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🇵🇹 Portugal🇨🇭 Switzerland
FieldAllHistorical FiguresPoliticiansWritersArtistsReligious FiguresAcademicsModelsMusiciansArchitectsScientists
  1. 1Thomas à KempisThomas à Kempis1380–1471 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers20 decades
  2. 2Sebastian BrantSebastian Brant1458–1521 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers22 decades
  3. 3Johannes TrithemiusJohannes Trithemius1462–1516 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  4. 4Johann SchiltbergerJohann Schiltberger1381–1440 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  5. 5Johann Geiler von KaisersbergJohann Geiler von Kaisersberg1445–1510 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  6. 6Konrad KyeserKonrad Kyeser1366–1450 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers2 decades
  7. 7JBJohann Burchard1450–1506 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  8. 8Paul von RusdorfPaul von Rusdorf1385–1441 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers7 decades
  9. 9Jakob WimpfelingJakob Wimpfeling1450–1528 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  10. 10Wigand of MarburgWigand of Marburg1400–1409 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers9 decades
  11. 11Johann of SchwarzenbergJohann of Schwarzenberg1463–1528 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers17 decades
  12. 12Albert KrantzAlbert Krantz1448–1517 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers17 decades
  13. 13Ulrich MolitorUlrich Molitor1442–1507 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  14. 14Albrecht von EybAlbrecht von Eyb1420–1475 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers17 decades
  15. 15Johannes NauclerusJohannes Nauclerus1425–1510 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  16. 16Werner RolevinckWerner Rolevinck1425–1502 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  17. 17CHClara Hätzlerin1430–1476 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers16 decades
  18. 18HSHeinrich Steinhöwel1412–1482 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  19. 19HBHermann Bote1450–1520 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers8 decades
  20. 20Jörg von EhingenJörg von Ehingen1428–1508 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers11 decades
  21. 21HRHans Rosenplüt1400–1460 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers19 decades
  22. 22Ulrich FüetrerUlrich Füetrer1401–1496 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers0 decades
  23. 23Niklas von WyleNiklas von Wyle1410–1479 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Writers14 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.