Famous People Who Died In 1666

Shah Jahan, emperor Jahangir’s son, ruled as the fifth Mughal emperor, from 1628 to 1658. He is known for commissioning the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, among other contributions to Mughal architecture. He was put under house arrest by his son, Aurangzeb, during his final years.

Best known for his 4-volume Epistolae Ho-Elianae, James Howell had been a British historiographer royal, a post specifically made for him during the Restoration era. His works, however, are mostly plagiarized and historically inaccurate. He was also imprisoned for a few years, probably due to debts or his political criticism.

François Mansart was a French architect who introduced classicism into French Baroque architecture. Widely regarded as the most accomplished French architect of the 17th century, Mansart's works are celebrated for their high degree of elegance, subtlety, and refinement. François Mansart is also credited with popularizing the mansard roof, which creates an extra floor of habitable space in a building.

One of the most prominent painters of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, Frans Hals is renowned for his individual and group portraits as well as for his genre work paintings. He is known for loose painterly brushwork, colourful palette and lively style of painting. His work played a key role in the development of 17th century group portraiture.

Spanish princess Anne of Austria was also an archduchess of the House of Habsburg. She later became the queen of France, as King Louis XIII’s wife, and also ruled as the regent for her son, Louis XIV. She is one of main characters in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

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.   

Presbyterian theologian Edmund Calamy the Elder wrote with a group of fellow Calvinists under the joint pseudonym Smectymnuus. A non-Conformist, he was expelled from the ministry for going against the Act of Uniformity. He died out of shock at the sight of the Great Fire of London.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell was a German astronomer and Jesuit missionary. Schall von Bell, who spent most of his life doing missionary work in China, played an important role in Chinese history as he was one of the most important advisers to the Shunzhi Emperor. He is also credited with educating the Chinese on the concepts of Western astronomy.