Who Was Alive

Were Peter Paul Rubens and René Descartes alive at the same time?

Yes. Peter Paul Rubens and René Descartes were alive at the same time for 44 years, from 1596 to 1640.

Peter Paul Rubens was 18 when René Descartes was born.

René Descartes was 44 when Peter Paul Rubens died, aged 62.

Peter Paul Rubens

Flemish painter

Born 28 June 1577 · died 30 May 1640, aged 62

René Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

Born 31 March 1596 · died 11 February 1650, aged 53

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Galileo Galilei
  3. William Shakespeare
  4. Peter Paul Rubens
  5. René Descartes
  6. Molière
  7. Isaac Newton
Peter Paul Rubens and René Descartes 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.