John Milton
English poet, polemicist and civil servant (1608–1674), author of Paradise Lost and Areopagitica.
At a glance
Main ideas
No licensing of books, Holding rulers to account, Toleration through disestablishment …
See all 5Books to start with
Areopagitica, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Paradise Lost …
See all 4Connections
Oliver Cromwell and Areopagitica
See all 2
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Milton was an English poet and pamphleteer who lived through the English Civil War and the Commonwealth.
- His 1667 epic Paradise Lost tells of the fall of Adam and Eve.
- His Areopagitica attacked licensing books before publication.
- He defended the execution of Charles I and served the Commonwealth's Council of State as Secretary for Foreign Tongues.
- He was totally blind by 1652 and dictated his later works.
Why it matters
- He is regarded as one of the preeminent writers in the English language, and his Areopagitica is among the most influential defences of free speech and a free press.
Key facts
- Born
- 9 Dec 1608, Bread Street, London1
- Died
- 1674-11, London, on the 9th or 10th1
- Education
- Christ's College, University of Cambridge1
- Secretary for Foreign Tongues
- Appointed by the Council of State in March 1649; held it until 16601
- Blindness
- Totally blind by 1652; he dictated to amanuenses, one of them Andrew Marvell1
- Restoration
- In hiding in 1660 while his writings were burnt; briefly imprisoned after a general pardon1
- Buried
- St Giles-without-Cripplegate, London; a monument was added at Westminster Abbey in 17371
Main ideas
-
No licensing of books2
Books should be judged after publication, never licensed before it.
-
Holding rulers to account1
The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates defended the people's right to hold rulers to account.
-
Toleration through disestablishment1
Government should not force conscience; disestablishing the church is the way to broad toleration.
-
Against a state-run church1
A Treatise of Civil Power attacked the state's domination of the church.
-
Divorce2
His divorce tracts argued for a right to divorce, a stance the censors and Puritan clergy condemned.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
Connections
Related
- Oliver CromwellMilton served his regime and praised him in the Second Defence
Writes
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.