Richard Knolles facts for kids

Richard Knolles (born around 1545, died 1610) was an English historian and translator. He is famous for writing the first big book in English about the Ottoman Empire. This book helped many people in England learn about the Turks for the first time.

About Richard Knolles

Richard Knolles was born in the 1540s in a place called Cold Ashby in Northamptonshire, England. He went to Lincoln College, Oxford, which is a famous university. He earned his first degree in 1565 and a master's degree in 1570.

After university, Knolles became the headmaster of a grammar school in Sandwich, Kent. A grammar school was a type of school that taught subjects like Latin and Greek. This school was started by a man named Sir Roger Manwood.

When Sir Roger Manwood passed away in 1592, his son, Sir Peter Manwood, became a supporter of Knolles. Sir Peter encouraged Knolles to write his important books.

Knolles died in Sandwich in July 1610. He was buried in St Mary's church there.

Richard Knolles' Books

In 1603, Richard Knolles published his most famous book, The Generall Historie of the Turkes. This book was very important because it was the first detailed history of the Ottoman Empire written in English. Before this, most books about the Turks were in Latin, so not many people could read them.

Knolles' book talked about the military and political history of the Ottoman Empire. Many people were interested in the Turks at that time. Over 1,000 books about the Turks were published in Europe between 1501 and 1550!

Several new versions of Knolles' book were printed over the years. One famous version was edited by Sir Paul Rycaut in 1700. This edition included Rycaut's own stories from his time in Constantinople, where he was a secretary to the English ambassador.

Knolles also translated another important book. In 1606, he published The Six Bookes of a Commonweale. This was his translation of a book by Jean Bodin, a French writer. Knolles used both the French and Latin versions of Bodin's text to make his translation. He dedicated this book to his supporter, Sir Peter Manwood.

He also finished a translation of William Camden's Britannia from Latin. Camden himself thought this translation was "much estemed," meaning he liked it a lot. However, this translation was never published. The original handwritten copy is still kept safe in the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Editions of The Generall Historie of the Turkes

Here are the dates when different versions of Knolles' main book were published:

• 1603 – The very first edition
• 1610
• 1621 – This version included more history added by Edward Grimeston
• 1631 – This version included more history added by Sir Thomas Roe, who was the English Ambassador in Constantinople
• 1638
• 1687
• 1700 – The famous edition by Sir Paul Rycaut
• 1701 – A shorter, two-volume version by John Savage

How People Saw His Work

Richard Knolles' book was well-written and organized. A famous writer named Samuel Johnson even praised him. Johnson said that Knolles was one of the best English historians. He thought Knolles' history of the Turks showed "all the excellencies that narration can admit," meaning it was a really great story.

Johnson also explained why Knolles might not be as famous as some other historians. He said that Knolles wrote about "enterprizes and revolutions, of which none desire to be informed." This means that the topics Knolles wrote about, like the history of the Ottoman Empire, might not have been as popular or interesting to everyone as other subjects.