John Milton died on 8 November 1674 in St Luke's, aged 65. An English poet and polemicist, Milton is best known for Paradise Lost, a twelve-book epic in blank verse about the fall of man, which he composed after becoming completely blind. He also wrote Paradise Regained, the dramatic poem Samson Agonistes, the elegy Lycidas, and Areopagitica, an influential argument against censorship of the press. A committed Puritan and republican, he served the Commonwealth as Secretary for Foreign Tongues under Oliver Cromwell and defended the execution of Charles I. He was briefly imprisoned after the Restoration, and his poetry has been among the most influential in the English language.
Before and after
- 17 February 1673Death of Molière
- 11 November 1673Battle of Khotyn
- from 1674 to 1818Maratha Empire
- from July 1674 to April 1678Messina revolt
- 8 November 1674Death of John Milton
- from 1675 to 1679Scanian War
- 1675Construction of St Paul's Cathedral
- 1675Construction of Royal Observatory
- 31 March 1675Birth of Benedict XIV
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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.