List of people from the 17th century

Science & philosophy

 Carolus Clusius (1526–1609), Flemish doctor and botanist

 Jan Leeghwater (1575–1650), hydraulic engineer
 Willebrord Snellius (1580–1626), Dutch astronomer and mathematician
 Hugo Grotius (1583–1645), Dutch jurist and philosopher, who laid the foundations
for international law
 Isaac Beeckman (1588–1637), Dutch philosopher
 David Gorlaeus (1591-1612), Dutch natural philosopher and proponent of atomism
 Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670), Czech educator and writer
 René Descartes (1596–1650), French philosopher lived in Holland from 1628 to 1649
 Franciscus Sylvius (1614–1672), German-born Dutch physician
 Frans van Schooten (1615–1660), Dutch mathematician
 Johannes Phocylides Holwarda (1618-1651), Dutch natural philosopher and
proponent of atomism
 John Locke (1632–1704), English philosopher, exiled in Holland (1683–1688)
 Nicolas Steno (1638–1686), Danish Catholic bishop and scientist
 Menno van Coehoorn (1641–1704), Dutch military engineer
 Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695), Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer
 Jan Swammerdam (1637–1680), Dutch biologist and microscopist
 Frederik Ruysch (1638–1731), Dutch botanist and anatomist
 Regnier de Graaf (1641–1673), Dutch physician and anatomist
 Pierre Bayle (1647–1706), French philosopher and writer
 Simon Stevin (1548–1620), Flemish-Dutch mathematician and engineer
 Baruch de Spinoza (1632–1677), Dutch Jewish philosopher
 Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723), Dutch scientist and businessman, first
microbiologist
 Nicolaes Tulp (1593–1674), doctor, magistrate, and mayor of Amsterdam
 Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733), Dutch philosopher, political economist and satirist
 Cornelis Corneliszoon (1550–ca. 1600), inventor of the wind-powered sawmill
 Govert Bidloo (1649–1713), physician, anatomist and author who wrote the
anatomical atlas Anatomia Humani Corporis
 Frederik de Wit (1630–1706), engraver, cartographer and publisher
 Petrus Plancius (1552–1622), Dutch astronomer and cartographer
 Jodocus Hondius (1563–1612), Flemish-Dutch cartographer
 Willem Blaeu (1571–1638), Dutch cartographer
 Joan Blaeu (1596–1673), Dutch cartographer, Willem Blaeu's son

Painting

 Frans Hals (ca. 1583–1666), portraits, schutterstukken, regent groups, genre pieces

(inns, figures)
 Hendrick Avercamp (1585–1634), landscapes with snow
 Hendrick Terbruggen (1588–1629), historical and biblical paintings
 Willem Claeszoon Heda (1594–1680), still lifes
 Jan van Goyen (1596–1656), landscapes
 Pieter Jansz Saenredam (1597–1665), church interiors, cityscapes
 Salomon van Ruysdael (ca. 1600–1670), landscapes
  Adriaen Brouwer (c. 1605–1638), genre pieces (inns)
 Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669), historical and biblical paintings,
portraits, schutterstukken, regent groups, genre pieces (figures)
 Jan Lievens (1607–1674), historical and biblical paintings, portraits
 Adriaen van Ostade (1610–1684), genre scenes of peasant life
 Willem van de Velde, the elder (ca. 1611–1693), seascapes
 Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613–1670), portraits, schutterstukken, regent groups
 Jan Both (1615–1652), Italian landscapes
 Govert Flinck (1615–1660), historical and biblical paintings, portraits, schutterstukken
 Ferdinand Bol (1616–1680), historical and biblical paintings
 Emanuel de Witte (ca. 1617–1692), church interiors
 Gerard Terborch (1617–1681), portraits, genre pieces (family scenes)
 Philips Wouwermans (1619–1668), landscapes
 Aelbert Cuyp (1620–1691), Italian and Dutch landscapes
 Carel Fabritius (1622–1654), historical and biblical paintings, genre pieces (figures)
 Paulus Potter (1625–1654), animals in landscapes
 Jan Steen (1626–1679), genre pieces (inns, family scenes)
 Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruisdael (c. 1628–1682)
 Gabriel Metsu (1629–1667), genre pieces (family scenes)
 Pieter de Hooch (1629–1683), genre pieces (family scenes)
 Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), cityscapes, genre pieces (family scenes)
 Nicolaes Maes (1634–1693), portraits, genre pieces (family scenes, figures)
 Meindert Hobbema (1638–1709), landscapes

Architecture

 Lieven de Key (1560–1627), master builder of Haarlem; still used a fair amount of

ornamentation, built De Waag (1598), front of the Town Hall (1597), De
Vleeshal (1602–1603), New Church tower (1613), all of which are in Haarlem
 Hendrick de Keyser (1565–1621), preferred a style that was much more sober than
his contemporary Lieven de Key, built the Zuiderkerk (1606–1614),
the Westerkerk (1620–1638) and the Exchange (1608–1611) in Amsterdam, Town
Hall of Delft (1619), several canal houses in Amsterdam (see also section sculpture)
 Jacob van Campen (1595–1657), embraced classicism fully and served as an
example for many colleagues, built the Mauritshuis in The Hague (1635), the Dam
Palace in Amsterdam (1648–1655), which was originally the town hall, now a royal
palace

Exploration

 Olivier van Noort (1558–1627), first Dutchman to circumnavigate the world

 Adriaen Block (c. 1567–1627), the first European to enter Long Island Sound and
the Connecticut River and determine that Manhattan and Long Island are islands
 Willem Schouten (c. 1567–1625), Dutch explorer, who was first to sail the Cape
Horn route to the Pacific Ocean
 Jacob Le Maire (c. 1585–1616), Dutch Flemish explorer
  Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603–1659), the first European to discover New
Zealand, Tasmania and Fiji
 Willem Barentsz (c. 1550–1597), explorer of the Arctic
 Cornelis de Houtman (1565–1599), explorer of the East Indies
 Frederick de Houtman (1571–1627), Dutch explorer, elder brother of Cornelis de
Houtman
 Willem Janszoon (c. 1570–1630), Dutch navigator and colonial governor, the first
European known to have seen the coast of Australia (1606)
 Cornelis Nay, explorer of the Arctic
 Henry Hudson (c. 1565–1611), Englishman who sailed to the Arctic for the VOC

Colonization

 Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596–after 1643), co-founder of the Dutch West India

Company and first patroon of Rensselaerswyck[1]
 Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587–1629), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
 Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1612–1672), colonial governor of the New Netherland colony
 Jan van Riebeeck (1619–1677), commander of the Cape Colony and founder of
Cape town

Politics

 Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange (1567–1625), stadtholder

 Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange (1584–1647), stadtholder
 Willem III van Oranje (1650–1702), King-Stadtholder
 Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1547–1619), statesman who played an important role in
the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain
 Jan de Witt (1625–1672), statesman who played an important role in the Dutch
Golden Age
 Cornelis de Graeff (1599–1664), Amsterdam regent who played an important role in
the Dutch Golden Age
 Andries de Graeff (1611–1678), Amsterdam regent who ruled the city after the death
of his brother Cornelis
 Agatha Welhouk (1637–1715), central figure in 17th-century court case and daughter
of Delft's mayor
 Nicolaes Witsen (1641–1717), Dutch statesman who was mayor of Amsterdam
thirteen times, between 1682-1706

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Interesting women in the 17th century

Female painters:
 Judith Leyster
 Clara Peeters
 Rachel Ruysch
 Maria Schalcken
 Anna Maria van Schurman
 Alida Withoos

Art
 Hendrikje stoffels
 Anne Roemer Visscher

Politics
 Amalia van Solms
 Mary Stuart
 Nzingha, queen of Matamba
 Pocahontas

Science
 Anna maria schurman
 Maria Winkelmann
 Maria Sibylla Merian