1.
Charles Grignion the Elder
–
Charles Grignion the Elder was a British engraver and draughtsman. Grignion was born in London to Huguenot refugees and he was a prolific historical engraver and book illustrator. In 1754, his son Charles Grignion the Younger was born and his son, in turn, became a history and portrait painter
2.
England
–
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
3.
Playwright
–
A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes plays. The term is not a variant spelling of playwrite, but something quite distinct, hence the prefix and the suffix combine to indicate someone who has wrought words, themes, and other elements into a dramatic form - someone who crafts plays. The homophone with write is in this case entirely coincidental, the term playwright appears to have been coined by Ben Jonson in his Epigram 49, To Playwright, as an insult, to suggest a mere tradesman fashioning works for the theatre. Jonson described himself as a poet, not a playwright, since plays during that time were written in meter and this view was held as late as the early 19th century. The term playwright later lost this negative connotation, the earliest playwrights in Western literature with surviving works are the Ancient Greeks. These early plays were written for annual Athenian competitions among playwrights held around the 5th century BC, such notables as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes established forms still relied on by their modern counterparts. For the ancient Greeks, playwriting involved poïesis, the act of making and this is the source of the English word poet. In the 4th century BCE, Aristotle wrote his Poetics, the first play-writing manual, in this famous text, Aristotle established the principle of action or praxis as the basis for all drama. He then included a hierarchy of elements for the beginning with plot, character, thought, diction, music. The ends of drama were plot, character, and thought, the means of drama were language and music, since the myths, upon which Greek tragedy were based, were widely known, plot had to do with the arrangement and selection of existing material. Character was equated with choice as rather than psychology, so that character was determined by action, in tragedy, the notion of ethical choice determined the character of the individual. Thought had more to do and the imitation of an action that is serious, thus, he developed his notion of hamartia, or tragic flaw, an error in judgment by the main character or protagonist. It provides the basis for the play, a term still held as the sine qua non of dramaturgy. The Poetics, while very brief and highly condensed, is studied today. Perhaps the most Aristotelian of contemporary playwrights is David Mamet, who embraces the idea of character as agent of the action, and emphasizes causality in the structure of his plays. His recently revived, Speed-the-Plow, is quintessentially Aristotelian, in that it observes the unities and builds its plot through a causal stream of discoveries and reversals. The Italian Renaissance brought about a stricter interpretation of Aristotle, as this long-lost work came to light in the late 15th century. The neoclassical ideal, which was to reach its apogee in France during the 17th century, dwelled upon the unities, of action, place, and time
4.
The City Madam
–
The City Madam is a Caroline era comedy written by Philip Massinger. It was licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels and it was printed in quarto in 1658 by the stationer Andrew Pennycuicke, who identified himself as one of the Actors in the play. A second edition followed in 1659, Pennycuicke dedicated the play to Ann, Countess of Oxford — or at least most of the surviving copies bear a dedication to her, but others are dedicated to any one of four other individuals. No direct source for the play has been identified, other than Massingers own earlier play, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, which was modeled on Thomas Middletons A Trick to Catch the Old One. Specific connections have been cited between The City Madam and Shakespeares Measure for Measure, Ben Jonsons Volpone, and Rollo, Duke of Normandy, the City Madam was adapted into a version titled A Cure for Pride in 1675. The original version may have revived in 1771, and was definitely performed in 1783 at Theatre Royal. A play founded on The City Madam, entitled Riches, or, The Wife and Brother, Sir John Frugal is a merchant whose brother, Luke Frugal, has been to prison and has no money left. Out of charity, Sir John Frugal has invited him to live in his house, Luke is employed there as an under-apprentice, a mere servant who is scorned by Sir John Frugals wife, Lady Frugal, the eponymous city madam, and her two daughters Anne and Mary. Frugals apprentices, Goldwire Junior and Tradewell Junior, both pity poor Master Luke, Luke then convinces his brothers apprentices to steal from their master by forging his accounts. They agree to him out of his money because they would like to become city gallants. Goldwire Junior has an affair with a prostitute called Shaveem and wants to buy her clothes by swindling his master. Encouraged by their haughty mother, Lady Frugal, both Anne and Mary reject their suitors Sir Maurice Lacy, son of Lord Lacy, and Mr. Plenty and they feel ridiculed and complain to Sir John Frugal about his wife and daughters vanity and prententiousness. Lady Frugal is angry toward her astrologer, Stargaze, who had predicted a day for marriages. Shaveem the whore is visited by two of her customers, Ramble and Scuffle, but she rejects them, pretending she has become a lady, both men laugh at her and when Shaveem threatens them with a knife, Ramble draws his sword. Goldwire comes to her dressed up as a Justice of the Peace accompanied by Shaveems procurer, Dingem, disguised as a constable. Lord Lacy also tells Luke that his brother has requested him to welcome in his house some Indians from Virginia whom he could convert to Christianity. Sir John Frugal, Sir Maurice Lacy and Plenty, painted and disguised as Indians, all John Frugals former debtors come back to Master Luke and tell him they might soon be able to pay him back. Master Luke says he will give money to both apprentices Goldwire and Tradewell and implies he would like to meet Shaveem and he is welcomed as a munificent benefactor among them
5.
The Roman Actor
–
The Roman Actor is a Caroline era stage play, a tragedy written by Philip Massinger. It was first performed in 1626, and first published in 1629, a number of critics have agreed with its author, and judged it one of Massingers best plays. The play was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 11 October 1626, Joseph Taylor, then the companys leading man, played the role of Paris, the title character. There is no record of production of the play till 1692. The play was performed again in 1722 at Lincolns Inn Fields, kemble also cut Massingers text down to a two-act play that concentrated on Domitias love for Paris, he staged this in 1781–82 and 1796. The play was first published in quarto in 1629 by the bookseller Robert Allot, Massinger dedicated the volume to three friends and supporters, Sir Philip Knyvett, Knight and Baronet, Sir Thomas Jay and Thomas Bellingham of Newtimber in Essex. The commendatory poems that prefaced the play were written by John Ford, Thomas Goffe, Thomas May, the 1629 quarto also provides a list of the principal cast of the 1626 production, In addition, James Horn and George Vernon played two lictors. The play opens with a conversation between Paris and two actors in his troupe, Latinus and Aesopus, they discuss the poor prospects they face. Two lictors appear to summon Paris to the Senate, where he must answer / What shall be urgd against you, as Paris and his actors leave with the lictors, they are watched by three senators, Aelius Lamia, Junius Rusticus and Palphurius Sura. The senators complain of the conditions under Domitian, and contrast the better times that prevailed under his predecessors, his father Vespasian, the plays second scene shows Domitia, the beautiful young wife of Aelius Lamia, being sexually solicited by Parthenius, a freed slave of Domitian. Parthenius wants her not for himself, but as Domitians mistress, Aelius Lamia enters, and is outraged at what he finds, but Parthenius has a centurion and soldiers at his back, and forces the senator to agree to a divorce. The third scene shows Paris defending himself before the Senate, Aretinus, a cynical informer, has accused Paris of libel and treason — he complains that the actors traduce / Persons of rank with satirical, and bitter jests. Paris defends himself and his profession eloquently, the hearing breaks up without a conclusion when word arrives that Domitian has returned to Rome. Domitian is shown to be a braggart and a cruel egomaniac and he confronts Aelius Lamia, who has dared to be offended over losing his wife, and executes him. Parthenius and the stage a short play to try to influence Partheniuss father Philargus. The playlet is designed to show the old miser the error of his ways, the strategy fails, Philargus sympathizes with the stage miser and persists in his stubborn course. Domitian, as is his way, sentences the old man to death for his recalcitrance, the playlet fails in its purpose — but Pariss performance captivates the attention of Domitia, she quickly becomes obsessed with the actor, and begins spending her time with him and his troupe. The situation at court provokes resentment and conspiracy, the freedman Stephanos offers to assassinate the emperor for Julia, Parthenius earns Domitians ire by suggesting caution in the treatment of two senators and friends of Lamia, Junius Rusticus and Palphurius Sura
6.
Salisbury
–
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England, and the only city within the county. It is the third-largest settlement in the county, after Swindon and Chippenham, with a population of 40,302, the city is located in the southeast of Wiltshire, near the edge of Salisbury Plain. Its cathedral was located to the north at Old Sarum, following its relocation. The new town received its city charter in 1227 under the name New Sarum, which continued to be its name until 2009. It sits at the confluence of five rivers, the Nadder, Ebble, Wylye, and Bourne are tributary to the Hampshire Avon, which flows to the south coast and into the sea at Christchurch in Dorset. Salisbury railway station serves the city and is a regional interchange, Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is about 8 miles northwest of Salisbury and greatly aids the local economy. The city itself, Old Sarum, the present cathedral and the ruins of the one also attract visitors. The first part of the name is of obscure origin, the form Sarum is a Latinization of Sar, a medieval abbreviation for Sarisberie. Salisbury appeared in the Welsh Chronicle of the Britons as Caer-Caradog, Caer-Gradawc, cair-Caratauc, one of the 28 British cities listed in the History of the Britons, has also been identified with Salisbury. The hilltop at Old Sarum lies near the Neolithic sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and it commanded a salient between the River Bourne and the Hampshire Avon near a crossroads of several early trade routes. During the Iron Age, a hillfort was constructed around it sometime between 600 and 300 BC, the Romans may have occupied the site or left it in the hands of an allied tribe. Amid the Saxon invasions, Old Sarum fell to King Cynric of Wessex in 552, preferring settlements in bottomland like nearby Wilton, the Saxons largely ignored Old Sarum until the Viking invasions led King Alfred to restore its fortifications. Along with Wilton, however, it was abandoned by its residents to be sacked and burned by the Dano-Norwegian king Sweyn Forkbeard in 1003 and it subsequently became the site of Wiltons mint. Following the Norman invasion, a castle was constructed by 1070. The castle was directly by the Norman kings, its castellan was generally also the sheriff of Wiltshire. Hermann and his successor Saint Osmund began the construction of the first Salisbury cathedral, the cathedral was consecrated on 5 April 1092 but suffered extensive damage in a storm, traditionally said to have occurred only five days later. Bishop Roger was an ally of Henry I who served as his viceroy during the kings absence to Normandy and directed the royal administration. He refurbished and expanded Old Sarums cathedral in the 1110s and began work on a palace during the 1130s
7.
Merton College, Oxford
–
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The important feature of Walters foundation was that this college was to be self-governing, the hall and the chapel and the rest of the front quad were complete before the end of the 13th century. Notable alumni and academics past and present include four Nobel Laureates and writer J. R. R. Tolkien who was Merton Professor of English Language, Merton is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford and had a financial endowment of £212.8 million as of July 2014. Merton has a reputation for academic success, having regularly ranked first in the Norrington Table in recent years. Merton College was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton, Lord Chancellor and it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford, although this claim is disputed between Merton College, Balliol College and University College. The substance of Mertons claim is that it was the first college to be provided with statutes, Mertons statutes date back to 1264, whereas neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until the 1280s. Merton was also the first college to be conceived as a community working to achieve academic ends, Merton has an unbroken line of wardens dating back to 1264. Of these, many had great influences over the development of the college, Henry Savile was one notable leader whose vision led the college to flourish in the early 17th century. St Alban Hall was an independent academic hall owned by the convent of Littlemore until it was purchased by Merton College in 1548 following the dissolution of the convent and it continued as a separate institution until it was finally annexed by the college in 1881. During the English Civil War, Merton was the only Oxford college to side with Parliament, the reason for this was Mertons annoyance with the interference of their Visitor William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This included the Kings French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, who was housed in or near what is now the Queens Room, the room above the arch between Front and Fellows Quads. Differences were quickly settled after the war, however, and a portrait of Charles I hangs near the Queens Room as a reminder of the role it played in his court. The college was consolidated on this site by 1274, when Walter made his final revisions to the college statutes, the initial acquisition included the parish church of St John and three houses to the east of the church which now form the north range of Front Quad. Walter also obtained permission from the king to extend from these properties south to the old city wall to form a square site. The college continued to other properties as they became available on both sides of Merton Street. At one time, the college owned all the land from the site that is now Christ Church to the eastern corner of the city. The land to the east eventually became the current Fellows garden, by the late 1280s the old church of St John the Baptist had fallen into a ruinous condition, and the college accounts show that work on a new church began in about 1290. The present choir, with its enormous east window, was complete by 1294, the window is an important example of how the strict geometrical conventions of the Early English Period of architecture were beginning to be relaxed at the end of the 13th century
8.
Oxford
–
Oxford is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With an estimated 2015 population of 168,270, it is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom, the city is situated 57 miles from London,69 miles from Bristol,65 miles from both Southampton and Birmingham and 25 miles from Reading. The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, buildings in Oxford demonstrate notable examples of every English architectural period since the late Saxon period. Oxford is known as the city of dreaming spires, a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold, Oxford has a broad economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a number of information technology and science-based businesses. Oxford was first settled in Saxon times and was known as Oxenaforda, meaning Ford of the Oxen. It began with the establishment of a crossing for oxen around AD900. In the 10th century, Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes, Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066. Following the conquest, the town was assigned to a governor, Robert DOyly, the castle has never been used for military purposes and its remains survive to this day. DOyly set up a community in the castle consisting of a chapel. The community never grew large but it earned its place in history as one of Britains oldest places of formal education and it was there that in 1139 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain, a compilation of Arthurian legends. Mary at Oseney and to the canons serving God in that place and we have made this concession and confirmation in the Common council of the City and we have confirmed it with our common seal. These are those who have made this concession and confirmation, a grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the Cistercian Order, and friars of various orders all had houses of varying importance at Oxford. Parliaments were often held in the city during the 13th century, the Provisions of Oxford were instigated by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort, these documents are often regarded as Englands first written constitution. Richard I of England and John, King of England the sons of Henry II of England, were born at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, on 8 September 1157 and 24 December 1166 respectively. A plaque in Beaumont Street commemorates these events, the University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses that sprang up across the city, what put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. Oxfords earliest colleges were University College, Balliol and Merton and these colleges were established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers
9.
Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
–
Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke KG was a Welsh nobleman, peer, and politician of the Elizabethan era. He was the son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and his aunt was queen consort Catherine Parr, last wife of King Henry VIII. His uncle was William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, who was a man during the reigns of Edward VI. Herbert was responsible for the restoration of Cardiff Castle. Pembroke, like members of his family, was a man of culture. He was a patron of antiquaries and heralds and collected heraldic manuscripts. Herbert was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, under Archbishop John Whitgift and he is also said to have studied at Douay. In 1557, he took part in a tournament held before Queen Mary, on his fathers death in 1570, he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and on 4 April 1570 was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire. In right of his mother, Anne Parr, he succeeded as Lord Parr and Ros of Kendal, Lord FitzHugh, Lord Marmion, and Lord Quentin on 1 August 1571. In the court intrigues of Elizabeths reign, Pembroke was regarded as a partisan of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and was certainly in very intimate relations with him. He took a prominent part in the trials of the 4th Duke of Norfolk, Mary, Queen of Scots in October 1586, and Norfolks son Philip Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1589. In 1586, he succeeded his father-in-law, Sir Henry Sidney, as Lord President of Wales, from thenceforth, he spent much time at Ludlow Castle, the official residence of the president of Wales where he actively discharged the duties of his office. In 1595, Pembroke was described as very pursife and maladise and by September 1599, Herbert died at Wilton House leaving his lady as bare as he could and bestowing all on the young lord even to her jewels. He was buried in Salisbury Cathedral, the union was never consummated, and in 1554, Queen Marys influence led to the consent of Herberts fathers dissolution of the marriage. His second wife was Lady Catherine Talbot, daughter of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, Queen Elizabeth was extremely fond of Lady Catherine and when Catherine developed a fatal illness she often visited her at Baynards Castle. She died in 1575 leaving no children by Herbert, by April 1577, Herbert married his third wife, the former Mary Sidney, daughter of Sir Henry Sidney and Lady Mary Dudley, daughter of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Their children included William and Philip, who both were Earl of Pembroke after their father, Katherine, and Lady Anne Herbert, who died young. The armour of Henry Herbert is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the Arms and Armor galleries
10.
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
–
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke KG, PC was an English nobleman, politician, and courtier. He was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, chancellor of the University of Oxford, he founded Pembroke College, Oxford with King James. He was warden of the Forest of Dean, and constable of St Briavels from 1608 to 1630 and he served as Lord Chamberlain from 1615 to 1625. In 1623, the First Folio of William Shakespeares plays was dedicated to him, together with his brother, Philip Herbert, 1st Earl of Montgomery. William was a man, once tutored by the poet Samuel Daniel. His father negotiated a marriage between the young Herbert and Bridget de Vere, the granddaughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, offered 3,000 pounds and an annuity to begin at Burghleys death, the prospective groom wanted immediate payment of the annuity. The negotiations failed, and he remained single, at the age of twenty, he had an affair with Mary Fitton, whom he impregnated. Admitting paternity, he refused to marry her and was sent to Fleet prison where he wrote verse, in 1601, Mary gave birth to a boy who died immediately. He petitioned Sir Robert Cecil and was released, though he. He married Lady Mary Talbot, the dwarfish and deformed daughter of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, Herbert had an affair with his cousin, Lady Mary Wroth, daughter of Robert Sidney, brother of Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke, Herberts mother. The relationship produced at least two children, a daughter, Catherine, and a son, William. He died in 1630, aged 50 and his titles passed to his brother, Philip Herbert and he was buried in Salisbury Cathedral in a family vault in front of the altar. Herbert has been seen as the Fair Youth in William Shakespeares sonnets, some years Shakespeares junior, he was a patron of the playwright and his initials match with the dedication of the Sonnets to one Mr. W. H. the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets. The identification was first proposed by James Boaden in his 1837 tract On the Sonnets of Shakespeare, but he refused to marry her. In her Arden Shakespeare edition of the Sonnets, Katherine Duncan-Jones argues that Herbert is the likelier candidate, the First Folio of Shakespeares plays was dedicated to incomparable pair of brethren William Herbert and his brother Philip Herbert. Herbert was also an important patron of the arts and a member of the Whitehall group
11.
Roman Catholic
–
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church or the Universal Church, is the largest Christian church, with more than 1.28 billion members worldwide. As one of the oldest religious institutions in the world, it has played a prominent role in the history, headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, the churchs doctrines are summarised in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed. Its central administration is located in Vatican City, enclaved within Rome, the Catholic Church is notable within Western Christianity for its sacred tradition and seven sacraments. It teaches that it is the one church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christs apostles. The Catholic Church maintains that the doctrine on faith and morals that it declares as definitive is infallible. The Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as such as mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders. Among the sacraments, the one is the Eucharist, celebrated liturgically in the Mass. The church teaches that through consecration by a priest the sacrificial bread and wine become the body, the Catholic Church practises closed communion, with only baptised members in a state of grace ordinarily permitted to receive the Eucharist. The Virgin Mary is venerated in the Catholic Church as Queen of Heaven and is honoured in numerous Marian devotions. The Catholic Church has influenced Western philosophy, science, art and culture, Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world, from the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticised for its doctrines on sexuality, its refusal to ordain women and its handling of sexual abuse cases. Catholic was first used to describe the church in the early 2nd century, the first known use of the phrase the catholic church occurred in the letter from Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans, written about 110 AD. In the Catechetical Discourses of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, the name Catholic Church was used to distinguish it from other groups that call themselves the church. The use of the adjective Roman to describe the Church as governed especially by the Bishop of Rome became more widespread after the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and into the Early Middle Ages. Catholic Church is the name used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church follows an episcopal polity, led by bishops who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within the church. Ultimately leading the entire Catholic Church is the Bishop of Rome, commonly called the pope, in parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the pope, though sometimes subject to the local bishop. Most religious institutes only have male or female members but some have both, additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship services
12.
Thomas Dekker (writer)
–
Little is known of Dekkers early life or origins. From references in his pamphlets, Dekker is believed to have born in London around 1572. His last name suggests Dutch ancestry, and his work, some of which is translated from Latin, Dekker embarked on a career as a theatre writer in the middle 1590s. His handwriting is found in the manuscript of Sir Thomas More, More certain is his work as a playwright for the Admirals Men of Philip Henslowe, in whose account book he is first mentioned in early 1598. While there are connected with his name performed as early as 1594, it is not clear that he was the original author, his work often involved revision. Between 1598 and 1602, he was involved in about forty plays for Henslowe, to these years belong the collaborations with Ben Jonson and John Marston, which presumably contributed to the War of the Theatres in 1600 and 1601. But Dekker is credited as the author of The Shoemakers Holiday, his acknowledged masterpiece – a boisterous. Francis Meres includes Dekker in his list of notable playwrights in 1598, for Jonson, however, Dekker was a bumbling hack, a dresser of plays about town, Jonson lampooned Dekker as Demetrius Fannius in Poetaster and as Anaides in Cynthias Revels. Dekkers riposte, Satiromastix, performed both by the Lord Chamberlains Men and the actors of Pauls, casts Jonson as an affected. After this commission, however, the early Jacobean period was mixed for the author. In late 1602, he appears to have broken his association with Henslowe and he wrote for Worcesters Men for a time, then returned to the Admirals Men to produce The Honest Whore, an apparent success. In 1612, Dekkers lifelong problem with debt reached a crisis when he was imprisoned in the Kings Bench Prison on a debt of forty pounds to the father of John Webster and he continued as pamphleteer throughout his years in prison. On release, he resumed writing plays, now with collaborators both from his generation and slightly younger writers, among these plays is one, Keep the Widow Waking, which dramatized two recent murders in Whitechapel. In the latter half of the decade, Dekker turned once more to pamphlet-writing, revamping old work and writing a new preface to his most popular tract, The Bellman of London. Dekker published no more work after 1632, and he is associated with the Thomas Dekker, householder. When Dekker began writing plays, Thomas Nashe and Thomas Lodge were still alive, the majority of his surviving plays are comedies or tragicomedies. Most of Dekkers work is lost and his apparently disordered life, and his lack of a firm connection with a single company, may have militated against the preservation or publication of manuscripts. Close to twenty of his plays were published during his lifetime, of these, more than half are comedies, the first phase of Dekkers career is documented in Henslowes diary
13.
Nathan Field
–
Nathan Field was an English dramatist. His father was the Puritan preacher John Field, and his brother Theophilus Field became the Bishop of Llandaff, another brother named Nathaniel, often confused with the actor, became a printer. Nathan presumably did not intend a career in the theater, he was a student of Richard Mulcaster at St. Pauls School in the late 1590s and he remained in this profession for the remainder of his life, later adding to it the profession of playwright. John Field was buried on 26 March 1588, when John Field died, he left seven children, of whom the eldest was only seventeen. He left all his property to his wife, Joan, the first child was a daughter, Dorcas, baptized on 7 May 1570. The first son was baptized on 4 January 1572 and was named for his father, Theophilus was baptized on 22 January 1574, Jonathan on 13 May 1577, Nathaniel on 13 June 1581, Elizabeth on 2 February 1583 and Nathan on 17 October 1587. We know nothing of the life of John Field, junior, Jonathan Field, who died in 1640. He married and in his will all his possessions to his wife. He died on 2 June 1636 and was buried in Hereford Cathedral, as a member of the Children of the Queens Revels, Field acted in the innovative drama staged at Blackfriars in the first years of the 17th century. Cast lists associate him with Ben Jonsons Cynthias Revels and The Poetaster, later in the decade, he performed in Epicoene and, perhaps, played Humphrey in Francis Beaumonts The Knight of the Burning Pestle. During the same years, he wrote verses for Jonsons Volpone and Catiline. Field stayed with a company until 1613, his twenty-sixth year. He appears to be the one of the boy actors of 1600 to remain with the Blackfriars troupe when, in 1609, Philip Rosseter. In this company, he performed in the theater in Whitefriars and, frequently, at court, in such as Beaumont. From the latter years of this come the first of his plays, A Woman is a Weathercock. In 1613, Rosseter combined his company with the Lady Elizabeths Men, performing at the Swan Theatre and Hope Theatre, Field acted in Thomas Middletons A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Jonsons Bartholomew Fair. For the latter play, in which he may have performed as Cokes or Littlewit and this period ended when Henslowe died, Rosseter abandoned his plans, and Lady Elizabeths Men briefly merged and then separated from Prince Charless Men, thereafter touring in the country. For Field, the period had a more satisfactory end, by late 1616
14.
Robert Daborne
–
Robert Daborne was an English dramatist of the Jacobean era. His father was also Robert Daborne, heir to family property in Guildford, Surrey and other places, including London, and he is now thought to have been a sizar—an undergraduate exempt from fees—at Kings College, Cambridge in 1598. His marriage record suggests that he was a Gent. and member of the Inner Temple and he was living with his father-in-law in Shoreditch by 1609, but his father-in-law died and there was a bitter dispute among the family members subsequently regarding the inheritance. A1608 document show that Daborne owed £50 to Robert Keysar, in January 1610 Daborne is listed as one of the patentees of the Queens Revels Children when Philip Rosseter re-organized that troupe of boy actors. Henslowes records in the collection of Dulwich College contain more than thirty references to Daborne in letters, receipts, constantly impecunious, like so many of his writing contemporaries, Daborne relied on the self-interested generosity of Henslowe, to whom he was indebted for a series of small loans. He worked on at least five plays for Henslowe in this era, either alone or with collaborators who included Cyril Tourneur, John Fletcher, Nathan Field, and Philip Massinger. None of these plays, with titles like Machiavel and the Devil, The Arraignment of London, the Poor Mans Comfort is an extraordinary tragicomedy prefiguring aspects of slick urban Restoration comedy, thrusting its protagonist Gisbert into bizarre and violent confrontations. Little extra-dramatic literary output by Daborne has survived, he did contribute verse to The Nipping or Snipping of Abuses, a 1614 collection by John Taylor, the extant records twice refer to Daborne as a Master of Arts. He most likely took holy orders by 1618, when he published a sermon, Daborne became chancellor of Waterford in Ireland in 1619, and was made prebendary of Lismore in 1620 and dean of Lismore in 1621. He may have enjoyed the patronage of Lord Willoughby in his clerical career, all of the available evidence suggests that Daborne abandoned drama when he entered the Church
15.
John Fletcher (playwright)
–
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Though his reputation has been far eclipsed since, Fletcher remains an important transitional figure between the Elizabethan popular tradition and the drama of the Restoration. Fletcher was born in December 1579 in Rye, Sussex, and he cried out at her death, So perish all the Queens enemies. Richard Fletcher died shortly after falling out of favour with the queen and he appears to have been partly rehabilitated before his death in 1596, however, he died substantially in debt. The upbringing of John Fletcher and his seven siblings was entrusted to his paternal uncle Giles Fletcher and his uncles connections ceased to be a benefit, and may even have become a liability, after the rebellion of the Earl of Essex, who had been his patron. Fletcher appears to have entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University in 1591 and it is not certain that he took a degree, but evidence suggests that he was preparing for a career in the church. Little is known about his time at college, but he followed the same path previously trodden by the University wits before him. In 1606, he began to appear as a playwright for the Children of the Queens Revels, at the beginning of his career, his most important association was with Francis Beaumont. The two wrote together for close to a decade, first for the children and then for the Kings Men, according to an anecdote transmitted or invented by John Aubrey, they also lived together, sharing clothes and having one wench in the house between them. This domestic arrangement, if it existed, was ended by Beaumonts marriage in 1613, and their partnership ended after Beaumont fell ill, probably of a stroke. By this time, Fletcher had moved into an association with the Kings Men. He collaborated with Shakespeare on Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and the lost Cardenio, a play he wrote singly around this time, The Womans Prize or the Tamer Tamed, is a sequel to The Taming of the Shrew. In 1616, after Shakespeares death, Fletcher appears to have entered into an arrangement with the Kings Men similar to Shakespeares. Fletcher wrote only for that company between the death of Shakespeare and his own death nine years later and he never lost his habit of collaboration, working with Nathan Field and later with Philip Massinger, who succeeded him as house playwright for the Kings Men. His popularity continued unabated throughout his life, during the winter of 1621 and he died in 1625, apparently of the plague. He seems to have buried in what is now Southwark Cathedral, although the precise location is not known. His mastery is most notable in two types, tragicomedy and comedy of manners. In the preface to the edition of his play, Fletcher explained the failure as due to his audiences faulty expectations
16.
Aston Cockayne
–
Aston Cockayne was the son of Thomas Cockayne and Ann, the daughter of Sir John Stanhope, Cockayne was born at Ashbourne Hall in Derbyshire, and baptised on 20 December 1608. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Cockayne was a Roman Catholic, and like other Catholics in his country in his era, was active in resistance against the Church of England and the social order that supported it. On 10 January 1641 Charles I elevated him to baronet, during the English Civil War he took the Royalist side. He joined the future Charles II in exile for a time, for much of the English Interregnum he lived on his estate of Pooley Hall, at Polesworth in Warwickshire. Cockayne was a cousin of the poet Charles Cotton, and had connections with Cottons circle, Cockayne held the lands and Lordships of the Manors of Pooley in Warwickshire, and of Ashbourne. But in his years he suffered financially, due to gambling. He sold Ashbourne Hall to Sir William Boothby, in 1671 to pay creditors, Cockayne is the author of A Masque at Bretbie, which was performed on Twelfth Night of the Christmas season in 1639, and of Small Poems of Divers Sorts, published in 1658. He also wrote plays, The Obstinate Lady, a comedy, and Trappolin Supposd a Prince, a tragicomedy, all three were published in one volume by Francis Kirkman in 1669. His works and his surviving letters constitute still-useful sources of information on the social and cultural affairs of mid-17th-century England, cockaynes Small Poems collection of 1658 included verses to Humphrey Moseley, publisher of the 1647 Beaumont and Fletcher folio. He dedicated his tragedy on Ovid, to his cousin Charles Cotton and he married Mary Kniveton, daughter of Sir Gilbert Kniveton Baronet, High Sheriff of Derbyshire. Aston and Mary had 3 children, A son, who died in his fathers lifetime, leaving no issue, and two daughters, Mary and Isabella, who were co-heiresses. Astons titles and Lordships passed to main Cockayne family line, to Caleb Cockayne the male representative of the proceeding from the sons of Sir Edward Cockayne. Maidment, James, Logan, William Hugh, eds, dramatic Works of Sir Aston Cokain, Edinburgh, William Paterson,1875. Attribution This article incorporates text from a work in the public domain, A. E. Cockayne
17.
King's Men (playing company)
–
The Kings Men was the acting company to which William Shakespeare belonged for most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlains Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, they became The Kings Men in 1603 when King James I ascended the throne, the nine cited by name became Grooms of the Chamber. On 15 March 1604, each of the nine men named in the patent was supplied with four and this represented a workload twice as great as was typical under Elizabeth. The Kings Men needed more men and in 1604 the number of sharers was increased from eight or nine, ten, eleven, the new sharers included John Lowin, Alexander Cooke, and Nicholas Tooley. May 1605 brought the death of Augustine Phillips, in his will, Phillips left legacies to Shakespeare, Burbage, and eight other members of the company, plus two apprentices, and £5 to the hired men of the company which I am of. The company gave ten Court performances in the winter of 1605–6 and, unusually, each Court performance earned them £10. They also toured that summer, and were in Oxford at the end of July, nine performances at Court marked the winter of 1606–7, including a performance of 26 December of King Lear, the following winter, 1607–8, saw thirteen Court appearances. From July to December 1608 the theatres were closed due to plague, the Kings Men toured the countryside, they were in Coventry in late October. Sly, however, died soon after, and his share was split among the other six, the acquisition of the Blackfriars represented an enormous advantage for the company. It allowed the company to perform year round instead of only in clement weather, the Blackfriars hall is thought to have been 66 feet by 46 feet, including the stage, its maximum capacity was likely in the hundreds of spectators. This can be compared with the capacity at the Globe Theatre of 2500 to 3000. Yet the ticket prices at the Blackfriars were five to six times higher than those at the Globe, Globe tickets ranged from a penny to sixpence, tickets at the Blackfriars ranged from sixpence to two shillings sixpence. The cheapest admission at the Blackfriars equalled the most expensive at the Globe, adding the Blackfriars to the Globe should have allowed the Kings Men to at least double their income from public performances. 1609 was another year during which the company travelled, although nine plays were still performed at Court. 1610 was a year, with public performances at the Globe — Othello. By this time the company had been augmented by John Underwood and William Ostler, in 1611 Jonsons Catiline was performed, apart from Richard Robinsons substitution for Armin, the cast roster was the same as for Sejanus the previous year. This may have been John Heminges last production, in 1613 hes described as stuttering, Heminges normally received the payments for the companys Court performances, as far back as 1595, he continued to be active in the companys financial affairs even after he left the stage. Between October 1611 and April 1612 the Kings Men performed 22 plays at Court, including The Winters Tale and The Tempest
18.
Cockpit Theatre
–
The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane, after damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. The original building was a cockpit, that is, a staging area for cockfights. In August 1616, Christopher Beeston acquired the lease to the building, like earlier theatres, such as The Theatre in Shoreditch and The Globe in Southwark, the location was just outside the jurisdiction of the City of London. Beeston expanded the small building, the construction work prompted complaints by neighbors. The resulting theatre was, by one estimate,52 feet by 37 feet, in 1617, the building suffered damage during rioting, Beeston renovated the theatre and renamed it the Phoenix. The old name continued in use as well. The architect commissioned for the renovation is not known for a certainty, Beeston intended the Cockpit to serve as an indoor complement to the Red Bull, the outdoor theatre then home to his acting troupe, Queen Annes Men. A winter venue was needed to compete with the Blackfriars Theatre in the possession of their rival troupe, after a rocky start, the company proved successful in their new locale. Wickham attributes the success more to the location and comfort and to the flair of its manager, Beeston. Beeston would oversee several different troupes in the Cockpit before his death in 1639, Queen Annes Men were there from 1617 to 1619, when that company dissolved upon the death of Anne of Denmark in 1619, their place was taken by Prince Charless Men from 1619 to 1622. Lady Elizabeths Men were there from 1622 to 1624, and perhaps for sporadic periods as early as 1619, Queen Henriettas Men had a long run at the Cockpit, from 1625 to 1636. They would continue in the theatre under the management of his son William, William Beeston was forced out of the theatre when his choice of plays met with the disapproval of the Court. He was replaced by William Davenant in 1639, all theatres were closed by Parliament in 1642, under the Commonwealth. The Cockpit was used as a schoolroom, but plays continued to be shown illegally and it was raided by Puritan soldiers during a performance in 1649 and the players were imprisoned. In 1651 William Beeston paid £200 for repairs to the theatre, the Cockpit was also used in this era by the companies of John Rhodes and George Jolly. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary of several visits to the theatre between 1660 and 1663, in 1663, Killigrews Kings Company opened the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane nearby. The Cockpit was unable to compete with this grand new theatre and was further hamstrung since it was shut out of the monopoly on legitimate drama granted to the two patent companies
19.
Charles I of England
–
Charles I was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles was the son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England. He became heir apparent to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones on the death of his brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. Two years later, he married the Bourbon princess Henrietta Maria of France instead, after his succession, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. Charles believed in the right of kings and thought he could govern according to his own conscience. Many of his subjects opposed his policies, in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent and he supported high church ecclesiastics, such as Richard Montagu and William Laud, and failed to aid Protestant forces successfully during the Thirty Years War. From 1642, Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War, after his defeat in 1645, he surrendered to a Scottish force that eventually handed him over to the English Parliament. Charles refused to accept his captors demands for a constitutional monarchy, re-imprisoned on the Isle of Wight, Charles forged an alliance with Scotland, but by the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwells New Model Army had consolidated its control over England. Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for treason in January 1649. The monarchy was abolished and a called the Commonwealth of England was declared. The monarchy was restored to Charless son, Charles II, in 1660, the second son of King James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark, Charles was born in Dunfermline Palace, Fife, on 19 November 1600. James VI was the first cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth I of England, in mid-July 1604, Charles left Dunfermline for England where he was to spend most of the rest of his life. His speech development was slow, and he retained a stammer, or hesitant speech. In January 1605, Charles was created Duke of York, as is customary in the case of the English sovereigns second son, Thomas Murray, a Presbyterian Scot, was appointed as a tutor. Charles learnt the usual subjects of classics, languages, mathematics, in 1611, he was made a Knight of the Garter. Eventually, Charles apparently conquered his physical infirmity, which might have been caused by rickets and he became an adept horseman and marksman, and took up fencing. Even so, his public profile remained low in contrast to that of his stronger and taller elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. However, in early November 1612, Henry died at the age of 18 of what is suspected to have been typhoid, Charles, who turned 12 two weeks later, became heir apparent
20.
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
–
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery KG was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I. Philip and his older brother William were the pair of brethren to whom the First Folio of Shakespeares collected works was dedicated in 1623. Born at Wilton House, he was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, in 1593, at age 9, Philip was sent to study at New College, Oxford, but left after a few months. In 1600 the 16-year-old Philip made his first appearance at court, in May 1603, James made Philip a gentleman of the privy chamber, he made him a Knight of the Bath in July of the same year. In 1604, with James Is enthusiastic urging, Philip married Susan de Vere, daughter of Edward de Vere, James continued bestowing favours throughout 1605, first making Philip a gentleman of the bedchamber and then creating him Baron Herbert of Shurland and Earl of Montgomery. In addition, James had Montgomery created MA during a visit of Oxford, in addition to hunting and hawking, during this period Montgomery regularly participated in tournaments and court masques. He also took an interest in gambling and amassed considerable debts which James paid off for him in 1606/07, in 1608, James made him a Knight of the Garter, and had him appointed high steward of Oxford in 1615. When Montgomery had a prominent quarrel with Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, Montgomery had a second violent quarrel, this time with Lord Howard de Walden, in 1617. He was to become notorious for violent assaults, usually unprovoked, following Charles Is accession to the throne in 1625, Montgomery continued to receive royal favour. He was made Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 1628, Montgomery continued to be interested in colonial ventures under Charles I. He was an incorporator of the Guiana Company in 1626, in 1628, he received a grant of the islands of Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados. Montgomerys first wife died in early 1629, and in 1630 he remarried, to Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, and widow of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset. He was quickly appointed to his brothers former positions of high steward of the Duchy of Cornwall, Pembroke maintained a large of household of 80 at his home in London, and an even larger staff of over 150 at Wilton House, his familys ancestral seat in Wiltshire. Throughout the 1630s, Pembroke entertained Charles I at Wilton House for a hunting expedition every year, Charles encouraged Pembroke to rebuild Wilton House in the Palladian style, recommending Inigo Jones for the job. Pembroke was a fan of painting and a member of the Whitehall group. He amassed an art collection and was patron of Anthony van Dyck. Pembroke also promoted the career of his page, Richard Gibson. Pembroke was also a patron of literature, receiving the dedication of over forty books during his lifetime
21.
James VI and I
–
James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciary, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, James succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother Mary was compelled to abdicate in his favour. Four different regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, in 1603, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He continued to reign in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known after him as the Jacobean era, until his death in 1625 at the age of 58. After the Union of the Crowns, he based himself in England from 1603, only returning to Scotland once in 1617 and he was a major advocate of a single parliament for England and Scotland. In his reign, the Plantation of Ulster and British colonization of the Americas began, at 57 years and 246 days, Jamess reign in Scotland was longer than those of any of his predecessors. He achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. James himself was a scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie, The True Law of Free Monarchies. He sponsored the translation of the Bible that would later be named after him, Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed the wisest fool in Christendom, an epithet associated with his character ever since. Since the latter half of the 20th century, historians have tended to revise Jamess reputation and treat him as a serious, James was the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were great-grandchildren of Henry VII of England through Margaret Tudor, Marys rule over Scotland was insecure, and she and her husband, being Roman Catholics, faced a rebellion by Protestant noblemen. James was born on 19 June 1566 at Edinburgh Castle, and as the eldest son and heir apparent of the monarch automatically became Duke of Rothesay and Prince and he was baptised Charles James or James Charles on 17 December 1566 in a Catholic ceremony held at Stirling Castle. His godparents were Charles IX of France, Elizabeth I of England, Mary refused to let the Archbishop of St Andrews, whom she referred to as a pocky priest, spit in the childs mouth, as was then the custom. The subsequent entertainment, devised by Frenchman Bastian Pagez, featured men dressed as satyrs and sporting tails, Jamess father, Darnley, was murdered on 10 February 1567 at Kirk o Field, Edinburgh, perhaps in revenge for Rizzios death. James inherited his fathers titles of Duke of Albany and Earl of Ross, Mary was already unpopular, and her marriage on 15 May 1567 to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was widely suspected of murdering Darnley, heightened widespread bad feeling towards her. In June 1567, Protestant rebels arrested Mary and imprisoned her in Loch Leven Castle and she was forced to abdicate on 24 July 1567 in favour of the infant James and to appoint her illegitimate half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray, as regent. The care of James was entrusted to the Earl and Countess of Mar, to be conserved, nursed, and upbrought in the security of Stirling Castle
22.
Globe Theatre
–
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. A second Globe Theatre was built on the site by June 1614. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named Shakespeares Globe, opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet from the site of the original theatre, from 1909, the current Gielgud Theatre was called Globe Theatre, until it was renamed in 1994. The shape of the foundations is now replicated on the surface, as the majority of the foundations lies beneath 67—70 Anchor Terrace, a listed building, no further excavations have been permitted. The Globe was owned by actors who were shareholders in the Lord Chamberlains Men. 5%. These initial proportions changed over time as new sharers were added, Shakespeares share diminished from 1/8 to 1/14, or roughly 7%, over the course of his career. The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from a theatre, The Theatre. The Burbages originally had a 21-year lease of the site on which the theatre was built, however, the landlord, Giles Allen, claimed that the building had become his with the expiry of the lease. While only a hundred yards from the shore of the Thames. The new theatre was larger than the building it replaced, with the older timbers being reused as part of the new structure and he suggests that a Swiss tourists account of a performance of Julius Caesar witnessed on 21 September 1599 describes the more likely first production. The first performance for which a record remains was Jonsons Every Man out of His Humour—with its first scene welcoming the gracious. On 29 June 1613 the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII, a theatrical cannon, set off during the performance, misfired, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no-one was severely injured in the event. It was rebuilt in the following year, like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. It was pulled down in 1644-45, the cited document dating the act to 15 April 1644 has been identified as a probable forgery—to make room for tenements. A modern reconstruction of the theatre, named Shakespeares Globe, opened in 1997 and it is an academic approximation of the original design, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings, and is located approximately 750 feet from the site of the original theatre. The Globes actual dimensions are unknown, but its shape and size can be approximated from scholarly inquiry over the last two centuries, the evidence suggests that it was a three-storey, open-air amphitheatre approximately 100 feet in diameter that could house up to 3,000 spectators. The Globe is shown as round on Wenceslas Hollars sketch of the building, however, in 1988–89, the uncovering of a small part of the Globes foundation suggested that it was a polygon of 20 sides
23.
Southwark
–
Southwark is a district of Central London and part of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated 1.5 miles east of Charing Cross, it one of the oldest parts of London. It historically formed an ancient borough in the county of Surrey, made up of a number of parishes, as an inner district of London, Southwark experienced rapid depopulation during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. It is now at a stage of regeneration and is the county town of Greater London which is the location of the City Hall offices of the Greater London Authority. Southwark had a population of 30,119 in 2011, Southwark is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudweca. The name means southern defensive work and is formed from the Old English sūth, the southern location is in reference to the City of London to the north, Southwark being at the southern end of London Bridge. The ancient borough of Southwark was also simply as The Borough—or Borough—and this name. Southwark was also referred to as the Ward of Bridge Without when administered by the City. Southwark is on a marshy area south of the River Thames. Recent excavation has revealed prehistoric activity including evidence of ploughing, burial mounds. The area was originally a series of islands in the River Thames and this formed the best place to bridge the Thames and the area became an important part of Londinium owing its importance to its position as the endpoint of the Roman London Bridge. Two Roman roads, Stane Street and Watling Street, met at Southwark in what is now Borough High Street, archaeological work at Tabard Street in 2004 discovered a plaque with the earliest reference to London from the Roman period on it. Londinium was abandoned at the end of the Roman occupation in the fifth century. Archaeologically, evidence of settlement is replaced by a largely featureless soil called the Dark Earth which probably represents an urban area abandoned, Southwark appears to recover only during the time of King Alfred and his successors. Sometime about 886 AD, the burh of Southwark was created and it was probably fortified to defend the bridge and hence the re-emerging City of London to the north. He failed to force the bridge during the Norman conquest of England, Southwark appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as held by several Surrey manors. Southwarks value to the King was £16, much of Southwark was originally owned by the church—the greatest reminder of monastic London is Southwark Cathedral, originally the priory of St Mary Overie. During the early Middle Ages, Southwark developed and was one of the four Surrey towns which returned Members of Parliament for the first commons assembly in 1295
24.
Southwark Cathedral
–
Not to be confused with the Roman Catholic St Georges Cathedral, Southwark. Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London and it is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. It has been a place of Christian worship for more than 1,000 years, between 1106 and 1538 it was the church of an Augustinian priory, Southwark Priory, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, it became a parish church, the church was in the diocese of Winchester until 1877, when the parish of St Saviours, along with other South London parishes, was transferred to the diocese of Rochester. The present building retains the form of the Gothic structure built between 1220 and 1420, although the nave is a late 19th-century reconstruction. Linsted claimed it had founded as a nunnery long before the Conquest by a maiden named Mary. Later it was converted into a college of priests by Swithen, finally in 1106 it was refounded as an Augustinian priory. The tale of the ferrymans daughter Mary and her benefactions became very popular and he went on to date the foundation of the supposed original nunnery to about the year 606, although he provided no evidence to support the date. It is unlikely that this minster pre-dated the conversion of Wessex in the mid-7th century, there is no proof for suggestions that a convent was founded on the site in 606 nor for the claim that a monastery was founded there by St Swithun in the 9th century. The Old English minster was a church serving an area on the south side of the Thames. A remaining wall of the refectory, with a rose window. The Priory was dedicated to the Virgin Mother as St Mary but had the additional soubriquet of Overie to distinguish it from the other churches in the City with the same name. Some fragments of 12th century fabric survive, the church in its present form, however, dates to between 1220 and 1420, making it the first Gothic church in London. The church was damaged in the Great Fire of 1212. Rebuilding took place during the century, although the exact dates are unknown. In its reconstructed state – the basic layout of which survives today – the church was cruciform in plan, with a nave of six bays, a crossing tower, transepts. This was to become known as the Bishops chapel as it was the place of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes. In the 1390s, the church was damaged by fire, and in around 1420 the Bishop of Winchester Henry Beaufort, assisted with the rebuilding of the south transept
25.
Diocletian
–
Diocletian, born Diocles, was a Roman emperor from 284 to 305. Born to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia, after the deaths of Carus and his son Numerian on campaign in Persia, Diocletian was proclaimed emperor. The title was claimed by Carus other surviving son, Carinus. Diocletians reign stabilized the empire and marks the end of the Crisis of the Third Century and he appointed fellow officer Maximian as Augustus, co-emperor, in 286. Diocletian delegated further on 1 March 293, appointing Galerius and Constantius as Caesars, under this tetrarchy, or rule of four, each emperor would rule over a quarter-division of the empire. Diocletian secured the borders and purged it of all threats to his power. He defeated the Sarmatians and Carpi during several campaigns between 285 and 299, the Alamanni in 288, and usurpers in Egypt between 297 and 298, Galerius, aided by Diocletian, campaigned successfully against Sassanid Persia, the empires traditional enemy. In 299 he sacked their capital, Ctesiphon, Diocletian led the subsequent negotiations and achieved a lasting and favorable peace. He established new centres in Nicomedia, Mediolanum, Antioch. Building on third-century trends towards absolutism, he styled himself an autocrat, elevating himself above the masses with imposing forms of court ceremonies. Bureaucratic and military growth, constant campaigning, and construction increased the states expenditures. From at least 297 on, imperial taxation was standardized, made more equitable, not all of Diocletians plans were successful, the Edict on Maximum Prices, his attempt to curb inflation via price controls, was counterproductive and quickly ignored. Weakened by illness, Diocletian left the office on 1 May 305. He lived out his retirement in his palace on the Dalmatian coast and his palace eventually became the core of the modern-day city of Split in Croatia. Diocletian was born near Salona in Dalmatia, some time around 244 and his parents gave him the Greek name Diocles, or possibly Diocles Valerius. The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes his official birthday,22 December, other historians are not so certain. Diocles parents were of low status, and writers critical of him claimed that his father was a scribe or a freedman of the senator Anullinus, the first forty years of his life are mostly obscure. The Byzantine chronicler Joannes Zonaras states that he was Dux Moesiae, the often-unreliable Historia Augusta states that he served in Gaul, but this account is not corroborated by other sources and is ignored by modern historians of the period
26.
English Civil War
–
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists over, principally, the manner of Englands government. The war ended with the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, the monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship in England ended with the victors consolidating the established Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. The term English Civil War appears most often in the singular form, the war in all these countries are known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Unlike other civil wars in England, which focused on who should rule, this war was more concerned with the manner in which the kingdoms of England, Scotland, the two sides had their geographical strongholds, such that minority elements were silenced or fled. The strongholds of the royalty included the countryside, the shires, on the other hand, all the cathedral cities sided with Parliament. All the industrial centers, the ports, and the advanced regions of southern and eastern England typically were parliamentary strongholds. Lacey Baldwin Smith says, the words populist, rich, at times there would be two groups of three lines allowing one group to reload while the other group arranged themselves and fired. Mixed in among the musketeers were pikemen carrying pikes that were between 12 feet and 18 feet long, whose purpose was to protect the musketeers from cavalry charges. The Royalist cavaliers skill and speed on horseback led to early victories. While the Parliamentarian cavalry were slower than the cavaliers, they were better disciplined. The Royalists had a tendency to chase down individual targets after the initial charge leaving their forces scattered and tired, Cromwells cavalry, on the other hand, trained to operate as a single unit, which led to many decisive victories. The English Civil War broke out fewer than forty years after the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, in spite of this, James personal extravagance meant he was perennially short of money and had to resort to extra-Parliamentary sources of income. Charles hoped to unite the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland into a new single kingdom, many English Parliamentarians had suspicions regarding such a move because they feared that setting up a new kingdom might destroy the old English traditions which had bound the English monarchy. As Charles shared his fathers position on the power of the crown, at the time, the Parliament of England did not have a large permanent role in the English system of government. Instead, Parliament functioned as an advisory committee and was summoned only if. Once summoned, a continued existence was at the kings pleasure. Yet in spite of this role, Parliament had, over the preceding centuries. Without question, for a monarch, Parliaments most indispensable power was its ability to tax revenues far in excess of all other sources of revenue at the Crowns disposal
27.
Richard III of England
–
Richard III was King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485, at the age of 32, in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty and his defeat at Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the subject of the historical play Richard III by William Shakespeare, when his brother King Edward IV died in April 1483, Richard was named Lord Protector of the realm for Edwards son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. As the young king travelled to London from Ludlow, Richard met and escorted him to lodgings in the Tower of London, on 25 June, an assembly of Lords and commoners endorsed the claims. The following day, Richard III began his reign, and he was crowned on 6 July 1483. The young princes were not seen in public after August, and accusations circulated that the boys had been murdered on Richards orders, there were two major rebellions against Richard. The first, in October 1483, was led by allies of Edward IV and Richards former ally, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. In August 1485, Henry Tudor and his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Henry Tudor landed in southern Wales with a small contingent of French troops and marched through his birthplace, Pembrokeshire, recruiting soldiers. Henrys force engaged Richards army and defeated it at the Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire, Richard was struck down in the conflict, making him the last English king to die in battle on home soil and the first since Harold Godwinson. Henry then ascended the throne as Henry VII, after the battle Richards corpse was taken to Leicester and buried without pomp. His original tomb monument is believed to have been removed during the Reformation, in 2012, an archaeological excavation was commissioned by the Richard III Society on a city council car park on the site once occupied by Greyfriars Priory Church. Richards remains were reburied in Leicester Cathedral on 26 March 2015 and they returned to England following the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton and participated in the coronation of Richards eldest brother as King Edward IV in June 1461. At this time Richard was named Duke of Gloucester and made a Knight of the Garter and Knight of the Bath, by the age of seventeen, he had an independent command. With some interruptions, Richard stayed at Middleham either from late 1461 until early 1465, while at Warwicks estate, he probably met Francis Lovell, a strong supporter later in his life, and Warwicks younger daughter, his future wife Anne Neville. As the relationship between the king and Warwick became strained, Edward IV opposed the match, during Warwicks lifetime, George was the only royal brother to marry one of his daughters, the eldest, Isabel, on 12 July 1469, without the kings permission. George joined his father-in-laws revolt against the king, while Richard remained loyal to Edward, in 1468, Richards sister Margaret had married Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy, and the brothers could expect a welcome there. Although only eighteen years old, Richard played crucial roles in the battles of Barnet, during his adolescence, Richard developed idiopathic scoliosis. Following a decisive Yorkist victory over the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury, Richard married Anne Neville, by the end of 1470 Anne had previously been wedded to Edward of Westminster, only son of Henry VI, to seal her fathers allegiance to the Lancastrian party
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Massinger, Philip". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Quotations related to Philip Massinger at Wikiquote
