Historical Archives & Public Figures

أحمد الأعرج السعدي

Morocco

c. 1486 – 1557 (~71 years old)

Elder Saadian prince who captured Marrakesh in 1524, making it the capital of the emerging dynasty and liberating the Atlantic coastlines from European dominance.

Marrakesh, Morocco

19 Full Record →

Military Leaders & Strategists

19

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Hasan Corso

حسن كورسو

France

1518 – 1556 (38 years old)

Corsican-born commander who was adopted by Salah Reis, rose to Agha of the Janissaries, and was elected governor by the people and garrison of Algiers in 1556.

Algiers, Algeria

19 Full Record →

Religious Figures & Theologians

34

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Íñigo López de Loyola

Spain

1491 – 1556 (64 years old)

Spanish Basque knight, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and author of the 'Spiritual Exercises' who transformed global Catholic mission, education, and spirituality.

Rome, Italy

34 Full Record →

Military Leaders & Strategists

18

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Salah Reis

صالح ريس

Egypt

1488 – 1556 (68 years old)

Legendary naval admiral and Beylerbey of Algiers (1552–1556) who commanded Hayreddin Barbarossa's right wing at the Battle of Preveza and expelled Spanish forces from Peñón de Vélez.

Algiers, Algeria

18 Full Record →

Religious Figures & Theologians

38

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Thomas Cranmer

Great Britain

1489 – 1556 (66 years old)

Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII and Edward VI, chief architect of the English Reformation, and compiler of the immortal 'Book of Common Prayer'.

Oxford, United Kingdom

38 Full Record →

Military Leaders & Strategists

26

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Salah Rais

صالح ريس

Egypt

c. 1488 – 1556 (68 years old)

Famed 16th-century naval strategist and Dey of Algiers who expanded Algerian sovereign territory across the Sahara and defeated Portuguese and Spanish fleets across North Africa.

Algiers, Algeria

26 Full Record →

Prophets & Divine Messengers

7

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Gemma Frisius

Netherlands

1508 – 1555 (46 years old)

Pioneering mathematician, astronomer, and instrument-maker at the University of Leuven who invented surveying by triangulation and was the first to propose using clocks to determine longitude at sea.

Leuven, Belgium

7 Full Record →

Politics

7

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Abu al-Hasan Ali Abu Hassun

أبو حسون علي الوطاسي

Morocco

c. 1495 – 1554 (~59 years old)

The last fighting Wattasid ruler, who escaped Saadian captivity, secured Ottoman military backing from Salah Rais in Algiers, recaptured Fez in 1554, and died in battle at Tadla.

Kasba Tadla, Morocco

7 Full Record →

Arts & Music

3,818

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Lucas Cranach the Elder

Lucas Maler / Lucas Cranach der Ältere

Germany

1472 – 1553 (81 years old)

Leading German Renaissance master and official artist of the Protestant Reformation, close ally of Martin Luther.

Weimar, Germany

3,818 Full Record →

Literature & Poetry

43

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François Rabelais (Alcofribas Nasier)

François Rabelais

France

c. 1494 – 9 April 1553 (~59 years old)

French Renaissance giant, physician, and humanist whose colossal satirical novels Gargantua and Pantagruel revolutionized world prose with boundless comedic exuberance, grotesque body humor, and the utopian humanist creed 'Do as thou wilt'.

Paris, France

43 Full Record →

Religious Figures & Theologians

40

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Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta

Francisco de Javier

Spain

1506 – 1552 (46 years old)

Navarrese co-founder of the Jesuits and supreme missionary of the early modern era who baptized tens of thousands across India, the Moluccas, and Japan.

Old Goa, India

40 Full Record →

Guru Angad Dev Ji (Second Sikh Guru & Master of Gurmukhi)

Prophets & Divine Messengers

40

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Guru Angad Dev Ji (Second Sikh Guru & Master of Gurmukhi)

ਗੁਰੂ ਅੰਗਦ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ

India

1504 – 1552 (47 years old)

Originally named Bhai Lehna, Guru Angad became the second Sikh Guru after proving selfless devotion to Guru Nanak; he standardized and popularized the Gurmukhi script, opening education, scripture, and physical fitness to all castes.

Khadur Sahib, India

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Religious Figures & Theologians

37

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Martin Bucer

Martin Butzer

France

1491 – 1551 (59 years old)

Pioneering Protestant reformer of Strasbourg whose tireless ecumenical diplomacy sought to reconcile Luther and Zwingli and who shaped the English Reformation under Edward VI.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

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Humanitarian & Peace

39

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Saint John of God

João Cidade de Deus

Portugal

1495 – 1550 (55 years old)

Fondateur portugais de l'Ordre des Frères Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, révolutionnaire des soins hospitaliers et du traitement digne des malades mentaux.

Granada, Spain

39 Full Record →

Monarchs, Kings & Royalty

35

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Queen Idia

Idia (First Iyoba of Benin)

Nigeria

c. 1475 CE – c. 1550 CE (75 years old)

Celebrated warrior queen and spiritual strategist of the Benin Empire, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother), immortalized worldwide by the famous 16th-century ivory pendant mask chosen as the symbol of FESTAC 77.

Benin City (Edo State), Nigeria

35 Full Record →

Monarchs, Kings & Royalty

30

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Askia Ishaq I

Askia Ishaq I (Ishaq ibn Muhammad)

🌐 Songhai Empire

Unknown – 1549

Fifth monarch of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire (reigned 1539–1549) who restored fiscal solvency, maintained strict central discipline, and famously repelled Moroccan demands for the lucrative Saharan salt mines of Taghaza.

Gao, Mali

30 Full Record →