Galileo Galilei · Hugo Grotius Were Galileo Galilei and Hugo Grotius alive at the same time? Yes. Galileo Galilei and Hugo Grotius were alive at the same time for 58 years, from 1583 to 1642. Galileo Galilei was 19 when Hugo Grotius was born.Hugo Grotius was 58 when Galileo Galilei died, aged 77. Galileo GalileiItalian polymathBorn 15 February 1564 · died 8 January 1642, aged 77Hugo GrotiusDutch jurist and scholarBorn 10 April 1583 · died 28 August 1645, aged 62 MichelangeloMiguel de CervantesGalileo GalileiWilliam ShakespeareHugo GrotiusRené DescartesMolièreIsaac Newton Galileo Galilei and Hugo Grotius in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.