40 moments

1. Birth on Bread Street

   1608-12-09 · Bread Street, City of London, England

   

   Milton was born at his family home on Bread Street in the City of London. Bread Street was largely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666; coordinates represent the historic street.

2. Entry to Christ's College

   1625-02-12 · Christ's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England

   

   Milton entered Christ's College, beginning the Cambridge education that culminated in BA and MA degrees.

3. Home during Lent Term

   1626-01-01 · London, England

   

   During the Lent Term, Milton was at his London home rather than Cambridge. The source does not identify a London address; coordinates represent central London.

4. Move to Hammersmith

   1632-01-01 · Hammersmith, London, England

   

   After receiving his MA, Milton moved to his father's newer home in Hammersmith for a period of private study. The exact house is not identified; coordinates represent Hammersmith.

5. Private study at Horton

   1635-01-01 · Horton, Berkshire, England

   

   Milton lived at Horton during his extended program of self-directed study and poetic work. Coordinates represent Horton village.

6. Journey through Genoa

   1638-01-01 · Genoa, Italy

   

   Milton travelled through Genoa during the Italian stage of his continental tour. The source supports the year but not a more precise date.

7. Journey through Livorno

   1638-01-01 · Livorno, Italy

   

   Milton travelled through Livorno while proceeding south through Italy. The source supports the year but not a more precise date.

8. Journey through Nice

   1638-01-01 · Nice, France

   

   Milton travelled south through Nice on his route from France into Italy. The source supports the year but not a more precise date.

9. Journey through Pisa

   1638-01-01 · Pisa, Italy

   

   Milton travelled through Pisa on his way toward Florence. The source supports the year but not a more precise date.

10. Meeting Galileo at Arcetri

    1638-01-01 · Arcetri, Florence, Italy

    

    During his Florentine stay, Milton met Galileo, who was then under house arrest at Arcetri. The source does not provide a month beyond the surrounding 1638 Florentine visit.

11. Arrival at Calais

    1638-05-01 · Calais, France

    

    Milton began his continental tour by crossing to Calais with a manservant. The source gives the month of departure but not a day of arrival.

12. Visit to Paris

    1638-05-01 · Paris, France

    

    In Paris, Milton used Henry Wotton's introduction to meet the Dutch jurist and scholar Hugo Grotius through Ambassador John Scudamore. The source places the Paris visit after Calais in May 1638, without a precise day.

13. First Florentine stay

    1638-07-01 · Florence, Italy

    

    Milton reached Florence and spent about two months among Florentine intellectual circles and academies. Coordinates represent central Florence.

14. First Roman stay

    1638-09-01 · Rome, Italy

    

    Milton travelled from Florence to Rome, entering its intellectual and artistic circles. Coordinates represent central Rome.

15. Dinner at the English College

    1638-10-01 · English College, Rome, Italy

    

    Milton attended a dinner at the English College in Rome and met English Catholic guests including Henry Holden and Patrick Cary. Coordinates represent the English College's historic site on Via di Monserrato.

16. Stay in Naples

    1638-11-01 · Naples, Italy

    

    Milton travelled to Naples and was introduced to the patron Giovanni Battista Manso. The source gives only a late-November departure and an approximately one-month stay.

17. Excursion to Lucca

    1639-01-01 · Lucca, Italy

    

    Milton visited Lucca during the second Florentine phase of his Italian journey. The source does not provide a more precise date.

18. Journey through Bologna

    1639-01-01 · Bologna, Italy

    

    Milton travelled through Bologna while making his way from Florence toward Venice. The source dates his departure from Florence to April 1639 but does not date the Bologna passage separately.

19. Journey through Ferrara

    1639-01-01 · Ferrara, Italy

    

    Milton travelled through Ferrara on the northern Italian route to Venice. The source dates his departure from Florence to April 1639 but does not date the Ferrara passage separately.

20. Return through Paris

    1639-01-01 · Paris, France

    

    Milton passed through Paris on his return from Switzerland to England. The source does not provide a more precise return date.

21. Second Roman stay

    1639-01-01 · Rome, Italy

    

    On his northward return, Milton spent January and February in Rome despite warnings connected with his religious frankness. The source describes January and February across 1638–1639; context identifies this as January–February 1639.

22. Second Florentine stay

    1639-03-01 · Florence, Italy

    

    Milton returned to Florence, attended further academy meetings, and visited friends before continuing north. The date is approximate as stated by the source.

23. Stay in Venice

    1639-04-01 · Venice, Italy

    

    Milton reached Venice and spent approximately a month there before travelling across the Alps. The source states that he did not leave Florence until April 1639; the Venetian stay followed.

24. Stay in Geneva

    1639-06-01 · Geneva, Switzerland

    

    Milton spent one or two weeks in Geneva and held daily conversations with Jean Diodati, uncle of his late friend Charles Diodati. Coordinates represent central Geneva.

25. Aldersgate Street residence

    1640-01-01 · Aldersgate Street, London, England

    

    Milton moved into a garden house at Aldersgate Street, where he educated his nephews and began his London household. The source identifies the house as on Aldersgate Street; coordinates represent the historic street rather than the demolished house.

26. Lodgings at St Bride's Churchyard

    1640-01-01 · St Bride's Churchyard, Fleet Street, London, England

    

    After his continental return, Milton maintained lodgings at St Bride's Churchyard near Fleet Street before moving to Aldersgate Street. The source places this residence after his 1639 return and before his probably early-1640 Aldersgate move.

27. Marriage at Forest Hill

    1642-06-01 · Forest Hill, Oxfordshire, England

    

    Milton visited the Powell family manor at Forest Hill and married Mary Powell there. Coordinates represent Forest Hill village; the seventeenth-century manor-house site is not specified by the source.

28. Barbican residence

    1645-01-01 · Barbican, London, England

    

    Milton relocated to the Barbican during the period when his household and school expanded. The quoted entry appears in a figure titled “Milton’s London residences”; coordinates represent the historic Barbican area.

29. High Holborn residence

    1647-01-01 · High Holborn, London, England

    

    Milton lived near Lincoln's Inn Fields in High Holborn before entering Commonwealth service. The quoted entry appears in a figure titled “Milton’s London residences”; coordinates represent High Holborn near Lincoln's Inn Fields.

30. Scotland Yard chambers

    1649-01-01 · Scotland Yard, Whitehall, London, England

    

    Milton lived at Scotland Yard, Whitehall, while serving the Commonwealth as Secretary for Foreign Tongues. The quoted entry appears in a figure titled “Milton’s London residences”; coordinates represent the historic Scotland Yard area.

31. Charing Cross residence

    1649-03-01 · Charing Cross, London, England

    

    Milton lived near the Bull Head tavern at Charing Cross during the first months of 1649, immediately before and after his appointment as Secretary for Foreign Tongues. The quoted entry appears in a figure titled “Milton’s London residences”; the tavern site no longer survives.

32. Petty France garden house

    1651-12-01 · Petty France, Westminster, London, England

    

    Milton moved to the Petty France garden house in Westminster, his principal residence through the Restoration. The house was later numbered 19 York Street and was demolished; coordinates represent Petty France.

33. Marriage to Katherine Woodcock

    1656-11-12 · St Margaret's Church, Westminster, London, England

    

    Milton married his second wife, Katherine Woodcock, at St Margaret's, Westminster.

34. Hiding at Bartholomew Close

    1660-05-01 · Bartholomew Close, London, England

    

    Following the Restoration, Milton took refuge in a friend's house at Bartholomew Close while facing danger for his Commonwealth writings. The exact house is unidentified; coordinates represent Bartholomew Close near West Smithfield.

35. Holborn refuge after imprisonment

    1660-12-01 · Holborn, London, England

    

    After release from imprisonment, Milton moved temporarily to a house on the north side of Holborn near Red Lion Square. The exact house is not identified; coordinates represent Red Lion Square.

36. Jewin Street residence

    1661-01-01 · Jewin Street, London, England

    

    Milton returned to the Aldersgate area and took a house in Jewin Street, where he continued work on Paradise Lost. Jewin Street was later altered and largely erased; coordinates represent its historic course.

37. Marriage to Elizabeth Minshull

    1663-02-24 · St Mary Aldermary, City of London, England

    

    Milton married Elizabeth Minshull, his third and final wife, at St Mary Aldermary in the City of London. The preceding sentence on the source page dates the marriage to 24 February 1663.

38. Artillery Walk residence

    1664-01-01 · Artillery Walk, Bunhill Fields, London, England

    

    Milton moved to a garden house at Artillery Walk leading toward Bunhill Fields, where he completed Paradise Lost before the plague refuge. The residence was demolished; coordinates represent the Artillery Walk/Bunhill Fields area.

39. Plague refuge at Milton's Cottage

    1665-01-01 · Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England

    

    Milton moved from London to a cottage at Chalfont St Giles during the Great Plague and completed Paradise Lost there. The cottage is extant; Historic England describes the stay as lasting six months.

40. Death at Bunhill Row

    1674-11-08 · Bunhill Row, Finsbury, London, England

    

    Milton died at his London home near Bunhill Fields after his final decade of literary work. Coordinates represent Bunhill Row near the documented Artillery Walk/Bunhill Fields area.