Who Was Alive

Were William Shakespeare and James VI and I alive at the same time?

Yes. William Shakespeare and James VI and I were alive at the same time for 49 years, from 1566 to 1616.

William Shakespeare was 2 when James VI and I was born.

James VI and I was 49 when William Shakespeare died, aged 51 or 52.

William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet

Born April 1564 · died 23 April 1616 (Julian calendar), aged 51 or 52

James VI and I

King of Scotland from 1566 to 1625, King of England and Ireland from 1603 to 1625

Born 19 June 1566 · died 27 March 1625 (Julian calendar), aged 58

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Francis Bacon
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. William Shakespeare
  5. James VI and I
  6. René Descartes
  7. Rembrandt
  8. Molière
William Shakespeare and James VI and I 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.