Famous People Born In 1609

Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria was the Cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church. He also played an important role during the Thirty Years' War, where he served as a military commander. Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand is also remembered for his service as the governor of the Spanish Netherlands.

Daughter of Henry IV of France, Henrietta Maria, or Queen Mary, ruled England, Scotland, and Ireland as the queen after marrying King Charles I. Her open allegiance to Roman Catholicism prevented her from getting a formal coronation. She died of an overdose of laudanum to cure her of bronchitis.

Seventeenth-century soldier Raimondo Montecuccoli, who served the Habsburg Monarchy, is remembered for redefining the art of warfare with his techniques of fortification and siege. He made a significant contribution to the Thirty Years’ War and penned Dell’arte militare, or The Military Art, which remains his most important work.

Seventeenth-century lyrical poet Paul Fleming was also a skilled physician. A disciple of Martin Opitz, he composed love poems and religious hymns. He was also the first German to make use of the sonnet form effectively. He had also been a merchant in Russia and Iran for several years.

Václav Eusebius František, Prince of Lobkowicz was a Bohemian diplomat and military leader. He is best remembered for raising his own regiment within the Imperial Army to fight in the Thirty Years' War. A confidant of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, Václav Eusebius also served as the president of the Hofrat.  

Jan Fyt was a Flemish Baroque painter, etcher, and draughtsman. One of the 17th century's leading animaliers, Fyt is remembered for his lush hunting pieces and refined depictions of animals. A versatile still-life specialist, Jan Fyt was also an accomplished etcher; he produced a series of etchings portraying mainly animals and dogs.

Hannibal Sehested was a Dano-Norwegian statesman best remembered for his service as the Governor-general of Norway between 1642 and 1651. From 1648 to 1660, he served as the Chancellor of Norway. Hannibal Sehested is also remembered for his role in the Torstenson War.   

A wandering tailor, Lodowicke Muggleton formed his own Protestant Christian movement known as Muggletonianism. His followers revered him as a prophet. He expressed his anti-Trinitarian views through his works such as A Divine Looking-Glass, where he claimed God had a human body. He was eventually tried for blasphemy.

Protestant reformer Gerrard Winstanley is best known for leading the Diggers, a group of English agrarian communists. Initially a cloth merchant, he was later drawn to communism, believing that land should be available to the poor, and penned The Law of Freedom in a Platform. He also advocated for universal religious tolerance.