1500–1599
The 16th century
Whose working lives fell in the 16th 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 16th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
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Catherine of Aragon1485–1536 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians20 decades - 2
Pedro de Valdivia1497–1553 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 3
John of Austria1547–1578 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 4
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba1507–1582 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 5
Eleanor of Austria1498–1558 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians12 decades - 6
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma1545–1592 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians21 decades - 7
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Anna of Austria, Queen of Spain1549–1580 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 8
Alonso de Ojeda1466–1515 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 9
Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal1535–1573 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 10
Leo Africanus1494–1600 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians15 decades - 11
Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain1567–1597 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 12
Eleanor of Toledo1522–1562 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 13
Diego Columbus1479–1526 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 14
Antonio de Mendoza1490–1552 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 15
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Francisco Gómez de Sandoval, 1st Duke of Lerma1553–1625 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 16
Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa1515–1582 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians22 decades - 17
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Antonio Pérez1534–1611 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 18
Ferrante Gonzaga1507–1557 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 19
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Philip William, Prince of Orange1554–1618 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 20
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Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca1484–1553 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 21
Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey1560–1606 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 22
Luis de Velasco1511–1564 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 23
Blasco Núñez Vela1490–1546 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians15 decades - 24
Luis de Velasco, 1st Marquess of Salinas1534–1617 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 25
García Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Marquis of Villafranca1514–1577 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 26
Martín Enríquez de Almanza1510–1583 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 27
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete1510–1561 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians18 decades - 28GPGómez Pérez Dasmariñas1519–1593 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians4 decades
- 29
Mencía de Mendoza y Fonseca1508–1554 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 30
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Francisco de los Cobos1477–1547 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 31
Pedro Henriquez de Acevedo, Count of Fuentes1525–1610 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians1 decades - 32
Fernando de Valdés y Salas1483–1568 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 33
Guido de Lavezaris1512–1582 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians0 decades - 34
Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 5th Count of Coruña1518–1583 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 35
García de Silva Figueroa1550–1624 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians6 decades - 36FDFrancisco de Sande1540–1602 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians19 decades
- 37
Lope García de Castro1516–1576 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians20 decades - 38
Gabriel de la Cueva, 5th Duke of Alburquerque1515–1571 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 39
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Francisco Verdugo1537–1595 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians21 decades - 40CDCaspar de Robles1527–1585 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politicians14 decades
- 41
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Juan de Escobedo1530–1578 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 42
Pedro Téllez-Girón1537–1590 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 43
Juan de Zúñiga y Avellaneda1541–1608 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 44
Luis Hurtado de Mendoza y Pacheco1489–1566 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 45JDJuan de la Cerda, 4th Duke of Medinaceli1514–1575 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 46BDBeltrán de la Cueva, 3rd Duke of Alburquerque1478–1560 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 47
Juan de Vega1507–1558 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 48MAMartín Alonso Fernández de Córdoba Montemayor y Velasco, Count of Alcaudete1498–1558 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 49
Juan Alonso Pimentel de Herrera1553–1621 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 50PFPedro Fajardo, 1st Marquis of los Vélez1477–1546 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 51
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Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva1515–1578 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 52
Gabriel von Salamanca-Ortenburg1489–1539 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 53DFDiego Fernández de Córdoba y Arellano, 1st Marquis of Comares1469–1518 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 54
Pedro Bravo de Acuñadied 1606 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 55
Juan de Tassis, 1st Count of Villamedianadied 1607 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 56CRCristóbal Ramírez de Cartagena1501–1594 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 57FDFadrique de Portugal1465–1539 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 58
Fernando Talaverano Gallegos1563–1619 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured— - 59Juan de la Jaraquemada1560–1612 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot measured—
- 60JJJuan Jiménez de Montalvo1551–1629 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Politiciansnot 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.