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. 1Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León1460–1521 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures20 decades
  2. 2Henry IV of CastileHenry IV of Castile1425–1474 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades
  3. 3Alfonso V of AragonAlfonso V of Aragon1396–1458 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures21 decades
  4. 4Isabella of Aragon, Queen of PortugalIsabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal1470–1498 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades
  5. 5Ferdinand I of AragonFerdinand I of Aragon1380–1416 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures17 decades
  6. 6Ferdinand I of NaplesFerdinand I of Naples1423–1494 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures16 decades
  7. 7Muhammad XII of GranadaMuhammad XII of Granada1459–1533 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades
  8. 8John II of CastileJohn II of Castile1405–1454 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades
  9. 9Bartholomew ColumbusBartholomew Columbus1460–1515 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures16 decades
  10. 10Nicolás de OvandoNicolás de Ovando1451–1511 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures20 decades
  11. 11João de NóvoaJoão de Nóvoa1450–1509 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  12. 12JDJuan de Bermúdez1401–1600 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures15 decades
  13. 13ADAlonso de Salazar1401–1526 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures21 decades
  14. 14DDDiego de Nicuesa1464–1511 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades
  15. 15FRFrancisco Roldán1462–1502 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures15 decades
  16. 16ADAdrián de Moxica1453–1499 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  17. 17TeguesteTeguesteborn 1401 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  18. 18Alonso SánchezAlonso Sánchezborn 1401 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades
  19. 19DDDiego de Arana1468–1493 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures21 decades
  20. 20PelicarPelicarborn 1450 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures1 decades
  21. 21HDHernando de Grijalva1401–1537 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures14 decades
  22. 22Juan Fernández de Híjar y CabreraJuan Fernández de Híjar y Cabrera1419–1491 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figuresnot measured—

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.