Edmund Bolton facts for kids
- This is an article about the 17th-century poet. For the reality TV participant, see Beauty and the Geek (UK TV series)
Edmund Mary Bolton (born around 1575, died around 1633) was an English historian and poet. He wrote many books and poems during his lifetime.
About Edmund Bolton's Life
We don't know much about Edmund Bolton's family. He once said he was a distant relative of George Villiers, a very important person at court.
Edmund grew up as a Roman Catholic. He went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge for his education. After college, he moved to London and lived at the Inner Temple, which was a place where lawyers lived and worked.
In both Cambridge and London, Edmund was involved in the exciting world of writing and literature. He met other famous writers like John Selden and Ben Jonson. He wrote poems for collections like England's Helicon. He also wrote special poems praising other authors, such as William Camden and Ben Jonson.
Through his connection with George Villiers, Edmund got a small job at the court of King James I. He married Margaret Porter, whose brother, Endymion Porter, was also connected to Villiers and was a poet.
Edmund Bolton often struggled with money throughout his life. He frequently asked important people for help. Later in his life, he faced some legal trouble and was held in prison for a time. He was still alive in 1633 but likely passed away that year or soon after.
His Idea for an English Academy
Edmund Bolton had a big idea for an "English Academy." This would have been like a special group or club for smart and learned people. He got support from George Villiers for this plan.
The academy would have had different types of members. Some would be important noblemen, and others would be leaders from universities. But the main group, called "essentials," would have done the important work. They would have checked and approved books before they were published. They also wanted to study history and old things, a field called antiquarian study.
King James I seemed to like the idea. However, the plan for the English Academy never happened because the King died.
Edmund Bolton's Writings
Edmund Bolton wrote many works. One of his most important books was called Hypercritica. He started writing it around 1618 and finished it in 1621. In this book, he wrote about other writers of his time. He even said that Ben Jonson was the greatest English poet!
Another important book he wrote was Nero Caesar, or Monarchie Depraved (published in 1624). This book was about the Roman emperor Nero. In it, Bolton wrote about how important it was to have a strong king and how bad it was to rebel against authority. He hoped that King Charles I would support him because of this book, but it didn't work out.
Bolton also had a very ambitious project: he wanted to write a new, updated history of Britain. He planned to use old records and original sources to make it very accurate. He wanted it to be better than the old histories written in the Middle Ages. However, like his idea for the Academy, this big history book was never finished.
Later in his life, he tried to get the city of London interested in a new history of the city. But the city leaders thought it would cost too much money. Sadly, the manuscript for this book is now lost. Another book he wrote, a biography of Tiberius (another Roman emperor), was also thought to be lost for a long time. But it was found later and is now in a special collection.
