1490-1499
The 1490s
Whose working lives fell in the 1490s. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1490s, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800-2019Echoed
- 1
Henry VII of England1457-1509 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures7 decades - 2
Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 3
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor1459-1519 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Models22 decades - 4
Charles VIII of France1470-1498 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians11 decades - 5
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola1463-1494 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics22 decades - 6
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Pope Adrian VI1459-1523 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Religious Figures22 decades - 7
Juan Ponce de León1460-1521 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures20 decades - 8
Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal1470-1498 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades - 9
Joan of Valois1464-1505 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 10
Josquin des Prez1455-1521 · 🇫🇷 France · Musicians16 decades - 11
Jakob Fugger1459-1525 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Founders22 decades - 12
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Joanna la Beltraneja1462-1530 · 🇪🇸 Spain22 decades - 13
Muhammad XII of Granada1459-1533 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades - 14
Frederick III, Elector of Saxony1463-1525 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Models22 decades - 15
Filippino Lippi1457-1504 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists21 decades - 16
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Tilman Riemenschneider1460-1531 · Artists12 decades - 17
Caterina Sforza1463-1509 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians3 decades - 18
Anne of France1461-1522 · Politicians1 decades - 19
Johann Reuchlin1455-1522 · Academics17 decades - 20
Gian Galeazzo Sforza1469-1494 · Models20 decades - 21
Sebastian Brant1458-1521 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers22 decades - 22
Vladislaus II of Hungary1456-1516 · Modelsnot measured- - 23
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John II of Portugal1455-1495 · 🇵🇹 Portugal0 decades - 24
Sultan Cem1459-1495 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Politicians0 decades - 25
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Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire1457-1539 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Politiciansnot measured- - 26
John, Prince of Asturias1478-1497 · 🇪🇸 Spain0 decades - 27
Martin Behaim1459-1507 · Historical Figures15 decades - 28
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón1462-1600 · Historical Figures14 decades - 29
Piero di Cosimo1462-1522 · Artists22 decades - 30
Bartholomew Columbus1460-1515 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures16 decades - 31
Charles1459-1496 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures11 decades - 32
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Jacopo Sannazaro1457-1530 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades - 33
Pietro Pomponazzi1462-1525 · Academics22 decades - 34
Johannes Trithemius1462-1516 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades - 35
John, King of Denmark1455-1513 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Historical Figuresnot measured- - 36
Huayna Capac1464-152720 decades - 37
Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia1476-1497 · 🇮🇹 Italy22 decades - 38
Beatrice d’Este1475-1497 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians4 decades - 39
Sophia Palaiologina1455-1503 · Politicians0 decades - 40
Lorenzo di Credi1459-1537 · Artists22 decades - 41
Gerard David1460-1523 · Artists11 decades - 42
Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano1459-1517 · Artists22 decades - 43
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John I Albert1459-1501 · Politicians0 decades - 44
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Alexander Jagiellon1460-1506 · Historical Figures0 decades - 45
Andrea Gritti1455-1538 · Politicians22 decades - 46
Francis1470-1495 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 47
Beatrice of Naples1457-150820 decades - 48
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam1464-1534 · 🇫🇷 Francenot measured- - 49
Piri Mehmed Paşa1458-1532 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Politiciansnot measured- - 50
Perkin Warbeck1474-149922 decades - 51
Conrad Celtes1459-1508 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics1 decades - 52
Tristão da Cunha1460-1540 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures1 decades - 53
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Jacopo de' Barbari1460-1516 · Artists14 decades - 54
Gil Eanesdied 15000 decades - 55
John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg1455-1499 · 🇩🇪 Germany19 decades - 56
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick1475-1499 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures12 decades - 57SASonni Ali1464-1492 · Historical Figures6 decades
- 58
Raffaele Riario1461-1521 · Religious Figures22 decades - 59
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Ferdinand II of Naples1467-1496 · Politicians0 decades - 60
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Peter Martyr d'Anghiera1457-1526 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Writers22 decades - 61
Ascanio Sforza1455-1505 · 🇪🇸 Spain13 decades - 62SOSeongjong of Joseon1457-1494 · 🇰🇷 South Korea · Historical Figuresnot measured-
- 63
Hedwig Jagiellon, Duchess of Bavaria1457-1502 · Politiciansnot measured- - 64
Antonio da Sangallo the Elder1455-1534 · Architects10 decades - 65
Afonso I of Kongo1456-1543 · Historical Figures0 decades - 66
Elizabeth Tudor1492-1495 · Historical Figures15 decades - 67
Christina of Saxony1461-1521 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figures0 decades - 68
George the Rich, Duke of Bavaria1455-1503 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figuresnot measured- - 69
Charles I, Duke of Savoy1468-149022 decades - 70
Jacob Obrecht1457-1505 · Musicians0 decades - 71
Lorenzo Costa1460-1535 · Artists9 decades - 72
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Giovanni il Popolano1467-1498 · Politicians0 decades - 73
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Eleanor of Viseu1458-1525 · Politiciansnot measured- - 74
Judah Leon Abravanel1460-1530 · Academics18 decades
- 75
Catherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham1458-14970 decades - 76
Pierre de la Rue1460-1518 · Musicians0 decades - 77MSMichael Sittow1459-1525 · Artists1 decades
- 78
Go-Kashiwabara1464-1526 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades - 79ASAndrea Solari1460-1524 · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Artists0 decades
- 80
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Afonso, Prince of Portugal1475-1491 · Historical Figuresnot measured- - 81
Jean Hey1455-1505 · 🇫🇷 France · Artists3 decades - 82TYTan Yunxian1461-1554 · Doctors0 decades
- 83
Ivan the Young1458-1490 · Historical Figures5 decades - 84
Charles II, Duke of Savoy1489-1496 · Historical Figures22 decades - 85
Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach1460-1536 · Politicians22 decades - 86
Camilla Battista da Varano1458-15243 decades - 87
Philippa of Guelders1464-1547 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures8 decades - 88
Mihnea cel Rău1462-1510 · Historical Figuresnot measured- - 89
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Duarte Pacheco Pereira1460-1533 · Historical Figures0 decades - 90
Pedro Navarro, Count of Oliveto1460-1528 · Scientistsnot measured- - 91
Anna Sforza1476-1497 · Historical Figures0 decades - 92
Georges d'Amboise1460-1510 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 93
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John II, Duke of Cleves1458-1521 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figures22 decades - 94
Laura Cereta1469-1499 · Writers4 decades - 95HAHersekzade Ahmed Pasha1455-1517 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers0 decades
- 96
Geertgen tot Sint Jans1460-1490 · Artists0 decades - 97
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Konstanty Ostrogski1460-1530 · Politicians0 decades - 98
Sikandar Khan Lodi1458-1517 · Politicians0 decades - 99
Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach1464-1512not measured- - 100
Louis II de la Trémoille1460-1525 · 🇫🇷 France1 decades
How this is measured
- Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active - around age 35, and never after their death.
- Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
- Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
- What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.