Christopher Marlowe (26 February 1564 (baptised) – 30 May 1593) was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era.
- His date of birth is unknown, but he was baptised on 26 February 1564, and is likely to have been born a few days before in Canterbury, England.
- He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1854 from the University of Cambridge.
- Between 1584 and 1587 Christopher Marlowe was thought to have been recruited as a spy into the network of Sir Thomas Walsingham. He disappeared, possibly to Europe on a spying mission and was awarded his MA on the instructions of the Privy Council
- Christopher Marlowe entered the royal court circle and started his literary work associating with the great court poets such as Sir Walter Raleigh.
- Christopher Marlowe wrote Tamburlaine the Great which was written in 1587 and printed in 1590
- Christopher Marlowe wrote Dr. Faustus in 1588
- Christopher Marlowe wrote the Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta in 1589. He spent two weeks in Newgate Gaol charged with murder, although he was later acquitted.
- Christopher Marlowe was a great poet and his most famous work was 'The Passionate Shepherd to His Love' which was the subject of a well-known "reply" by Walter Raleigh, called 'The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd'.
- 1593: 12 May: Thomas Kyd was arrested by the Privy Council as writer of the notices which rebelled against the ideas held by England's government. Kyd was imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London when he implicated Christopher Marlowe who was branded an Atheist and heretic
- 18 May: A warrant was issued for the poet's arrest on charges of heresy (holding different opinions to the religious beliefs held at that time), which carried the death penalty - but Christopher Marlowe died before he was made to face the interrogation and probable torture
- The mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe:
Christopher Marlowe met with three friends (who were also known to be men were spies and secret agents for Francis Walsingham) in Stepney. The house was believed to have been a safe meeting place for the agents of Francis Walsingham and Lord Burghley. Marlowe apparently argued with his friend Ingram Frizer and was lethally stabbed in the eye by his friend. Frizer later pleaded self-defence and immediately received a Royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth. - Christopher Marlowe was believed to have died on 30 May 1593 in Deptford, London, England and he was secretly buried in an unmarked grave.
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| Picture of Christopher Marlowe |
info from: http://www.the-tudors.org.uk/christopher-marlowe-timeline-biography.htm
