This sub gets a lot of people asking who the archetype of evil was before Hitler. But what about something more positive? Who was the archetype of the genius in popular discourse before Einstein? Was it still a scientist, or was it someone famous for a different type of brilliance?
Hugo Grotius. He was a Dutch child prodigy and legal genius whose legal and political philosophy swept the continent and continue to carry weight today. His genius was so well-known around Europe, in fact, that he was regularly paraded before Kings and Queens to amaze them.
Of course, there are other contenders, but Grotius was the genius of Europe in the 17th century.