Famous People Born In 1550

Becoming the King of France at the age 10, Charles IX presided over a kingdom which was torn apart by the Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. The infamous massacre of Huguenot leaders in Paris, instigated by his mother Catherine, left a traumatic effect on the mind of the ruler who succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 23.

John Napier was a Scottish mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He is credited with introducing logarithms as a means of simplifying calculations. He also invented Napier's bones, a manually-operated calculating device. In addition to his interest in mathematics, John Napier was also known for his skills as a magician; it is said that he dabbled in necromancy and alchemy.

Remembered as the first woman to become a navy admiral in the modern world, widowed Aceh warrior Keumalahayati led an army of widows named Inong Balee. She fought valiantly against the Dutch, leading to their surrender and a peace treaty. She died fighting a Portuguese fleet at Teuluk Krueng Raya.

Willem Barentsz was a Dutch cartographer, navigator, and Arctic explorer. Barentsz was part of three expeditions in search of a Northeast passage to the far north. Although the first two expeditions were unsuccessful, Willem Barentsz and his crew discovered Bear Island and Spitsbergen during their third expedition. Many places, including the Barents Sea, have been named in his honor.

Giorgio Basta was an Italian diplomat, general, and writer. He was ordered to command Habsburg forces by Rudolf II in the Long War of 1591–1606. Basta is also remembered for his missionary work in Transylvania, where he was sent to restore Catholicism as the main religion. Giorgio Basta also authored several books on military leadership. 

Francisco Sanches was a skeptic, philosopher and physician, best known for his 1581 skeptical work, Quod nihil scitur (That Nothing Is Known). Born in Spain and educated in France and Italy, he served as a professor of philosophy and medicine at the University of Toulouse, publishing several other works, which are believed to have influenced eminent philosophers like René Descartes.

Alexander Montgomerie was a Scottish poet and courtier best remembered as one of the most important members of the Castalian Band, a group of poets in James VI's court; the group included the king himself. Widely regarded as the king's favorite, Montgomerie wrote poems that explored complex themes like love. His works have drawn comparisons with writers like George Herbert.

Chand Bibi was an Indian warrior and ruler who served as the regent of the Bijapur Sultanate from 1580 to 1590. From 1595 to 1600, she also served as the regent of the Ahmednagar Sultanate. Chand Bibi is best remembered for fending off the Mughal forces of Akbar from Ahmednagar in 1595. 

Though born into a Protestant family, poet Mikołaj Sęp Szarzyński later followed Roman Catholicism and became part of the Dominican order. Known for his patriotic and religious verses, he left behind a significant collection, later published as Rhythms or Polish Verses. He also penned metaphysical sonnets, using inverted word orders.

Once a Lutheran pastor, Michael Maestlin later became one of the greatest astronomers from Germany. He was one of the first to teach the heliocentric Copernican theory and later became famous as the mentor of Johannes Kepler. He was also apparently the first to measure the orbit of a comet.

Henry Barrow was a Separatist, or Brownist, who broke away from the traditional Anglican church. He was a leader of the illegal Puritan group London Underground Church and was later imprisoned, charged with authoring seditious books, and executed on the scaffold, along with co-Separatist John Greenwood.

Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Sotomayor, who was the 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia, commanded the 1588 Spanish Armada. Part of the Spanish noble house of Guzmán, he continued to exercise control over the Spanish navy during the reigns of both Philip II and Philip III, in spite of naval disasters.

Andreas Libavius was a German professor and physician. He was a renaissance man known for practicing alchemy. He wrote a book called Alchemia, one of the first chemistry textbooks ever written. He taught history and poetry at the University of Jena and later became a physician at the Gymnasium in Rothenburg. He also founded the Gymnasium at Coburg.