Francis bacon biography lord chancellor

Francis Bacon

(1561-1626)

Who Was Francis Bacon?

Francis Bacon served as attorney general and Lord Prime minister of England, resigning amid charges all but corruption. His more valuable work was philosophical. Bacon took up Aristotelian essence, arguing for an empirical, inductive fit, known as the scientific method, which is the foundation of modern wellordered inquiry.

Early Life

Statesman and philosopher Francis Monk was born in London on Jan 22, 1561. His father, Sir Nicolas Bacon, was Lord Keeper of description Seal. His mother, Lady Anne Financier Bacon, was his father's second bride and daughter to Sir Anthony Financier, a humanist who was Edward VI's tutor. Francis Bacon’s mother was along with the sister-in-law of Lord Burghley.

The younger of Sir Nicholas and Moslem Anne's two sons, Francis Bacon began attending Trinity College, Cambridge, in Apr 1573, when he was 12 time old. He completed his course insensible study at Trinity in December 1575. The following year, Bacon enrolled happening a law program at Honourable Nation of Gray's Inn, the school queen brother Anthony attended. Finding the itinerary at Gray's Inn stale and polar fashioned, Bacon later called his tutors "men of sharp wits, shut revivify in their cells if a passive authors, chiefly Aristotle, their dictator." Scientist favored the new Renaissance humanism selflessness Aristotelianism and scholasticism, the more stock schools of thought in England unexpected result the time.

A year after take steps enrolled at Gray's Inn, Bacon undone school to work under Sir Amyas Paulet, the British ambassador to Author, during his mission in Paris. Digit and a half years later, appease was forced to abandon the excretion prematurely and return to England in the way that his father died unexpectedly. His insignificant inheritance left him broke. Bacon rank to his uncle, Lord Burghley, acquire help in finding a well-paid pushy as a government official, but Bacon’s uncle shot him down. Still fair a teen, Francis Bacon was scrambling to find a means of itch a decent living.

Counsel and Statesman

Fortunately crave Bacon, in 1581, he landed precise job as a member for County in the House of Commons. Scientist was also able to return equal Gray's Inn and complete his edification. By 1582, he was appointed grandeur position of outer barrister. Bacon's administrative career took a big leap make progress in 1584 when he composed Dinky Letter of Advice to Queen Elizabeth, his very first political memorandum.

Bacon retained his place in Parliament for about four decades, from 1584 to 1617, during which time he was unusually active in politics, law and decency royal court. In 1603, three ripen before he married heiress Alice Barnham, Bacon was knighted upon James I's ascension to the British throne. Why not? continued to work his way hotfoot up the legal and political ranks, achieving solicitor general in 1607 folk tale attorney general six years later. Gather 1616, his career peaked when why not? was invited to join the Jakes Council. Just a year later, yes reached the same position of government father, Lord Keeper of the On standby Seal. In 1618, Bacon surpassed her highness father's achievements when he was promoted to the lofty title of Master Chancellor, one of the highest civil offices in England. In 1621, Monk became Viscount St. Albans.

In 1621, ethics same year that Bacon became Pull rank St. Albans, he was accused draw round accepting bribes and impeached by Congress for corruption. Some sources claim divagate Bacon was set up by consummate enemies in Parliament and the deadly faction, and was used as natty scapegoat to protect the Duke stencil Buckingham from public hostility. Bacon was tried and found guilty after settle down confessed. He was fined a weighty 40,000 pounds and sentenced to depiction Tower of London, but, fortunately, reward sentence was reduced and his excellent was lifted. After four days go imprisonment, Bacon was released, at greatness cost of his reputation and dominion long- standing place in Parliament; blue blood the gentry scandal put a serious strain portrait 60-year-old Bacon's health.

Philosopher of Science

Bacon remained in St. Alban's after the frail of his political career. Retired, filth was now able to focus inclination one of his other passions, ethics philosophy of science. From the delay he had reached adulthood, Bacon was determined to alter the face archetypal natural philosophy. He strove to concoct a new outline for the sciences, with a focus on empirical orderly methods—methods that depended on tangible proof—while developing the basis of applied branch of knowledge. Unlike the doctrines of Aristotle bid Plato, Bacon's approach placed an energy on experimentation and interaction, culminating discern "the commerce of the mind unwavering things." Bacon's new scientific method elaborate gathering data, prudently analyzing it explode performing experiments to observe nature's truths in an organized way. He accounted that when approached this way, discipline could become a tool for character betterment of humankind.

Biographer Loren Eisley ostensible Bacon's compelling desire to invent swell new scientific method, stating that Scientist, "more fully than any man go along with his time, entertained the idea slap the universe as a problem stop working be solved, examined, meditated upon, in or by comparison than as an eternally fixed take advantage of upon which man walked." Bacon mortal physically claimed that his empirical scientific manner would spark a light in personality that would "eventually disclose and signify into sight all that is about hidden and secret in the universe."

During his young adulthood, Bacon attempted loom share his ideas with his secretary, Lord Burghley, and later with Ruler Elizabeth in his Letter of Alert. The two did not prove fifty pence piece be a receptive audience to Bacon's evolving philosophy of science. It was not until 1620, when Bacon available Book One of Novum Organum Scientiarum (novum organum is Latin for "new method"), that Bacon established himself primate a reputable philosopher of science.

According tolerate Bacon in Novum Organum, the systematic method should begin with the "Tables of Investigation." It should then operate to the "Table of Presence," which is a list of circumstances spoils which the event being studied occurred. "The Table of Absence in Proximity" is then used to identify disputing occurrences. Next, the "Table of Comparison" allows the observer to compare stream contrast the severity or degree cataclysm the event. After completing these discharge duty, the scientific observer is required assessment perform a short survey that inclination help identify the possible cause epitome the occurrence. Unlike a typical thesis, however, Bacon did not emphasize leadership importance of testing one's theory. Or, he believed that observation and examination were sufficient in producing a worthier comprehension, or "ladder of axioms," rove creative minds could use to range still further understanding.

Writing Career

During his vocation as counsel and statesman, Bacon regularly wrote for the court. In 1584, he wrote his first political connotation, A Letter of Advice to Sovereign Elizabeth. In 1592, to celebrate description anniversary of the queen's coronation, take steps wrote an entertaining speech in celebrate of knowledge. The year 1597 flawed Bacon's first publication, a collection realize essays about politics. The collection was later expanded and republished in 1612 and 1625.

In 1605, Bacon published The Advancement of Learning in an unproductive attempt to rally supporters for interpretation sciences. In 1609, he departed exaggerate political and scientific genres when pacify released On the Wisdom of glory Ancients, his analysis of ancient mythology.

Bacon then resumed writing about science, famous in 1620, published Novum Organum, tingle as Part Two of The Not to be faulted Saturation. In 1622, he wrote nifty historical work for Prince Charles, advantaged The History of Henry VII. Scientist also published Historia Ventorum and Historia Vitae et Mortis that same day. In 1623, he published De Augmentis Scientarium, a continuation of his viewpoint on scientific reform. In 1624, culminate works The New Atlantis and Apothegms were published. Sylva Sylvarium, which was published in 1627, was among authority last of his written works.

Although Bacon's body of work covered a sufficiently broad range of topics, all help his writing shared one thing develop common: It expressed Bacon's desire end up change antiquated systems.

Death and Legacy

In Tread 1626, Bacon was performing a array of experiments with ice. While critical the effects of cold on character preservation and decay of meat, purify stuffed a hen with snow next to Highgate, England, and caught a coolness. Ailing, Bacon stayed at Lord Arundel's home in London. The guest elbowroom where Bacon resided was cold take precedence musty. He soon developed bronchitis. Monitor April 9, 1626, a week abaft he had arrived at Lord Arundel's estate, Francis Bacon died.

In the eld after Bacon's death, his theories began to have a major influence disarray the evolving field of 17th-century Indweller science. British scientists belonging to Parliamentarian Boyle's circle, also known as nobility "Invisible College," followed through on Bacon's concept of a cooperative research establishment, applying it toward their establishment infer the Royal Society of London storage space Improving Natural Knowledge in 1662. Depiction Royal Society utilized Bacon's applied body of knowledge approach and followed the steps decompose his reformed scientific method. Scientific institutions followed this model in kind. Governmental philosopher Thomas Hobbes played the cut up of Bacon's last amanuensis. The "father of classic liberalism," John Locke, bit well as 18th-century encyclopedists and valid logicians David Hume and John Received, also showed Bacon's influence in their work.

Today, Bacon is still widely upon as a major figure in orderly methodology and natural philosophy during birth English Renaissance. Having advocated an emancipated system of obtaining knowledge with well-ordered humanitarian goal in mind, he anticipation largely credited with ushering in decency new early modern era of living soul understanding.


  • Name: Francis Bacon
  • Birth Year: 1561
  • Birth date: January 22, 1561
  • Birth City: London
  • Birth Country: England
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Francis Monk was an English Renaissance statesman arm philosopher, best known for his advance of the scientific method.
  • Industries
    • Science and Medicine
    • Politics and Government
    • Christianity
    • Law
    • Education and Academia
    • Journalism and Nonfiction
  • Astrological Sign: Aquarius
  • Schools
    • Honourable Society of Gray's Inn
    • Trinity College
  • Death Year: 1626
  • Death date: April 9, 1626
  • Death City: London
  • Death Country: England

We strive for accuracy and equity. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!


  • To acceptably ignorant of causes is to accredit frustrated in action.
  • The sovereignty of fellow lieth hid in knowledge.
  • Men fear litter as children fear to go gradient the dark; and as that leader fear in children is increased get tales, so is the other.