11 moments

1. Birth at Westport

   1588-04-05 · Westport, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England

   

   Hobbes was born at Westport, then a village immediately west of Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Westport is no longer a separate settlement; coordinates represent present-day Malmesbury/former Westport.

2. Student at Magdalen Hall

   1603-01-01 · Magdalen Hall site, Oxford, England

   

   Hobbes entered Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where his university studies were supported by his uncle Francis Hobbes. Coordinates represent the historic Magdalen Hall/Hertford College site.

3. European tour in Italy

   1610-01-01 · Italy

   

   Hobbes travelled with William Cavendish on a European tour that included Italy, an early formative period of continental travel. The source identifies Italy but no city or itinerary point; coordinates are a representative national point.

4. Tutor in Paris

   1629-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   After losing his Cavendish post in 1628, Hobbes became tutor to Gervase Clifton and spent most of the ensuing appointment in Paris. The source dates the appointment from 1629 to November 1630 but does not specify when within that span he was in Paris.

5. Visit to Galileo in Florence

   1636-01-01 · Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany

   

   While travelling on the Continent as tutor to the third Earl of Devonshire, Hobbes visited Galileo Galilei in Florence.

6. Exile in Paris

   1640-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   Hobbes left England late in 1640 and began the Paris exile in which he developed major political and philosophical works.

7. Mathematical instructor to the Prince of Wales

   1647-01-01 · Paris, France

   

   During his Paris exile, Hobbes taught mathematics to the future Charles II, then Prince of Wales, from 1647 until 1648. The source says Hobbes remained 'in or near Paris'; city coordinates represent Paris.

8. Return to London and private life in Fetter Lane

   1651-01-01 · Fetter Lane, London, England

   

   After Leviathan alienated the exiled royalists, Hobbes fled from France to London and was permitted to resume private life in Fetter Lane. “Winter 1651” may extend into early 1652; the card retains the source's year precision.

9. Encounter with Charles II in the Strand

   1660-01-01 · Strand, London, England

   

   Soon after the Restoration, Charles II encountered Hobbes in the Strand and spoke kindly to his former mathematical instructor. Coordinates are a representative point on the Strand; the cited account does not identify the exact spot.

10. Final residence at Chatsworth

    1675-01-01 · Chatsworth House estate, Derbyshire, England

    

    Hobbes spent his last four or five years with his patron William Cavendish, first Duke of Devonshire, at the Cavendish family’s Chatsworth estate. The source gives a relative duration rather than an exact arrival date; 1675 is the earliest defensible year from 'last four or five years.' Coordinates mark the Chatsworth estate site.

11. Death at Hardwick Hall

    1679-12-04 · Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, England

    

    Hobbes died at Hardwick Hall, a Cavendish residence, after illness and a paralytic stroke.