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- Edward the First was born on 17 June 1239 in Westminster, London, England, UK. He died on 7 July 1307 in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, UK.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1343 in London, Kingdom of England [now UK]. He was a writer. He was married to Philippa Roet. He died on 25 October 1400 in London, Kingdom of England [now UK].- Born around 1414-1420 into an English gentry family, Sir Thomas Malory
spent his first couple of decades in quiet obscurity, aside from
campaigning at the Siege of Calais in 1436. By 1441 he had been
knighted, and had developed a growing interest in politics. In 1445 he
became MP for his county and over the next few years developed a
startling talent for lawlessness. In 1444 he had been charged with
assault and theft, and in 1450 Malory tried to ambush and murder the
Duke of Buckingham. He allegedly raped Joan Smith not once but twice,
stole goods from her husband, extorted money, pilfered cattle, and
destroyed the Duke of Buckingham's hunting lodge. In 1451 Malory was
imprisoned at Coleshill, but escaped two days later by swimming the
moat at night. He then twice raided Combe Abbey alongside a band of
outlaws, stealing a great deal of money and harassing the monks.
Malory was captured in 1452 and thrown into a London prison where he
spent eight years awaiting trial. After he was bailed out, he was
caught stealing horses and placed in a Colchester jail, but fought his
way through the guards and escaped. He was recaptured and returned to
the London prison, but was freed by royal pardon in 1460. However, by
1468 Malory was back in Newgate prison, where he would die in 1471.
While in Newgate he turned to writing, creating the immortal "Le Morte
D'Arthur", which would win him eternal fame. The truth behind the
seemingly contradictory nature of Sir Thomas Malory is hotly debated,
and may never be fully known. - Soundtrack
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement with Pope Clement VII about such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority. He appointed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England and dissolved convents and monasteries, for which he was excommunicated. Henry is also known as "the father of the Royal Navy", as he invested heavily in the navy, increasing its size from a few to more than 50 ships, and established the Navy Board.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Born the son of a shoe-maker two months before the birth of another
famous playwright,
William Shakespeare,
Christopher Marlowe achieved fame as an Elizabethan dramatist as well
as an atheist. He was killed in a tavern brawl by a former friend,
allegedly over a bill. There is now some evidence that suggests his
death was in fact an assassination.- The 17th Earl of Oxford, hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England,
scion of the noble house of Vere (his ancestor Aubrey received titles
and estates from William the Conqueror in 1066). Poet, playwright, and
courtier to Queen Elizabeth I, he received his classical education at
Cambridge and Oxford, studied law at Gray's Inn, and had his own
company of players who performed at court and in the public theatres.
Due to the extraordinary parallels between what is known about his life
and writing, and the language and events of the poems and plays, he is
believed by many to have written under the pen-name William
Shakespeare. - Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
William Shakespeare's birthdate is assumed from his baptism on April 25. His father John was the son of a farmer who became a
successful tradesman; his mother Mary Arden was gentry. He studied
Latin works at Stratford Grammar School, leaving at about age 15. About
this time his father suffered an unknown financial setback, though the
family home remained in his possession. An affair with Anne Hathaway,
eight years his senior and a nearby farmer's daughter, led to pregnancy
and a hasty marriage late in 1582. Susanna was born in May of 1583,
twins Hamnet and Judith in January of 1585. By 1592 he was an
established actor and playwright in London though his "career path"
afterward (fugitive? butcher? soldier? actor?) is highly debated. When
plague closed the London theatres for two years he apparently toured;
he also wrote two long poems, "Venus and Adonis" and "The Rape of
Lucrece". He may have spent this time at the estate of the Earl of
Southampton. By December 1594 he was back in London as a member of the
Lord Chamberlain's Men, the company he stayed with the rest of his
life. In 1596 he seems to have purchased a coat of arms for his father;
the same year Hamnet died at age 11. The following year he purchased
the grand Stratford mansion New Place. A 1598 edition of "Love's
Labors" was the first to bear his name, though he was already
regarded as England's greatest playwright. He is believed to have
written his "Sonnets" during the 1590s. In 1599 he became a partner in
the new Globe Theatre, the company of which joined the royal household
on the accession of James in 1603. That is the last year in which he
appeared in a cast list. He seems to have retired to Stratford in 1612,
where he continued to be active in real estate investment. The cause of
his death is unknown.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
William Byrd was born in 1543 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, UK. He was a composer, known for Primal Fear (1996), Ophelia (2018) and Abandon (2002). He died on 4 July 1623 in Stondon Massey, Essex, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Orlando Gibbons was born in December 1583 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Orlando was a composer, known for Jude (1996), Narthex making the album (2022) and World of Music (1972). Orlando died on 5 June 1625 in Canterbury, Kent, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Ophelia (2018), Dangerous Beauty (1998) and Valentines. A Bouquet of Letters and Poetry of Lovers (1994). He was married to Anne More. He died on 31 March 1631 in London, England, UK.- John Smith was born in 1580 in Lincolnshire, England, UK. He died on 21 June 1631 in London, England, UK.
- Anthony Munday was born in 1533 in London, England [now UK]. Anthony was a writer, known for Streamed Shakespeare (2020). Anthony died on 10 August 1633 in London, England [now UK].
- Writer
- Soundtrack
George Chapman was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, UK. George was a writer, known for All the World's a Stage (1984). George died on 12 May 1634 in London, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Benjamin Jonson was born 1571 as the posthumous son of a Protestant
minister. His mother then moved him to Westminster, where she married a
bricklayer. He attended a free parish school as a boy, and thanks to
the sponsorship of the headmaster, was able to attend Westminster
Grammar School. Unofortunately, Ben lost his scholarship and was forced
to take up bricklaying alongside his stepfather. This occupation did
not appeal to him, and he left for military duty in Flanders and did
not return to England until 1592. He married in 1594, and joined a
touring acting company in 1597. Ben Jonson and another playwright then
wrote a play called "Isle of Dogs" which was immediately banned on
charges of sedition, and he and his friends found themselves in Fleet
Prison. He was released after a few months and managed to restart his
acting career. In December of 1598 he fought a duel with another actor
named Gabriel Spencer; fortunately for Ben, he won, but unfortunately,
he was imprisoned on charges of murder and given the death sentence. He
managed to escape the gallows and returned to playwriting. He set out
on foot in 1618 to visit Scotland and on his return began lecturing on
rhetoric at colleges. He died in 1637 and was buried in Westminster
Abbey; his epitaph reads: "O Rare Ben Jonson"- Soundtrack
William Lawes was born in April 1602 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK. He died on 24 September 1645 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK.- John Winthrop was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of colonists from England in 1630 and served as governor for 12 of the colony's first 20 years. His writings and vision of the colony as a Puritan "city upon a hill" dominated New England colonial development, influencing the governments and religions of neighboring colonies.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
John Milton was an English poet and intellectual who served as a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious and political instability, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). Written in blank verse, Paradise Lost is widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever written.- Charles the Bald (French: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 - 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843-877), king of Italy (875-877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875-877). After a series of civil wars during the reign of his father, Louis the Pious, Charles succeeded, by the Treaty of Verdun (843), in acquiring the western third of the empire. He was a grandson of Charlemagne and the youngest son of Louis the Pious by his second wife, Judith.
- Thomas Otway was born on 3 March 1652 in Trotton, near Midhurst, Sussex, England, UK. Thomas was a writer, known for All the World's a Stage (1984) and Venezia salvata o la congiura tradita (1986). Thomas died on 14 April 1685 in London, England, UK(undisclosed).
- Writer
- Soundtrack
John Bunyan was born on 28 November 1628 in Harrowden, Northamptonshire, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Life of John Bunyan (1912), Pilgrim's Progress (1912) and Dangerous Journey (1961). He died on 31 August 1688 in London, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Purcell grew up in a musical family. As a boy he attended the Chapel Royal church choir. His talent earned him training as an organist. In 1677, the 18-year-old became "composer for the violins" at the English court. Two years later he took up the position of organist at Westminster Abbey. Purcell thus took over the post from John Blow, one of his organist teachers, which he held until his death. In 1682 he became organist of the Chapel Royal and a year later, royal instrument manager. During this time he primarily composed sacred music and works for celebratory occasions, including the celebratory compositions "I was glad" and "My heart is inditing" from 1685.
Two years later the music for the tragedy "Tyrannick Love" by John Dryden was created. In 1689, Purcell's first opera, Dido and Aeneas, was performed. The following year he created songs for Shakespeare's "The Tempest" based on an adaptation by John Dryden and for his comedy title "Amphitryon". In 1691 and the following year the baroque operas "King Arthur" and "The Fairy Queen" were written. Purcell composed the titles "Te Deum" and "Jubilate" on the occasion of St. Cecilia's Day in 1694. They are both considered masterpieces. In the same year he wrote an anthem, a choral piece with sacred text, for the memorial service on the occasion of the death of Queen Mary II of England. This piece in particular shows the lasting impact of Purcell's musical work up to modern times: it was electronically edited by Wendy Carlos for the theme music of Stanley Kubrick's film "A Clockwork Orange".
Purcell was only 36 years old, but he was very productive in his musical life. His work includes around 40 masterpieces, stage works, plays, odes, songs, cantatas, chamber music, church choir and piano works. With his three- to five-part sonatas and fantasies for string instruments, he continued the older English consort music, which gained recognition for its artistic polyphony, highly cromatic and dissonant harmony of the modern style. His other semi-operas also include the titles "The prophetess, or the history of Dioclesian" (1690) and "The Indian Queen" (1695).
Henry Purcell died in London on November 21, 1695.- Robert Plot (13 December 1640 - 30 April 1696) was an English naturalist, first Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, and the first keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. Born in Borden, Kent to parents Robert Plot and Elisabeth Patenden, and baptized on 13 December 1640, Plot was educated at the Wye Free School in Kent. He entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford in 1658 where he graduated with a BA in 1661 and an MA in 1664. Plot subsequently taught and served as dean and vice principal at Magdalen Hall while preparing for his BCL and DCL, which he received in 1671 before moving to University College in 1676.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
John Dryden was born on 9 August 1631 in Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, England, UK. John was a writer, known for England, My England (1995), King Arthur (Le Roi Arthur) (2009) and Licked (2010). John died on 1 May 1700 in London, England, UK.- Charles Sedley was born in March 1639 in Aylesford, Kent, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Bellamira (1974). He died on 20 August 1701 in Hampstead, London, England, UK.
- Samuel Pepys was born on 23 February 1633 in Salisbury Court, London, England [now UK]. He was a writer, known for The Diary of Samuel Pepys (1958), The Sunday Programme (1994) and L'honorable Mr. Pepys (1957). He was married to Elisabeth de St Michel. He died on 26 May 1703 in Clapham [now London], England [now UK].
- Soundtrack
Jeremiah Clarke was born in 1674 in England, UK. He died on 1 December 1707 in London, England, UK.- After he wrote the play, "The Gentleman Master", (1672), it was panned
by critics, so in the prologue to his most famous play, "The Country
Wife", (1676), he offered the actors, mistresses and matrons to the
critics in case this was equally badly received. His last play was,
"The Plain Dealer", (1676).
He was buried, possibly in Covent Garden, London on January 8 1716. He
was a member of King Charles II's court and married in ill health, less
than a month before his death. - Art Department
Christopher Wren was born on 20 October 1632 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, where his father was rector. His father later moved to Windsor and Wren was educated at Westminster School and then Oxford University. He showed an early talent for mathematics and enjoyed inventing things, including an instrument for writing in the dark and a pneumatic machine.
Wren was one of Britain's most distinguished architects, best known for the design of many London churches, including St Paul's Cathedral. In 1665, Wren visited Paris, where he was strongly influenced by French and Italian baroque styles. Wren did design 51 new city churches, as well as the new St Paul's Cathedral.
In 1669, he was appointed surveyor of the royal works which effectively gave him control of all government building in the country. He was knighted in 1673.
Christopher Wren died on 25 February 1723. His gravestone in St Paul's Cathedral features the Latin inscription which translates as: 'If you seek his memorial, look about you.'- Born the eldest son and third child of James and Mary Defoe, Defoe
received a very good education, as his father intended him to become a
Presbyterian minister, but he chose to become a merchant instead. In
1684 he joined the army of the rebel Duke of Monmouth, but when the
rebellion failed, Defoe was forced into semi-exile. He went bankrupt in
1692, and began writing professionally. He wrote a satirical pamphlet
in 1703 called "The Shortest Way with the Dissenters", for which he was
pilloried. After a stint in Newgate prison and more troubles with his
bankruptcy, Defoe wrote "Robinson Crusoe" and "Moll Flanders", both of
which were great successes. Labeled a social historian for his interest
in colonization, economics, and exploration, Defoe died of a lethargy
in Cripplegate on 24 April 1731. - Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
John Gay was born on 30 June 1685 in Barnstaple, Devon, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Emma (1996), Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945) and The Beggar's Opera (1953). He died on 4 December 1732 in London, England, UK.- George Lillo was born on 4 February 1693 in London, England, UK. George was a writer, known for In the Toils of the Temptress (1913). George died on 4 September 1739 in London, England, UK.
- Soundtrack
Henry Carey was born in 1687 in Yorkshire, England, UK. He was married to Sarah Carey. He died on 4 October 1743 in Clerkenwell, London, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Alexander Pope was born on 22 May 1688 in London, England, UK. Alexander was a writer, known for Acis and Galatea (2009). Alexander died on 30 May 1744 in Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK.- Soundtrack
William Croft was born in December 1678 in Nether Ettington, Warwickshire, England, UK. William died on 14 August 1747 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.- Soundtrack
James Thomson was born on 11 September 1700 in Ednam, Roxburghshire, Kingdom of Scotland [now Scotland, UK]. He died on 27 August 1748 in Kew, Richmond upon Thames, London, England, UK.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Isaac Watts was born on 17 July 1674 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. He is known for Reindeer Games (2000), Get Carter (2000) and Mute (2018). He died on 25 November 1748 in London, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Aaron Hill was born on 10 February 1685 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Farinelli (1994), Rinaldo (2001) and Rinaldo (2011). He died on 8 February 1750 in London, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Henry Fielding was born April 22nd 1707, the son of Edmund Fielding, an
impoverished nobleman who spent most of his time in and out of various
debtor's prisons. After the death of their mother, Henry and his seven
siblings were taken in by their maternal grandmother. He was a wild and
willful young man, and after a brief stint abroad in a Dutch college,
he moved to London and began writing plays. Though his works were very
successful, Henry had inherited his father's inability to handle money,
and he remained perpetually in debt. In 1734, after a four year
courtship, he convinced a young lady named Charlotte Craddock to marry
him. Henry was madly in love with Charlotte, and they enjoyed ten happy
years of marriage before her death in 1744 of a fever. Henry mourned
her deeply, and Sophia Western, the heroine of his novel "Tom Jones",
was modeled on Charlotte. In 1747 he married his wife's former maid,
Mary Daniel, who was six months pregnant with their child at the time.
Known as a brawler, a drunkard, and a womanizer, Henry was nonetheless
a prolific and energetic author.
When his health failed in 1754, he sailed to Lisbon, Portugal, hoping a
warmer climate would improve his constitution. Instead, he contracted
jaundice there and died two months after his arrival on October 8th
1754.- Colley Cibber (1671-1757) was an actor, theatrical impresario,
playwright and poet now remembered only for his bowdlerization of
William Shakespeare's
Richard III (1955)
(Laurence Olivier used Cibber's
interpolations in his 1955 film of the play) and for being the model
for the chief protagonist of his nemesis
Alexander Pope's poem "The Dunciad". He
was a very successful actor-manager in his time, famed for playing
fops.
Through political connections with the Whig government of Prime
Minister Robert Walpole, he became Poet Laureate of England in 1730, a
scandal at the time (and still scandalous) as Pope, Edward Young and
others were far greater artists than Cibber. Cibber was more poetaster
than poet. Pope kept up an unrelenting attack in his writing against
Cibber ("The King of the Dunces"), whose own plays and poetry were
recognized for lacking aesthetic appeal. Cibber was immortalized in an
epigram of the time: "In merry old England it once was a rule,/The King
had his Poet, and also his Fool:/ But now we're so frugal, I'd have you
to know it,/That Cibber can serve both for Fool and for Poet." - Samuel Richardson was born on 19 August 1689 in Mackworth, Derbyshire, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980), Mistress Pamela (1973) and Clarissa (1991). He died on 4 July 1761 in Parsons Green, Middlesex, England, UK.
- Writer
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
William Hogarth was born on 10 November 1697 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Bedlam (1946), The Rake's Progress (1939) and Artists' Notebooks (1964). He was married to Jane Thornhill. He died on 26 October 1764 in London, England, UK.- Thomas Gray was born on 26 December 1716 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Restless Spirit (1913), About Religion (1956) and Pastoral Panoramas (1950). He died on 30 July 1771 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.
- David Hume was born on 7 May 1711 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. David died on 25 August 1776 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Thomas Augustine Arne was born on 12 March 1710 in Covent Garden, London, England, UK. Thomas Augustine was a writer and composer, known for Down with Love (2003), Hysteria (2011) and The BFG (2016). Thomas Augustine died on 5 March 1778 in London, England, UK.- Augustus Montague Toplady was born on 4 November 1740 in Farnham, Surrey, England, UK. Augustus Montague died on 11 August 1778 in Kensington, London, England, UK.
- Writer
- Soundtrack
David Garrick was born on 19 February 1717 in Hereford, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Miss in Her Teens (2014), Il matrimonio segreto (1943) and The Country Girl (1915). He was married to Eva Maria Veigel. He died on 20 January 1779 in London, England, UK.- Composer
- Soundtrack
William Boyce was born in September 1711 in London, England, UK. William was a composer, known for Love & Friendship (2016), American Playhouse (1980) and Dean Spanley (2008). William died on 7 February 1779 in London, England, UK.- James Cook FRS (7 November 1728- 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.
- Art Department
Allan Ramsay was born on 13 October 1713 in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK. Allan is known for The Queen's Palaces (2011). Allan was married to Margaret Lindsay and Anne Bayne. Allan died on 10 August 1784 in Dover, Kent, England, UK.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
John Francis Wade was born in 1711 in England, UK. He was a composer, known for Green Book (2018), Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Krampus (2015). He died on 15 August 1786 in Douai, Nord, France.