Claim profile
1400–1499

The 15th century

Whose working lives fell in the 15th century. 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 15th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇫🇷 France🇩🇪 Germany🇮🇹 Italy🇹🇷 Turkey🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇪🇸 Spain🇯🇵 Japan🇸🇪 Sweden🇨🇭 Switzerland🇵🇹 Portugal
FieldAllHistorical FiguresPoliticiansWritersArtistsReligious FiguresAcademicsModelsMusiciansArchitectsScientists
  1. 1John III, Duke of BavariaJohn III, Duke of Bavaria1375–1425 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures22 decades
  2. 2Bernard II, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgBernard II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg1432–1464 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures21 decades
  3. 3Hermann IV of HesseHermann IV of Hesse1442–1508 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  4. 4Diether von IsenburgDiether von Isenburg1412–1482 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures19 decades
  5. 5Frederick IV of BadenFrederick IV of Baden1458–1517 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  6. 6Rudolf von ScherenbergRudolf von Scherenberg1401–1495 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  7. 7Ernest II of SaxonyErnest II of Saxony1464–1513 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures16 decades
  8. 8John II of BadenJohn II of Baden1434–1503 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  9. 9Johannes HinderbachJohannes Hinderbach1418–1486 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures13 decades
  10. 10Johann von DalbergJohann von Dalberg1455–1503 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  11. 11AIAdalbert III of Saxony1467–1484 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  12. 12George of BadenGeorge of Baden1436–1484 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  13. 13William VIII of Jülich, Count of RavensbergWilliam VIII of Jülich, Count of Ravensberg1382–1428 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  14. 14Rudolf van DiepholtRudolf van Diepholt1400–1455 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures1 decades
  15. 15Dietrich Schenk von ErbachDietrich Schenk von Erbach1390–1459 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  16. 16Melchior von MeckauMelchior von Meckau1440–1509 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  17. 17PVPeter von Schaumberg1388–1469 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures5 decades
  18. 18JOJohn of Palatinate-Simmern, Archbishop of Magdeburg1429–1475 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  19. 19Otto III of HachbergOtto III of Hachberg1388–1451 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  20. 20Johann von EychJohann von Eych1404–1464 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  21. 21Hugh of HohenlandenbergHugh of Hohenlandenberg1457–1532 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  22. 22Georg HeslerGeorg Hesler1427–1482 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  23. 23RVRuprecht von Pfalz-Simmern1420–1478 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  24. 24JCJohn, Count of Werdenberg-Trochtelfingen1430–1486 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  25. 25Philip II of Daun-ObersteinPhilip II of Daun-Oberstein1463–1515 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  26. 26Heinrich Groß von TrockauHeinrich Groß von Trockau1451–1501 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  27. 27CIConrad III of Dhaun1380–1434 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  28. 28Jakob von LiebensteinJakob von Liebenstein1462–1508 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  29. 29Stephan BodeckerStephan Bodecker1384–1459 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 decades
  30. 30HIHeinrich IV. von Lichtenau1444–1517 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Religious Figures0 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.