Francis Bacon died on 9 April 1626 in Highgate, aged 65. An English philosopher, statesman and essayist, Bacon rose to be Lord Chancellor under James I but was convicted of accepting bribes in 1621 and removed from office. His lasting influence comes from his writings on science. In works such as the Novum Organum he argued that knowledge should be built from systematic observation and experiment rather than from inherited authority, helping to lay the foundations of the empirical method. His utopian tale New Atlantis imagined an institution devoted to scientific research and inspired the founders of the Royal Society. According to a popular story, he caught his final illness while experimenting with preserving a chicken in snow.
Before and after
- 8 June 1625Birth of Giovanni Domenico Cassini
- from 1 November 1625 to 15 November 1630Anglo-Spanish War of 1625–1630
- from 1626 to 1629Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629
- 1626Founding of Peabody
- 9 April 1626Death of Francis Bacon
- 25 January 1627Birth of Robert Boyle
- 3 March 1627First Manchu invasion of Korea
- from 20 June 1627 to 17 July 1627Turkish Abductions
- from 10 September 1627 to 28 October 1628Siege of La Rochelle
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1540Construction of Westminster Abbey
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.