Famous People Who Died In 1650

Known as The Great Montrose, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was not just a Scottish nobleman and military leader but also a talented poet. He won many battles for Charles I but was defeated in the Battle of Carbisdale, following which he was hanged to death in the Edinburgh marketplace.

Christoph Scheiner was a Jesuit priest, astronomer, and physicist. He is credited with inventing the pantograph which he demonstrated in Munich after he was invited by Duke William V of Bavaria. Several schools and streets in Germany are named after him. A lunar crater is also named in his honor.

Marathi poet Sant Tukaram was one of the pillars of the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra. It is believed he began writing abhangas, or religious poetry, after being visited by Vitthal, an avatar of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, in a dream. He is revered by the Varkari sampradaya.

William II, Prince of Orange served as the Stadtholder of Holland, Guelders, Utrecht, Zeeland, Groningen, and Overijssel in the United Provinces from 1647 until his death in 1650. William's only son William III ruled over England, Ireland, and Scotland.

The son of Araki Murashige, a Sengoku period daimyo, Iwasa Matabei took his mother's family name after his father’s disastrous defeat and death. He grew up to excel in both color and monochrome painting and was highly influenced by the Tosa school. His themes included Chinese and Japanese legends.

Bernhardus Varenius was a German geographer best remembered for his work Geographia Generalis, which attempted to lay the general principles of geography on a wide scientific basis. His work had several editions, including the Cambridge edition of 1672 in which Sir Isaac Newton had introduced many significant improvements.

Catalina de Erauso was a Spanish nun who fled from the convent and travelled around Spain and Spanish America. She did several odd jobs disguised as a man and also served as a soldier of fortune in Bolivia, Chile, Perú, and Argentina before returning to Spain where she supposedly visited the Pope. She became a muleteer in her later life.

Though born in Switzerland, engraver Matthäus Merian mostly worked in Germany. Best remembered for his topographical works, he also worked for the publishing house of J. T. de Bry and later married his daughter, taking over the business. His work took him to places such as Paris, Basle, and Nancy.