Historical figures of the Scientific Revolution

The atlas holds 40 people and 545 moments here, from 1543 to 1687. The most recorded lives are René Descartes, John Milton and Galileo Galilei. Among them Writers, Philosophers and Political Leaders.

Notable people

1. Antonio Vivaldi

   in 1678

   1 moment here

   Italian Baroque composer, violinist, priest, teacher, and opera impresario. Born in Venice, Vivaldi held long associations with the Ospedale della…

2. Baruch Spinoza

   from 1632 to 1677

   10 moments here

   Dutch philosopher Baruch (Benedictus) de Spinoza lived entirely in the Dutch Republic. His securely documented locations trace a life centered on…

3. Blaise Pascal

   from 1623 to 1662

   11 moments here

   French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer. Pascal spent his life principally between Clermont-Ferrand, Paris,…

4. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

   from 1547 to 1558

   9 moments here

   Charles V (1500–1558), also Charles I of Spain, was Holy Roman Emperor, king of Spain, and ruler of the Habsburg Netherlands.…

5. Daniel Defoe

   from 1660 to 1685

   3 moments here

   English merchant, political writer, journalist, intelligence agent, and novelist. This chronology records documented physical presences from his…

6. Diego Velázquez

   from 1599 to 1660

   27 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…

7. Elizabeth I

   from 1547 to 1603

   35 moments here

   Elizabeth I (1533–1603), daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death.…

8. Francis Bacon

   from 1561 to 1626

   13 moments here

   English philosopher, lawyer, statesman, Attorney General, and Lord Chancellor under James I.…

9. François Rabelais

   from 1545 to 1553

   2 moments here

   French Renaissance writer, physician, humanist, and Catholic priest. His birth date is disputed, with scholarship placing it between 1483 and 1494;…

10. 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…

11. George Frideric Handel

    in 1685

    1 moment here

    German-British Baroque composer. Born in Halle, he worked in Hamburg, travelled in Italy, served as Kapellmeister at Hanover, and settled in England.…

12. 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,…

13. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

    from 1646 to 1687

    20 moments here

    German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…

14. Hernán Cortés

    in 1547

    1 moment here

    Spanish conquistador, commander, explorer, governor, and writer whose 1519–1521 campaign against the Aztec Empire helped establish Spanish rule in…

15. Ignatius of Loyola

    from 1551 to 1556

    2 moments here

    Basque Spanish priest, former soldier, and founder of the Society of Jesus. His documented movements span Gipuzkoa, Castile, Catalonia, France, the…

16. Isaac Newton

    from 1643 to 1687

    7 moments here

    English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, alchemist, author, and public official.…

17. Jacques Cartier

    in 1557

    1 moment here

    French navigator and explorer from Saint-Malo whose three Atlantic voyages of 1534, 1535–1536, and 1541–1542 surveyed the Gulf and River of Saint…

18. Jean de La Fontaine

    from 1621 to 1684

    11 moments here

    French fabulist, poet, dramatist, and author whose Fables became foundational works of French literature.…

19. Johannes Kepler

    from 1571 to 1630

    16 moments here

    German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher, and music theorist. Kepler’s documented life moved from Württemberg schooling…

20. Johann Sebastian Bach

    in 1685

    1 moment here

    German Baroque composer, organist, violinist, keyboard virtuoso, and musical director. Born in Eisenach, Bach was educated in Ohrdruf and Lüneburg…

21. John Calvin

    in 1564

    2 moments here

    French Protestant reformer, pastor, and author. Born in Noyon, he studied law in Bourges and spent formative periods in Paris and Basel before moving…

22. John Locke

    from 1632 to 1683

    22 moments here

    English philosopher, physician, and political writer. Locke was born in Somerset, educated in London and Oxford, served Lord Shaftesbury in London,…

23. John Milton

    from 1608 to 1674

    40 moments here

    English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. This chronology follows documented residences, education, continental travel, marriages, public service,…

24. Jonathan Swift

    from 1667 to 1682

    3 moments here

    Anglo-Irish writer, satirist, political pamphleteer, and Church of Ireland cleric, best known for Gulliver's Travels, A Tale of a Tub, and A Modest…

Moments

1. 1543 Visit to Ferrara Pope Paul III
2. 1543 Death at Frauenburg Nicolaus Copernicus
3. 1543 Meeting with Charles V at Busseto Pope Paul III
4. 1543 Besieges Esztergom Suleiman the Magnificent
5. 1544 Dedicates the Torgau Castle Chapel Martin Luther
6. 1545 Exile in Metz François Rabelais
7. 1545 Inaugurates Leipzig's university church Martin Luther
8. 1545 Preaches in Halle's Market Church Martin Luther
9. 1546 Delayed in Halle on his final journey Martin Luther
10. 1546 Dies during his last Eisleben visit Martin Luther
11. 1547 Household at Chelsea Elizabeth I
12. 1547 Takes charge at St. Peter’s Michelangelo
13. 1547 Battle of Mühlberg Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
14. 1547 Born in Alcalá de Henares Miguel de Cervantes
15. 1547 Death at Castilleja de la Cuesta Hernán Cortés
16. 1548 Birth at Nola Giordano Bruno
17. 1549 Residence at Hatfield House Elizabeth I
18. 1549 Death in Rome Pope Paul III
19. 1550 Imperial court at Innsbruck Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
20. 1550 Sculpts the Bandini Pietà in Rome Michelangelo
21. 1551 Childhood relocation to Valladolid Miguel de Cervantes
22. 1551 Foundation of the Roman College Ignatius of Loyola
23. 1552 Arrival at Villach after escape Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
24. 1552 Flight from Innsbruck Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
25. 1552 Siege of Metz Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
26. 1553 Death in Paris François Rabelais
27. 1553 Entry into London with Mary Elizabeth I
28. 1554 Departure from Ashridge for interrogation Elizabeth I
29. 1554 Imprisonment in the Tower of London Elizabeth I
30. 1554 House arrest at Woodstock Palace Elizabeth I
31. 1554 Abdication of Naples, Sicily, and Milan Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
32. 1555 Public abdication before the States General Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
33. 1555 Return to Hatfield House Elizabeth I
34. 1556 Death in Rome Ignatius of Loyola
35. 1557 Retirement at the Monastery of Yuste Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
36. 1557 Councillor of the Bordeaux Parlement Michel de Montaigne
37. 1557 Death at Saint-Malo Jacques Cartier
38. 1558 Death at Yuste Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
39. 1558 Accession at Hatfield Elizabeth I
40. 1559 Coronation at Westminster Abbey Elizabeth I
41. 1561 Birth at York House Francis Bacon
42. 1562 Studies in Naples Giordano Bruno
43. 1562 With Charles IX at the siege of Rouen Michel de Montaigne
44. 1562 Birth in Madrid Lope de Vega
45. 1564 Royal progress to Cambridge Elizabeth I
46. 1564 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon William Shakespeare
47. 1564 Baptized at Pisa Cathedral Galileo Galilei
48. 1564 Born in Pisa Galileo Galilei
49. 1564 Final sermon at St. Pierre John Calvin
50. 1564 Dies at Macel de’ Corvi Michelangelo

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