Who Was Alive

Were Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Napoleon alive at the same time?

Yes. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Napoleon were alive at the same time for 11 years, from 1769 to 1781.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was 40 when Napoleon was born.

Napoleon was 11 when Gotthold Ephraim Lessing died, aged 52.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

German writer, philosopher, publicist, and art critic

Born 22 January 1729 · died 15 February 1781, aged 52

Napoleon

French military leader, French Emperor 1804–1814 and again in 1815

Born 15 August 1769 · died 5 May 1821, aged 51

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Napoleon 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.