Category: Brief histories of famous people across the world and ages

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Catherine the Great was born Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst in Stettin, Prussia on 2 May 1729. Her father was a German prince. It was decided she should marry Peter, the heir to the throne of Russia. She moved to Russia in 1744 and changed her name to Catherine.… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Catherine the Great

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Charles Dickens was born in a house in Mile End Terrace on the edge of Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. (It was given the name Mile End because it was about a mile from the gate in the wall around Portsmouth). At that time Portsmouth was dominated by the… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Charles Dickens

By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Charlotte Bronte was a great writer of the early 19th century. Charlotte was born on 21 April 1816 at the parsonage in Market Street in Thornton near the rapidly growing town of Bradford. Her father was Reverend Patrick Bronte. Her mother was Maria. They had 6 children. However, two… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Charlotte Bronte

By Tim Lambert Christine de Pizan was a great woman writer of the Middle Ages. Her father Tommaso was a famous academic and she was born in Italy in about 1363. When she was an infant Christine and her family moved to France, where her father was employed by the French king. In 1379 Christine… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Christine de Pizan

By Tim Lambert The early life of Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe was a great Elizabethan playwright. He was baptised in Canterbury, Kent on 26 February 1564. The exact date of his birth is not certain but he was born the same year as William Shakespeare during the reign of Elizabeth I. His father John Marlowe… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Christopher Marlowe

By Tim Lambert Christopher Wren was one of the greatest architects of the 17th century. He is, of course, famous for St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Wren was born on 20 October 1632 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, England. His father was a clergyman. Christopher was educated at Westminster School and in 1650 he went to… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Christopher Wren

By Tim Lambert Edmund Halley was a great astronomer of the late 17th century and early 18th century. Edmund was born in London on 8 November 1656. His father was a wealthy soap-maker. Edmund went to St Paul’s School. In 1673 he went to Oxford University. He left there in 1676 and sailed to the… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Edmund Halley

By Tim Lambert His Early Life Edward Jenner was an English doctor famous for his role in defeating smallpox. (In the 18th century smallpox was a terrible disease that killed many people. Even if the patient survived they were often scarred.) Jenner was born on 17 May 1749 in Berkeley in Gloucestershire, England. He was… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Edward Jenner

By Tim Lambert Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 in Greenwich Palace. Her father was Henry VIII and her mother was Anne Boleyn. Her unfortunate mother was beheaded on 19 May 1536 when Elizabeth was still an infant. Her father died in 1547 and he was succeeded by his son Edward. He in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Elizabeth I

By Tim Lambert Emily Bronte was a great writer of the early 19th century. Emily was born on 30 July 1818 in Market Street in Thornton bear the rapidly growing town of Bradford in Yorkshire. Her father Patrick Bronte was a clergyman. Her mother was Maria Bronte. The couple had 6 children. Emily was their… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Emily Bronte