BACON, SIR FRANCIS

(January 22, 1561–April 9, 1626), the Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, was an English philosopher, essayist, courtier, jurist and statesman. He was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under King James I. As Lord Chancellor of England (1618–21), he was significantly responsible for the formulation and acceptance of the scientific method, which stressed gathering data … Continue reading “BACON,
SIR FRANCIS”

RALEIGH, SIR WALTER

(c.1552–October 29, 1618), was an English navigator, writer, courtier and colonizer. He explored the eastern seaboard of America and named it “Virginia” after the “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth I. Sir Walter Raleigh received the first colonial grant to colonize America in 1584, resulting the ill-fated Lost Colony. The charter he was granted authorized him to enact … Continue reading “RALEIGH,
SIR WALTER”

ELIZABETH I

(September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603), the Queen of England and Ireland, 1558–1603, was the last Tudor monarch. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. After her navy, under Sir Francis Drake, destroyed the Spanish Armada in 1588, England was established as a major European power. In 1558, in answer to the question … Continue reading “ELIZABETH
I”

WILLIAM I

(April 24, 1533–July 10, 1584), known as William the Silent, was the founder of Dutch independence. He became Prince of Orange (1544) and ruler of Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht (1599). He had served Charles V, King of Spain, as Commander of the troops in France. When Charles died, Philip II became king. Philip not only … Continue reading “WILLIAM
I”

KNOX, JOHN

(c.1514–November 24, 1572), was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. He was active in the English Reformation until he fled from Queen Mary I in 1554. He went to Geneva, became a follower of John Calvin, and in 1559 he returned to Scotland. In 1560, when Protestantism became the state religion, John Knox … Continue reading “KNOX,
JOHN”

PARé, AMBROISE

(1510–December 20, 1590), was a pioneer French surgeon, who greatly raised the standard of surgery. Rising to fame as a field surgeon in the French army, he discarded the common practice of cauterization, (using hot irons and boiling oils in the sealing of wounds), in favor of cleansing wounds with ointments and performing ligatures, surgically … Continue reading “PARé,
AMBROISE”

CORTEZ, HERNANDO

(1485–December 2, 1547), was the Spanish explorer who conquered Mexico. In 1504, at the age of nineteen, Cortez came to the island of Hispaniola and was given a land grant by Governor Diego Columbus, Christopher Columbus’ son. After establishing himself as a wealthy hidalgo, Cortez joined Diego Velasquez in the conquest of Cuba in 1511. … Continue reading “CORTEZ,
HERNANDO”

LATIMER, HUGH

(c.1485–October 16, 1555), was bishop of Worcester, England, during the reign of King Henry VIII. He refused to condemn Martin Luther’s writings and strongly supported the Protestant Reformation. He was imprisoned for a total of seven years, after which Queen Mary I condemned him to be burned at the stake. On October 16, 1555, while … Continue reading “LATIMER,
HUGH”

LUTHER, MARTIN

(November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546), was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, and was renowned for his enduring literary contribution of translating the Bible into the German language. He became an Augustinian friar and in 1507 was ordained. In 1510 he visited Rome, where he was shocked by the worldliness. He received his … Continue reading “LUTHER,
MARTIN”