Daniel Featley
A staunch Anglican divine whose fierce loyalty to King Charles I during the English Civil War turned him into a persecuted political prisoner.
1582–1645 (age 63)·English theologian and controversialist·Birthday: March 15
Biography
Daniel Featley engaged in public disputations with Jesuit priests as a defender of the Church of England. Born in 1582, he served as chaplain to King Charles I and was appointed to the Westminster Assembly in 1643, a body intended to reform the church. His unwavering royalism made him a target. He was expelled from the Assembly, accused of being a spy for the king. Parliament imprisoned him in 1644, where harsh conditions broke his health. He died in 1645, a casualty of the war of ideas tearing England apart. His reputation rests on both his theological writings and his political martyrdom.
#1 When Daniel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1582
Daniel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1582Born
1587Started school
1595Became a teenager
1598Could drive
1600Could vote
1603Turned 21
1612Turned 30
1622Turned 40
1632Turned 50
1642Turned 60
1645Died at 63
Key Achievements
- Served as a chaplain to King Charles I and was a noted defender of the Anglican Church during the Civil War.
- Participated in famous theological disputations with Catholic scholars, including a noted debate with Jesuit John Percy.
- Published numerous controversialist works, including 'The Romish Fisher Caught and Held in His Own Net'.
- Was a member of the Westminster Assembly before being expelled for his royalist sympathies.
Did You Know?
His surname is also recorded as Fairclough, and he sometimes used the first name Richard.
He was imprisoned in Lord Petre's house in Aldersgate, which was used as a prison for royalists.
His final work, 'The Dippers Dipt', was a critique of Anabaptists written during his imprisonment.
“The Church of England is the golden mean between the superstitions of Rome and the frenzies of Amsterdam.”
