Zheng He · François Villon Were Zheng He and François Villon alive at the same time? Yes. Zheng He and François Villon were alive at the same time, from 1431 to 1433–1435. Zheng HeChinese mariner, explorer, and diplomatBorn 1371 · died 1433–1435François VillonFrench poet and criminalBorn 1431 · died 1463, aged 31 or 32 HafezIbn KhaldunGeoffrey ChaucerZheng HeJohannes GutenbergJoan of ArcFrançois VillonMehmed IIChristopher ColumbusLeonardo da Vinci Zheng He and François Villon 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.