Joan of Arc
- 1430 Held at Beaurevoir Castle Joan of Arc
- 1430 Imprisoned in the Arras region Joan of Arc
- 1430 Falconry at Salgoji Sejong the Great
- 1430 Sorties toward Margny and is captured Joan of Arc
- 1430 Imprisoned at Beaulieu-les-Fontaines Joan of Arc
- 1430 Imprisoned at Rouen Castle Joan of Arc
- 1431 Seventh-voyage embarkation Zheng He
- 1431 Arrival at Liujiagang on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1431 Arrival at Changle on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1431 Executed at Rouen's Old Marketplace Joan of Arc
- 1432 Arrival at Vijaya Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Surabaya Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Palembang on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Malacca on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Semudera on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Beruwala Zheng He
- 1432 Arrival at Calicut on the seventh voyage Zheng He
- 1433 Arrival at Hormuz Zheng He
- 1433 Return to Calicut from Hormuz Zheng He
- 1433 Return to Semudera Zheng He
- 1433 Return to Malacca Zheng He
- 1433 Return to Vijaya Zheng He
- 1433 Arrival at Taicang Zheng He
- 1434 Documented stay in Strasbourg begins Johannes Gutenberg
- 1437 Gemstone instruction at St. Arbogast Johannes Gutenberg