René Descartes
‘I think, therefore I am.’ He lived for years in the Dutch Republic, created analytic geometry and died in Stockholm after joining Queen Christina’s court.
| Lived | 1596 – 1650 |
| Known as | Philosopher and mathematician |
| Birthplace or main place | La Haye en Touraine |
| Places on the map | Amsterdam, Stockholm, Paris |
La Haye en TouraineSee the world of René Descartes in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in her lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1500) | At death (map of 1650) |
|---|---|---|
| La Haye en Touraine | France | same |
| Amsterdam | Holy Roman Empire | Dutch Republic |
| Stockholm | Kalmar Union | Sweden |
| Paris | France | same |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in her lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1602 | The Dutch East India Company is founded | Amsterdam |
| 1609 | The Bank of Amsterdam is founded | Amsterdam |
| 1628 | The warship Vasa sinks on her maiden voyage | Stockholm |
Battles and sites of the time
- Battle of the White Mountain · 1620
- Battle of Lützen · 1632
- Münster · 1648
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1583 – 1663 | Queen Nzinga | Queen of Ndongo and Matamba |
| 1592 – 1666 | Shah Jahan | Mughal emperor |
| 1603 – 1659 | Abel Tasman | Navigator |
| 1564 – 1642 | Galileo Galilei | Scientist |
| 1577 – 1640 | Peter Paul Rubens | Painter |
| 1606 – 1669 | Rembrandt | Painter |
| c. 1574 – 1635 | Samuel de Champlain | Explorer |
| 1571 – 1629 | Shah Abbas I | Safavid shah |
| 1618 – 1707 | Aurangzeb | Mughal emperor |
| 1543 – 1616 | Tokugawa Ieyasu | First Tokugawa shogun |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.