Charles Fitzgeoffrey facts for kids

Charles Fitzgeoffrey (born 1576, died 1638) was an English poet and church leader who lived during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his poems about famous English heroes and for his witty Latin writings.

Early Life and School

Charles Fitzgeoffrey was born in Cornwall, a county in England. His father was a church leader in a town called Fowey. Sadly, Charles's father passed away when Charles was quite young, possibly around eight years old. After his father's death, his mother married into the important Mohun family. This new family helped Charles with money and gave him a good social standing.

Charles went to school with a teacher named Rev. Richard Harvey. When he was seventeen, he went to Oxford University. He started his studies at a college called Broadgates Hall in 1593. He earned his first degree (B.A.) in 1597 and a master's degree (M.A.) in 1600. It seems he left Oxford around 1599. We don't know exactly what he did right after, but some of his poems suggest he spent time in Wiltshire, where he had relatives. He also suffered a serious illness around this time. Fitzgeoffrey mentioned in his poems that he had a disability: he could only see with one eye.

His Writings

Fitzgeoffrey was only twenty years old and still studying at Oxford when he published his first major work. It was a poem called Sir Francis Drake, His Honorable life's commendation, and his Tragical Deathes Lamentation (1596). This poem was very popular and was printed a second time. It praised the brave actions of Sir Francis Drake, a famous sailor from the same part of England as Fitzgeoffrey, who had recently died. The poem also celebrated other English sea heroes.

A writer named Francis Meres mentioned Fitzgeoffrey in his 1598 book about English literature. Meres admired Fitzgeoffrey, calling him "that high touring Falcon" because of his powerful poetry and his choice of patriotic subjects.

Fitzgeoffrey also wrote many short, witty Latin poems called epigrams. He later collected these and published them in a book called Affaniae. The word Affaniae means "trivial, trashy talk," and the poems in his book were generally lighthearted. They talked about his neighbors in Cornwall, his friends at Oxford, and other writers he admired.

These Latin poems are very interesting to historians today because they mention many famous writers from the Elizabethan era. Some of the important authors he wrote about include Thomas Nashe, Ben Jonson, Michael Drayton, Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, George Chapman, William Camden, Barnabe Barnes, John Marston, Joseph Hall, and Mary Sidney. His poems also show that he was interested in writers from other European countries, not just England.

He also wrote poems to remember people who had died. For example, his poem about the writer Thomas Nashe is very important. It's the first time anyone mentioned Nashe's death, which wasn't recorded anywhere else. The poem also suggests that Nashe's writings had been officially banned when he died. It gives us a look into how other writers saw Nashe, noting his lively spirit and his love for a good argument.

Later Life

Soon after leaving university, Fitzgeoffrey became a church leader. In 1603, the father of one of his Oxford friends gave him a position at the church of St Dominick's in Cornwall. This meant he had a secure income and lived near good friends who shared his interests in books and culture.

Fitzgeoffrey settled down and got married, though we don't know his wife's name. Two years before he died, his oldest son, John, took over his church position. Later in his life, Fitzgeoffrey published some of his sermons (religious speeches). He also wrote a final book of English poems about the birth of Christ, called The Blessed Birth-Day.

A letter he wrote describing a powerful storm that hit Fowey and damaged the church tower still exists. Like many people at the time, Fitzgeoffrey saw the storm as a "warning piece from Heaven." However, he was a bit troubled that the only person injured was a maidservant whom he had known for seven years and described as "sober, modest, religious."

Charles Fitzgeoffrey passed away on February 24, 1638. He was buried under the communion table in his church.