1620s

The 1620s decade ran from January 1, 1620, to December 31, 1629.

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March 22, 1622: Jamestown massacre.

Significant people

• Antonio Maria Abbatini of Rome (c.1595–1680), composer
• George Abbot of England (1562–1633), Archbishop of Canterbury, held position 1611–1633
• Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, conde de Gondomar of Spain (1567–1626), Spanish ambassador to England-Wales
• Thomas Adams of England (1566–1620), publisher
• Niccolò Alamanni of Rome (1583–1626), Catholic priest, antiquarian, and custodian of the Vatican Library
• Albert VII (1559–1621), Archduke of Austria and governor (1596–1598) and Co-sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands (modern-day Belgium and Luxembourg) with Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, held position (as Co-sovereign) 1598–1621
• William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling of Scotland (1570–1640), Scottish colonial organizer of Nova Scotia and Secretary for Scotland
• Alexander III of Imereti (1609–1660), Imeretian Prince and future King of Imereti
• Manuel de Almeida of Portugal (1580–1646), Jesuit Missionary and ambassador to the Emperor of Ethiopia
• Emilio Bonaventura Altieri of Rome (1590–1676), Catholic bishop and future Pope
• Giambattista Andreini of Tuscany (1576–1654), actor and playwright
• Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo of Genoa (1584–1638), painter
• Sir Samuel Argall (1580–1626), former deputy governor of Virginia and current naval officer in the English navy
• Abdul Hasan Asaf-Khan of Persia (?-1641), Grand Vizer of the Mughal Empire (and brother of Nur Jahan), in office c.1611–1632
• Sir Thomas Aylesbury, 1st Baronet of England (1576–1657), Baronet and Surveyor of the English Royal Navy
• Francis Bacon of England (1561–1626), philosopher, jurist, scientist, writer, and politician; specifically Member of Parliament, Attorney General for England and Wales (1613–1617), and Lord Chancellor (1617–1621)
• Nathaniel Bacon of England (1585–1627), painter (not to be confused with the leader of the same name of Bacon's Rebellion)
• William Baffin of England (?–1622), navigator and explorer
• Francesco Barberini (1597–1679), seniore of Florence, Cardinal, diplomat
• Jakob Bartsch of Lusatia (1600–1633), astronomer
• François de Bassompierre of France (1579–1646), courtier and Marshal of France
• Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), Italian Jesuit and Cardinal
• Bernard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), nobleman and general
• Pierre de Bérulle of France (1575–1629), Cardinal and diplomat
• Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully of France (1560–1641), Favourite and minister under Henry IV and Louis XIII
• Andries Bicker of the Netherlands (1586–1652), administrator of the Dutch East India Company, Mayor of Amsterdam, and diplomat
• Willem Blaeu of the Netherlands (1571–1638), cartographer and publisher
• Abraham Bloemaert of the Netherlands (1566–1651), painter and printmaker
• Jakob Böhme of Görlitz (1575–1624), Christian mystic
• Juan Pablo Bonet of Spain (c.1573-1633), Catholic priest and inventor of the sign language alphabet
• François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguières of France (1543–1626), Constable of France
• Sidonia von Borcke of Pomerania (1548–1620), noblewoman and Witch-hunt victim (as well as a figure of later legends)
• Federico Borromeo of Milan (1564–1631), Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan
• Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (1566–1643), Anglo-Irish politician
• William Bradford (1590–1657), Prominent Leader and Governor of the Plymouth colony, in office 1621–1633, 1635–1636, 1637–1638, 1639–1644, 1645–1657
• Jean de Brébeuf of France (1593–1649), Jesuit missionary
• William Brewster (c.1566-1644), Puritan preacher and Plymouth leader
• Henry Briggs of England (1561–1630), mathematician
• Étienne Brûlé of France (1592?–1633), explorer
• John Bull of England (1562?-1628), composer and musician
• Karel Bonaventura Buquoy of France (1571–1621), general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire
• Robert Burton of England (1577–1640), scholar
• Estêvão Cacella of Portugal (1585–1630), Jesuit missionary
• Pedro Calderón de la Barca of Spain (1600–1681), playwright and poet
• George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore of England (1579–1632), nobleman, Member of Parliament, Secretary of State, and English colonizer of the North America (most notably the founder of the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland and future founder of Maryland)
• William Camden of England (1551–1623), historian and topographer
• Tommaso Campanella (1568–1639), Italian philosopher, theologian, astrologer, and poet
• John Carver (1576?-1621), Leader and First Governor of the Plymouth Colony, in office 1620–1621
• Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland of England (1575–1633), military officer, colonizer, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
• Ernst Casimir of the Netherlands (1573–1632), nobleman and military commander
• Aodh Mac Cathmhaoil of Ireland (1571–1626), Catholic theologian and Archbishop of Armagh
• Samuel de Champlain (1570?–1635), French explorer, administrator of New France, and founder of Quebec City
• Charles I of Gonzaga-Nevers (1580–1637), Duke of Nevers and Mantua (claim for the later supported by France)
• Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy (1562–1630), Duke of Savoy and Papal backed candidate to the throne of the Duchy of Mantua
• Ivan Cherkassky of Russia (1580?-1642), boyar and head of the Treasury, Streletsky Prikaz and Aptekarsky Prikaz, in office 1621–1622 (as Treasurer), 1622–23 (as head of the Streletsky Prikaz and Aptekarsky Prikaz)
• Jan Karol Chodkiewicz of Poland (1560–1621), military commander
• Christian the Younger of Brunswick (1599–1626), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Protestant Commander
• Antonio Cifra of Rome (1584–1629), composer
• Jan Pieterszoon Coen of the Netherlands (1587–1629), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
• Sir Edward Coke of England (1552–1634), Jurist and Member of Parliament
• Sir John Coke of England (1563–1644), Member of Parliament and Secretary of State
• Nicolò Contarini of Venice (1553–1631), politician and future Doge of Venice
• Diego Fernández de Córdoba, Marquis of Guadalcázar of Spain (1578–1630), nobleman and Viceroy of New Spain and Peru, in office 1612–1621 (New Spain), 1622–1629 (Peru)
• Gregorio Nuñez Coronel of Portugal (1548–1620), Augustinian theologian, writer, and preacher
• Adam de Coster of Flanders (1586–1643), painter
• Nathaniel Courthope of England (1585–1620), merchant navy officer
• Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry of England (1578–1640), Judge, Member of Parliament, and politician (specifically Soliticar General (1617–1621), Attorney General (1621–1625), and Lord Chancellor (1625–1640))
• Oliver Cromwell of England (1599–1658), Member of Parliament, general, and future ruler of England-Wales, Scotland, and Ireland
• Sir Sackville Crowe, 1st Baronet of England (1595–1671), baronet, Treasurer of the Navy, Member of Parliament, and future ambassador
• Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar of Spain (1572–1655), diplomat and Catholic theologian
• Robert Cushman of England (1578–1625), Plymouth colony organizer
• Cyril I (1572–1638), Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, held position in 1612, 1620–1623, 1623–1633, 1633–1634, 1634–1635, 1637–1638
• Daišan of Manchuria (1583–1648), Manchurian prince (brother of Huang Taiji) and military commander
• Mir Damad of Persia (?–1631), philosopher
• John Danvers of England (1588–1655), courtier and politician
• Date Masamune of Japan (1567–1636), Daimyō of Sendai
• John Davies of England (1569–1626), lawyer, poet, and politician (specifically Attorney General of Ireland, Member of Parliament, and Judge)
• John Davies (AKA Mallwyd) of Wales (1567–1644), scholar, translator, and Anglican priest
• Dawar of India (?–1628), Mughal Prince
• Thomas Dekker of England (1572–1632), playwright and poet
• Joseph Solomon Delmedigo (1591–1655), Italian rabbi, author, physician, mathematician, and music theorist
• Thomas Dempster of Scotland (1579–1625), scholar and historian
• Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex of England (1591–1646), nobleman and military commander
• Kenelm Digby of England (1603–1665), courtier, diplomat, privateer, and philosopher
• John Donne of England (1571?–1631), Anglican priest, poet, and philosopher
• Michael Drayton of England (1563–1631), poet
• Cornelius Drebbel of the Netherlands (1572–1633), inventor
• Jeremias Drexel of Bavaria (1581–1638), Catholic theologian and Court Preacher at the court of Prince-Elector Maximilian I
• Robert Dudley of England (1574–1649), explorer and geographer
• Pierre Dupuy of France (1582–1651), scholar
• Mar Elia Shimun X, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church (Patriarchate then based in Salamas, in modern-day Iran. However a later Patriarch, Mar Shimun XIII Dinkha, broke the union with the Catholic Church, thus he and other Patriarchs of the Shimun line are sometimes list as Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church of the East), held position 1600–1653
• Sir John Eliot of England (1592–1632), Vice-Admiral of Devon and Member of Parliament
• Mar Eliyya IX, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East (Patriarchate then based in Alqosh, in modern-day Iraq), held position in 1617–1660
• John Endecott (1588?–1665), founder and first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Alonso Fajardo de Entenza of Spain (?-1624), governor-general of the Philippines, in office 1618–1624
• Francesco Erizzo of Venice (1566–1646), diplomat and future Doge of Venice
• Thomas van Erpe of the Netherlands (1584–1624), Orientalist Scholar
• Fakhr-al-Din II (1572–1635), Lebanese prince and governor of the Ottoman province of Syria, in office (as governor) 1624–1632
• Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland of England (1580–1629), nobleman and statesman
• John Felton of England (1595–1628), soldier and assassin of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
• Nicholas Felton of England (1556–1626), academic and Anglican cleric
• Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria (1609–1641), nobleman, Spanish Prince (Infante), and Cardinal
• Ferdinand IV, Archduke of Austria (1608–1657), Habsburg Prince and future Holy Roman Emperor
• Domenico Fetti of Rome (1589–1623), painter
• Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1578–1622), Capuchin friar and Martyr
• William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele of England (1582–1662), nobleman and statesman
• Filaret (AKA Feodor Romanov) of Russia (1553–1633), Patriarch of Moscow and statesman, held position (as Patriarch) 1612–1629
• John Fletcher of England (1579–1625), playwright
• John Ford of England (1586-1640?), playwright and poet
• Frederick of Denmark (1609–1670), Danish Prince and future King of Denmark and Norway
• Frederick V of the Palatinate/I of Bohemia (1596–1632), Prince-Elector of the Palatinate and King of Bohemia (a sub-state of the Holy Roman Empire), r. 1610–1623 (as Prince-Elector of the Palatinate) and r. 1619–1620 (as King of Bohemia)
• Frederick Ulrich (1591–1634), Duke of Brunswick-Calenberg, held position 1613–1634
• Galileo Galilei of Tuscany (1564–1642), astronomer and physicist
• Gang Hong-rip of Korea, treasonous general who aided the Manchus
• Gaston, Duke of Orléans of France (1608–1660), French Prince (brother of Louis XIII) and commander of the aristocratic revolt at Les Ponts-de-Cé
• Artemisia Gentileschi of Rome (1593–1656), painter
• George William (1595–1640), Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia
• Johann Gerhard (1582–1637), German Lutheran theologian
• Hessel Gerritsz of the Netherlands (1581–1632), cartographer
• Orlando Gibbons of England (1583–1625), composer and organist
• Thomas Goffe of England (1591–1629), playwright
• Luis de Góngora of Spain (1561–1627), poet, playwright, and writer
• Roque González (1576–1628), Spanish-American Jesuit missionary and martyr
• Sir Ferdinando Gorges of England (1565–1647), colonial entrepreneur in North America and founder of Maine
• Ivan Tarasievich Gramotin of Russia (?–1638), diplomat and head of the Posolsky Prikaz, held position 1619–1626
• Orazio Grassi (1583–1654), Italian mathematician, astronomer, and architect
• Richard Grenville of England (1600–1658), Anglo-Cornish soldier, Member of Parliament, and future Baronet and Royalist Commander
• Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke of England (1554–1628), nobleman, statesman, and writer
• Hugo Grotius of the Netherlands (1583–1645), philosopher and writer
• Jan Gruter of the Netherlands (1560–1627), scholar
• Mario Guiducci of Tuscany (1585–1646), lawyer and associate of Galileo Galilei during the dispute with Orazio Grassi
• Jean Guiton of France (1585–1654), Huguenot rebel and Admiral
• Edmund Gunter of England (1581–1626), mathematician
• John Guy (?-1629), former governor of Newfoundland and current Member of the Parliament of England
• Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares of Spain (1587–1645), nobleman and Chief Minister under Philip III and Philip IV, held position 1618–1643
• John Hampden of England (1595–1643), Member of Parliament and future Parliamentarian commander during the English Civil War
• Kryštof Harant of Bohemia (1564–1621), nobleman, traveller, humanist, soldier, writer and composer
• William Harvey of England (1578–1657), physician who discovered the systematic circulation of blood
• Hasekura Tsunenaga of Japan (1571–1622), diplomat
• Richard Hawkins of England (1562–1622), explorer and privateer
• George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull of Scotland (1572–1634), nobleman, judge and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, held position (as chancellor) 1622–1634
• James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle of Scotland (c.1590–1636), nobleman and diplomat
• Piet Pieterszoon Hein of the Netherlands (1577–1629), Vice-Admiral of the Dutch West India Company
• Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669), French princess and Queen Consort of England-Wales and Scotland
• Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury of Wales (1583–1648), diplomat, poet, and philosopher
• George Herbert of Wales (1593–1633), poet, orator and Anglican priest
• Philip Herbert of England (1584–1649), nobleman (future Earl of Pembroke) and politician
• William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke of England (1580–1630), nobleman, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall County and Chancellor of the University of Oxford, held position 1601-1630 (as Earl), 1604-1630 (as Lord Lietuent) and 1616-1630 (as Chancellor)
• Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas of Spain (1559–1625), historian
• Thomas Heywood of England (1570?-1641), playwright, actor, and author
• Thomas Hobbes of England (1588–1679), philosopher
• Heinrich Holk (1599–1633) Danish-German mercenary and commander
• Henricus Hondius II of the Netherlands (1597–1651), cartographer and publisher
• Isaiah Horowitz (1565–1630), Rabbi and Jewish mystic
• Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire of England (1587–1669), nobleman
• Constantijn Huygens of the Netherlands (1596–1687), poet, composer, and secretary under Stadtholders Frederick Henry and William II
• Im Gyeong Eop of Korea (1594–1646), general
• Sigismondo d'India (1582–1629), Italian composer
• Nicholas Iquan (AKA Zheng Zhilong) of China (1604–1661), pirate and Ming Dynasty admiral
• Menasseh Ben Israel of Portugal (1604–1657), rabbi, kabbalist, scholar, writer, diplomat, printer, and publisher
• William Jaggard of England (1568–1623), printer and publisher
• Jan Janszoon of the Netherlands (1570? – c.1641), Barbary Pirate
• Willem Janszoon of the Netherlands (1570–1630), explorer and colonial governor
• Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar of Spain (1583–1641), poet, scholar, and painter
• Jörg Jenatsch of Switzerland (1596–1639), politician and military commander
• Jirgalang of Manchuria (1599–1655), nobleman, general, and statesman
• Johann Ernst I (1594–1626), Duke of Saxe-Weimar, r. 1605–1620
• Inigo Jones of England (1573–1652), architect
• Ben Jonson of England (1572–1637), playwright, poet, and Poet Laureate, held post in 1619–1637
• Johannes Junius of Bamberg (1573–1628), Mayor of Bamberg and Bamberg witch trial suspect and victim
• Madam Ke of China (?–1627), adviser to the Tianqi Emperor
• Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), German mathematician and astronomer
• Hendrick de Keyser of the Netherlands (1565–1621), sculptor and architect
• Thomas de Keyser of the Netherlands (1596–1667), painter and architect
• Khosro Mirza of Kartli (1565–1658), Georgian Prince, general in the Persian army, and future King of Kartli
• Robert Killigrew of England (1580–1633), Member of Parliament and English Ambassador to the Netherlands
• Athanasius Kircher (1601?–1680), German Catholic theologian and scholar
• David Kirke of England (1597–1654), adventurer and English colonizer of Canada
• Stanisław Koniecpolski of Poland (1594?-1646), nobleman and military commander
• Thomas Lake of England (1567–1630), Member of Parliament and former Secretary of State
• Giovanni Lanfranco of Parma (1582–1647), painter
• William Laud of England (1573–1645), Anglican theologian and future Archbishop of Canterbury
• François Leclerc du Tremblay of France (1577–1638), friar and agent and adviser of Cardinal Richelieu.
• Marc Lescarbot of France (1570–1641), author and lawyer
• Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven of Scotland (1582–1661), nobleman and general in the service of Sweden
• Christopher Levett of England (1586–1630), explorer and naval captain
• Johann Liss (1590?-1629), German painter
• Jerónimo Lobo of Portugal (1593–1678), Jesuit missionary
• Lobsang Gyatso of Tibet (1617–1682), Dalai Lama and future ruler of Tibet, r. 1618–1682 (as Dalai Lama), 1642–1682 (as ruler of Tibet)
• Adam Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus of Ireland (1568–1643), Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in office 1619–1639
• Christen Sørensen Longomontanus of Denmark (1562–1647), astronomer
• Hendrick Lucifer (1583–1627), Dutch Buccaneer
• Charles de Luynes of France (1578–1621), Constable of France and first Duke of Luynes
• Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim of Ireland (?-1636), nobleman and Scots-Irish politician
• Sir Henry Mainwaring of England (1587?–1653), pirate and English naval officer
• François de Malherbe of France (1555–1628), poet and literary critic
• Man Gui of China (?–1629), general and main commander of the Chinese army following the death of Yuan Chonghuan
• George Manners, 7th Earl of Rutland of England (1580–1641), Member of Parliament and nobleman
• Ernst von Mansfeld (1580–1626), German soldier
• Mao Wenlong of China (1579–1629), military commander
• Juan de Mariana of Spain (1536–1624), Catholic priest, historian, and Monarchomach political theorist
• Maria Anna of Spain (1606–1646), Infanta and future Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire
• Marie de' Medici (1575–1642), Queen dowager of France and former regent with her son Louis XIII
• Michel de Marillac of France (1563–1632), Minister of Justice under Louis XIII
• Giambattista Marino of Naples (1569–1625), poet
• Gervase Markham of England (1568–1637), poet and writer
• Tristano Martinelli of Mantua (1555–1630), actor
• Enrico Martínez of Spain (?–1632), hydraulic engineer
• John Mason of England (1586–1635), sailor, explorer, cartographer, colonizer, and founder of New Hampshire
• Isaac Massa of the Netherlands (1586–1643), merchant, traveller, and diplomat
• Massasoit (1580?–1661), Chief of the Wampanoag
• Philip Massinger of England (1583–1640), playwright
• Tobie Matthew of England (1577–1655), Member of Parliament
• Maximilian I of Bavaria (1573–1651), Prince-Elector of Bavaria
• Cornelis Jacobszoon May of the Netherlands, explorer and first Director-general of New Netherland
• Cardinal Mazarin of Sicily (1602–1661), Cardinal, diplomat, and future Prime Minister of France
• Domenico Mazzocchi (1592–1665), Italian composer
• Afonso Mendes, Prelate of Ethiopia and Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia, held position (as Catholic Patriarch) 1622–1632
• Diego Carrillo de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Gelves of Spain (1570?-1631), nobleman and Viceroy of New Spain, in office 1621–1624
• Adriaan Metius of the Netherlands (1571–1635), mathematician and astronomer
• Thomas Middleton of England (1580–1627), playwright and poet
• Daniël Mijtens of the Netherlands (1590–1648), painter
• Peter Minuit of the Netherlands (1589–1638), Director-General of New Netherland, in office 1626–1632
• Francis Mitchell of England, Knight and Extortionist
• Miyamoto Musashi of Japan (1584?–1645), prominent samurai
• Francesco Molin of Venice (1575–1655), Naval commander and future Doge of Venice
• Giles Mompesson of England (1584–1663), corrupt politician
• Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester of England (1602–1671), Royalist Member of parliament and future Royalist commander during the English Civil War
• Richard Montagu of England (1577–1641), controversial Cleric and prelate
• Antoine de Montchrestien of France (1575–1621), soldier, dramatist, poet, and economist
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), Italian composer
• Mumtaz Mahal of India (1593–1631), Empress Consort of India (Wife of Shah Jahan)
• Jens Munk of Norway (1579–1628), navigator, explorer, and naval captain
• Bartolomé Esteban Murillo of Spain (1617–1682), painter
• Hugh Myddelton of Wales (1560–1631), entrepreneur, engineer, Baronet, and Member of Parliament
• Thomas Myddelton the Younger of Wales (1586–1666), Member of Parliament and future Parliamentary officer during the English Civil War
• Nemattanew (?–1622), Powhatan military commander and architect of the Jamestown Massacre
• Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên of Vietnam (1563–1635), Nguyễn Lord (subnational ruler of southern Vietnam), held position 1613–1635
• Nheçu, Chief of the Guaraní
• Nur Jahan of Persia (1577–1645), Empress Consort of India (Wife of Jahangir and Stepmother of Shah Jahan)
• John Nutt of England, pirate
• Pieter Nuyts of the Netherlands (1598–1655), Governor of the Dutch colony on Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) and ambassador to Japan, held position (as governor) 1627–1629
• Oldman of the Misquito Coast (?-1687), first King of the Miskito Kingdom (a British Protectorate on the eastern coasts of modern-day Nicaragua and Honduras), r. 1625–1687
• Opchanacanough (1554?-1644), Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, held position 1618–1644
• Martin Opitz of Silesia (1597–1639), poet
• William Oughtred of England (1575–1660), mathematician
• Owaneco (?–1626), Chief of the Mohegans
• John Owen of Wales (1564–1622), Epigrammatist
• Axel Oxenstierna of Sweden (1583–1654), Lord High Chancellor of Sweden
• Rodrigo Pacheco, 3rd Marquis of Cerralvo of Spain (1565?-1652), nobleman, Inquisitor, and Viceroy of New Spain, in office 1624–1635 (as Viceroy)
• Pedro Páez of Portugal (1564–1622), Jesuit missionary who converted Malak Sagad III
• Cardinal Pamphili of Rome (1574–1655), Cardinal, Nuncio, and future Pope
• Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim (1594–1632), German field marshal
• Hortensio Félix Paravicino of Spain (1580–1633), Court Preacher and poet
• Richard Parry of Wales (1560–1623), Bishop of St Asaph and translator of the Bible into Welsh Language
• Vincent de Paul of France (1581–1660), Catholic Priest
• Pecksuot (?–1624), Massachusett Chief
• Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc of France (1580–1637), astronomer and antiquarian
• Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland of England (1602–1668), Member of Parliament and future soldier during the English Civil War
• George Percy of England (1580–1632?), explorer, author, soldier, and former governor of Virginia
• Richard Perkins of England (1585?-1650), actor
• Peter Philips of England (1560–1628), composer
• Michael Praetorius (1571–1621), German composer and organist
• Samuel Purchas of England (1575?–1626), travel writer
• John Pym of England (1584–1643), Member of Parliament and future Roundhead supporter during the English Civil War
• Francisco de Quevedo of Spain (1580–1645), nobleman, politician, and writer
• Albrycht Stanisław Radziwiłł of Lithuania (1595–1656), Grand Chancellor of Lithuania (part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), in office 1623–1656
• Rembrandt of the Netherlands (1606–1669), painter and etcher
• Kiliaen van Rensselaer of the Netherlands (1596?–1642), merchant, member of the Dutch West India Company, and Patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck
• Sir Thomas Roe of England (c.1581–1644), diplomat
• Henri de Rohan of France (1579–1638), nobleman, soldier, writer, and leader of the Huguenots.
• William Rowley of England (1585?-1626), playwright
• Peter Paul Rubens of Flanders (1577–1640), painter
• Johannes Rudbeckius of Sweden (1581–1646), Lutheran bishop
• Mulla Sadra of Persia (1571–1636), philosopher and Shiite Islamic theologian
• Samoset (1590?–1655), Mohegan Sagamore and first Native American to encounter with the Settlers of the Plymouth Colony.
• Sir Edwin Sandys (1561–1629), Colonial organizer of Virginia
• George Sandys (1577–1644), English traveller, colonist, and poet
• Lew Sapieha of Lithuania (1557–1633), Grand Chancellor of Lithuania (part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), in office 1589–1623
• Johann Hermann Schein (1586–1630), German composer
• Christoph Scheiner (1573?-1650), German Jesuit priest, physicist and astronomer
• Wilhelm Schickard (1592–1635), German inventor and mathematician
• Julius Schiller of Bavaria (1580–1627), astronomer
• Heinrich Schütz of Köstritz (1585–1672), composer and organist
• Adam von Schwarzenberg (1583–1641), nobleman and Chancellor of Brandenburg-Prussia
• Alexander Seaton of Scotland (?–1649?), Mercenary in the Service of Denmark
• Pierre Séguier of France (1588–1672), president and mortier in the parlement of Paris and future chancellor of France
• Alvaro Semedo of Portugal (1585?-1658), Jesuit missionary in China
• Juan Pérez de la Serna (1573–1631), Archbishop of Mexico, held position 1613–1627
• Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline of Scotland (1555–1622), lawyer, judge, and Lord Chancellor of Scotland
• Shahaji of Bijapur (1594–1664), Bijapurtan army chieftain
• Shahryar of India (1605–1638), Mughal Prince and Nur Jahan's (his stepmother) candidate to the throne of India
• Shimazu Tadatsune (1576–1638), Daimyō of Satsuma
• Robert Shirley of England (1581–1628), traveller, adventurer, and diplomat
• García de Silva Figueroa of Spain (1550–1624), Spanish ambassador to Persia
• John Smith (1580?–1631), English soldier, adventurer, and leader of the colonists of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
• Willebrord Snellius of the Netherlands (1580–1626), astronomer and mathematician
• Jakub Sobieski of Poland (1590–1646), nobleman, parliamentarian, and military leader
• Luis Sotelo of Spain (1574–1624), Franciscan friar and martyr
• Henri de Sourdis of France (1593–1645), Archbishop of Bordeaux and military commander
• John Speed of England (1552–1627), historian and cartographer
• Ambrogio Spinola of Genoa (1569–1630), general in the service of Spain
• John Spottiswoode of Scotland (1565–1639), Archbishop of St. Andrews, historian, and future Lord Chancellor of Scotland
• Squanto (1585?–1622), assist to and interpreter for the Pilgrims of the Plymouth colony who helped them stamp out the treaty between them and the Wampanoag.
• Myles Standish (1584–1656), English military advisor at the Plymouth Colony
• James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby of England (1607–1651), nobleman and future Royalist commander during the English Civil War
• Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso (1603–1642), English politician and future Parliamentarian Army officer
• Nicholas Stone of England (1587–1647), sculptor and architect
• Sir John Suckling of England (1569–1627), Member of Parliament
• Sun Chengzong of China, Grand Secretary and Commander-in-chief of Chinese Forces
• Joachim Swartenhondt of the Netherlands (c.1566–1627), admiral
• Tamblot of the Philippines (fl. 1621–1622), indigenous Boholano babaylan (priest) and inciter of a religiously motivated uprising in Bohol
• Alessandro Tassoni of Modena (1565–1635), poet and writer
• Hendrick ter Brugghen of the Netherlands (1588–1629), painter
• François Thijssen of the Netherlands (?–1638), explorer
• Thomas Tomkins of Wales (1572–1656), Cornish-Welsh composer
• Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne of France (1611–1675), soldier and future Marshal of France
• Sir John Trevor Jr. of Wales (1596–1673), Puritan Member of Parliament and future member of the Council of State during the Commonwealth of England
• Sir Richard Trevor of Wales (1558–1638), landowner, soldier and politician.
• Sir Sackville Trevor of Wales (1565–1633), Sea Captain and Member of Parliament
• Thomas Trevor of England (1586–1656), Anglo-Welsh lawyer, Member of Parliament, and judge
• Nicolas Trigault of France (1577–1628), Jesuit missionary in China
• Trịnh Tùng of Vietnam (1549–1623), Trinh Lord (subnational ruler of Northern Vietnam), held position 1570–1623
• Trịnh Tráng of Vietnam (1571–1654), Trinh Lord (subnational ruler of Northern Vietnam), held position 1623–1654
• Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (1559–1632), German nobleman and co-Supreme commander of the forces of the Holy Roman Empire
• Uncas (c.1588–1683), Chief of the Mohegans, held position 1626–1683
• Honoré d'Urfé of France (1568–1625), writer
• James Ussher of Ireland (1581–1656), Anglican theologian, Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of All Ireland
• Bernard de Nogaret de La Valette d'Épernon of France (1592–1661), nobleman and military commander
• Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette of France (1554–1642), nobleman
• Pietro Della Valle of Rome (1586–1652), traveller
• Anthony van Dyck of Flanders (1599–1641), painter
• Władysław Vasa of Poland (1595–1648), Polish Prince, self-proclaimed Grand Duke of Moscow, and future King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• Sir Henry Vaughan the Elder of Derwydd, Wales (1587?–1659?), Royalist Member of Parliament
• William Vaughan of Wales (1575–1641), colonial investor and writer
• Salomo de Veenboer of the Netherlands (?–1620), Barbary pirate
• Lope de Vega of Spain (1562–1635), playwright and poet
• Diego Velázquez of Spain (1599–1660), painter
• Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury of England (1565–1635), military leader
• Cornelius Vermuyden of the Netherlands (1590–1677), engineer
• George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham of England (1592–1628), nobleman, statesman, and military commander
• Mutio Vitelleschi of Rome (1563–1645), Superior General of the Society of Jesus, held post 1615–1645
• Joost van den Vondel of the Netherlands (1587–1679), writer and playwright
• Luke Wadding of Ireland (1588–1657), Franciscan friar, historian, and founder of the Pontifical Irish College
• Albrecht von Wallenstein of Bohemia (1583–1634), co-Supreme commander of the forces of the Holy Roman Empire
• Edmund Waller of England (1606–1687), Member of Parliament and poet
• Sir James Ware of Ireland (1594–1666), historian and politician
• John Webster of England (1580–1634), playwright
• Wei Zhongxian of China (1568–1627), Eunuch
• Thomas Wentworth Sr., 1st Earl of Strafford of England (1593–1641), statesman (specifically Member of Parliament and future Lord deputy and lieutenant of Ireland)
• John White of England (1575–1648), Anglican priest and colonial organizer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (not to be confused with John White the governor of the Roanoke Colony)
• Wilhelm (1598–1662), Duke of Saxe-Weimar, r. 1620–1662
• John Williams of England (1582–1650), Lord Chancellor and future Archbishop of York
• John Winthrop (1588–1649), Founder and future Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (governor-elect in 1629)
• Sir Henry Wotton of England (1568–1639), author and diplomat
• Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton of England (1573–1624), nobleman, patron of the theater, and colonial investor
• Sir Richard Wynn of Wales (1588–1649), Baronet, courtier, and Member of Parliament
• Xu Guangqi of China (1562–1633), Ming Dynasty bureaucrat, agricultural scientist, astronomer, and mathematician
• Yamada Nagamasa of Japan (1590–1630), adventurer, pirate, and military commander
• George Yeardley (1587–1627), Plantation owner and Governor of the Virginia Colony, held office in 1616–1617, 1619–1621, 1626–1627
• Sir Henry Yelverton of England (1566–1629), Attorney General for England and Wales, in office 1617–1621
• Yi Gwal of Korea (1587–1624), general
• Yuan Chonghuan of China (1584–1630), military commander
• Jakub Zadzik of Poland (1582–1642), Grand Chancellor of Poland
• Krzysztof Zbaraski of Poland (1580–1627), nobleman and Polish-Lithuanian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
• Stanisław Żółkiewski of Poland (1547–1620), nobleman, military commander, and Grand Chancellor of Poland
• Zu Dashou of China (?–1656), general

In fiction

• The voyage of the Pilgrims, their first years of inhabitance in the New World, and the first Thanksgiving are often the subject of Thanksgiving themed specials and short films. One of the most notable examples is the episode "The Mayflower voyagers" of the 1988 mini-series This Is America, Charlie Brown, which ABC has often aired on Thanksgiving Day (except in 2006 and 2007) along with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. However, Thanksgiving would not become established as a national holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that it would be celebrated on the final Thursday in November. However, it did not become a federal holiday until 1941 by an act of legislation by the U.S. Congress.
• The voyage and struggles of the Pilgrims have also been the subject of some pieces of literature including Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, who himself was an important figure of the 1620s, and Felicia Hemans' classic poem, "The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers."
• The classic novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père takes place in 1628. The story includes fictionalized versions of actual historical events of this year, such as the siege of La Rochelle and the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham.
• The Angel's Command, a children's adventure novel by British writer Brian Jacques, is set in the year 1628.
• The 1632 series, though set during the succeeding decade, features many characters, such as Louis XIII and Prime Minister Cardinal Richelieu of France, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, who were active during the 1620s and uses events from the 1620s and early 1630s as a backdrop, most notably the Thirty Years' War.
• The Doctor Who audio drama The Church and the Crown takes place during the year 1626.