Historical figures of the Enlightenment

The atlas holds 51 people and 1,112 moments here, from 1685 to 1815. The most recorded lives are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Napoleon Bonaparte. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Philosophers.

Notable people

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

   from 1756 to 1791

   121 moments here

   Austrian composer and performer of the Classical era. Born in Salzburg, Mozart toured Europe as a child prodigy, made three formative journeys to…

2. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

   from 1749 to 1815

   71 moments here

   German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist, theatre director, and statesman. Born in Frankfurt, Goethe studied in Leipzig and Strasbourg, practiced…

3. Napoleon Bonaparte

   from 1769 to 1815

   56 moments here

   French military commander and statesman who rose during the French Revolution, became First Consul in 1799, and ruled as Emperor of the French in…

4. Voltaire

   from 1694 to 1778

   51 moments here

   François-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, dramatist, and philosopher.…

5. Catherine II of Russia

   from 1729 to 1796

   46 moments here

   Catherine II (Catherine the Great), born Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, was empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.…

6. Jane Austen

   from 1775 to 1815

   45 moments here

   English novelist Jane Austen spent her life in southern England, principally in Hampshire, Bath, Southampton, Chawton, and Winchester.…

7. George Washington

   from 1732 to 1799

   44 moments here

   George Washington was a Virginia surveyor, planter, military commander, revolutionary leader, constitutional statesman, and the first president of…

8. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

   from 1712 to 1778

   39 moments here

   Genevan philosopher, writer, composer, and a major figure of the European Enlightenment. Rousseau’s documented movements ranged across Geneva, Savoy,…

9. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

   from 1687 to 1716

   35 moments here

   German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…

10. Ludwig van Beethoven

    from 1770 to 1812

    34 moments here

    German composer and pianist whose life was centered first in Bonn and, from 1792, in Vienna.…

11. John Adams

    from 1735 to 1801

    32 moments here

    American lawyer, revolutionary leader, diplomat, first vice president of the United States, and second U.S. president.…

12. Friedrich Schiller

    from 1759 to 1805

    30 moments here

    Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German playwright, poet, philosopher, historian, and a central figure of Weimar Classicism.…

13. Peter the Great

    from 1689 to 1725

    30 moments here

    Peter I of Russia, known as Peter the Great, was tsar from 1682 and emperor from 1721 until 1725.…

14. Montesquieu

    from 1689 to 1755

    29 moments here

    Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, was a French jurist, historian, and political philosopher.…

15. Benjamin Franklin

    from 1706 to 1790

    28 moments here

    American printer, scientist, civic leader, colonial agent, revolutionary statesman, and diplomat.…

16. Thomas Jefferson

    from 1743 to 1801

    27 moments here

    Thomas Jefferson was an American lawyer, Virginia political leader, diplomat, secretary of state, vice president, and third president of the United…

17. Lord Byron

    from 1788 to 1815

    26 moments here

    George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron (1788–1824), was a British poet, peer, and political speaker.…

18. George Frideric Handel

    from 1685 to 1759

    26 moments here

    German-British Baroque composer. Born in Halle, he worked in Hamburg, travelled in Italy, served as Kapellmeister at Hanover, and settled in England.…

19. Adam Smith

    from 1723 to 1790

    25 moments here

    Scottish moral philosopher and political economist of the Scottish Enlightenment, author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the…

20. James Madison

    from 1751 to 1814

    25 moments here

    James Madison (1751–1836) was a Virginia planter, revolutionary politician, delegate to the Continental and Confederation congresses, architect of…

21. Johann Sebastian Bach

    from 1685 to 1750

    24 moments here

    German Baroque composer, organist, violinist, keyboard virtuoso, and musical director. Born in Eisenach, Bach was educated in Ohrdruf and Lüneburg…

22. Carl Linnaeus

    from 1707 to 1778

    24 moments here

    Swedish botanist, physician, and naturalist who formalized binomial nomenclature and devised an influential system for classifying organisms.…

23. Simón Bolívar

    from 1799 to 1810

    23 moments here

    Venezuelan military and political leader known as El Libertador. Bolívar led revolutionary campaigns that helped secure the independence of…

24. Francisco Goya

    from 1746 to 1808

    19 moments here

    Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was born at Fuendetodos, Aragon, and died at Bordeaux, France.…

Moments

1. 1685 Monmouth Rebellion involvement Daniel Defoe
2. 1685 Birth in Halle George Frideric Handel
3. 1685 Born in Eisenach Johann Sebastian Bach
4. 1685 Reception of the Doge of Genoa Louis XIV
5. 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau Louis XIV
6. 1687 Faces the Ecclesiastical Commission Isaac Newton
7. 1687 Stay at Rheinfels Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
8. 1688 William's army at Henley Daniel Defoe
9. 1688 Hosted at Sulzbach Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
10. 1688 Residence in Rotterdam John Locke
11. 1688 Secretary at Moor Park Jonathan Swift
12. 1688 Arrival in Munich Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
13. 1688 Meeting at Graupen Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
14. 1688 Two weeks in Regensburg Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
15. 1688 Archival discovery in Augsburg Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
16. 1688 First extended Vienna stay Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
17. 1689 Residence at Dorset Court John Locke
18. 1689 Birth at Château de la Brède Montesquieu
19. 1689 Refuge at Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra Peter the Great
20. 1689 Return voyage with Princess Mary John Locke
21. 1689 First Venice stay Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
22. 1689 Arrival in Rome Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
23. 1689 Second Rome stay Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
24. 1689 Visit to Naples Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
25. 1689 Attends Hampton Court meeting Isaac Newton
26. 1689 Volunteer escort in the City Daniel Defoe
27. 1689 Florence visit Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
28. 1689 Bologna stop Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
29. 1689 Departure from Florence Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
30. 1690 Este archives at Modena Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
31. 1690 Este tombs at Vangadizza Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
32. 1690 Second Venice stay Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
33. 1690 Return visit to Vienna Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
34. 1690 Returns to Hanover from Italy Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
35. 1691 Wolfenbüttel library directorship Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
36. 1691 Settlement at Oates Manor John Locke
37. 1692 Master's degree at Hart Hall Jonathan Swift
38. 1692 Departure for the siege of Namur Louis XIV
39. 1692 Siege of Namur Louis XIV
40. 1693 Moved in with the d'Hervart family Jean de La Fontaine
41. 1694 Born in Paris Voltaire
42. 1695 Ordination at Christ Church Cathedral Jonathan Swift
43. 1695 Prebend at Kilroot Jonathan Swift
44. 1695 Death at the Hôtel d'Hervart Jean de La Fontaine
45. 1695 Return to Moscow after the first Azov campaign Peter the Great
46. 1696 Brickworks residence at Chadwell Daniel Defoe
47. 1696 Begins work at the Royal Mint Isaac Newton
48. 1696 Returned to Moor Park Jonathan Swift
49. 1696 Documented at Ohrdruf Lyceum Johann Sebastian Bach
50. 1697 Lives on Jermyn Street Isaac Newton

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