French Wars of Religion 1562–1598

Kingdom of France, Politique ⚔ Protestant, Huguenots, Kingdom of England, Catholic Church, Catholic League (French), Spanish Empire, Habsburg Spain, Duchy of Savoy

Key battles

• Battle of Dreux (1562)
• Battle of Ivry (1590)
• Siege of La Rochelle (1627)

Who lived through the French Wars of Religion

Well-known people alive during 1562–1598:

• William Shakespeare (1564–1616) — English playwright and poet (1564–1616)
• Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) — Italian polymath (1564–1642)
• Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) — Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (1547-1616)
• Elizabeth I of England (1533–1603) — Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 to 1603
• Francis Bacon (1561–1626) — English philosopher and statesman (1561–1626)
• Johannes Kepler (1572–1630) — German mathematician and astronomer (1571–1630)
• Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) — Flemish painter (1577–1640)
• Akbar (1542–1605) — the third and greatest Mughal emperor from 1556 to 1605
• Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) — English philosopher (1588–1679)
• Giordano Bruno (1548–1600) — Italian Dominican friar, philosopher and mathematician (1548–1600)
• Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) — French author, philosopher, and statesman (1533–1592)
• Mimar Sinan (1490–1588) — 16th-century Ottoman chief architect and civil engineer
• Lope de Vega (1562–1635) — Spanish playwright and poet (1562-1635)
• Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) — Danish astronomer and alchemist, 1546–1601
• Francis Drake (1540–1596) — English sailor and privateer (c. 1540 – 1596)
• Ivan the Terrible (1530–1584) — Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594) — Italian Renaissance composer (c. 1525–1594)
• El Greco (1541–1614) — Greek artist, painter, sculptor and architect (1541–1614)
• Luís de Camões (1524–1580) — 16th-century Portuguese poet
• Caravaggio (1571–1610) — Italian painter (1571–1610)
• Philip II of Spain (1527–1598) — King of Spain, Portugal, Naples and Sicily; King consort of England, lived 1527-1598
• Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582) — Roman Catholic saint (1515-1582)
• Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) — Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567 (1542–1587)
• Titian (1490–1576) — Italian painter (c.1490–1576)
• Armand-Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1585–1642) — French clergyman, cardinal, noble and statesman (1585-1642)

See this war on the interactive map →

Who else was alive in 1560 →