Michelangelo · Francis Drake Were Michelangelo and Francis Drake alive at the same time? Yes. Michelangelo and Francis Drake were alive at the same time, from c. 1540 to 1564. MichelangeloItalian artist and architectBorn 6 March 1475 · died 18 February 1564, aged 88Francis DrakeEnglish sailor and privateerBorn c. 1540 · died 28 January 1596 Christopher ColumbusLeonardo da VinciMichelangeloMartin LutherFrancis DrakeMiguel de CervantesGalileo GalileiWilliam Shakespeare Michelangelo and Francis Drake 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.