Early Life and Education:

• Born on June 19, 1608, in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England
• Educated at Queens’ College, Cambridge, where he received his Master’s degree in 1628 and Bachelor of Divinity in 1635

Career:

1. Clergy:
   • Achieved popularity as a preacher
   • Appointed to the Chapel Royal, Savoy, London, in 1641
   • Served as a chaplain to the Royalist army during the English Civil Wars
   • Given the parish of Waltham Abbey, Essex, in 1649
   • Appointed to a pulpit in London in 1652
   • Became the parish priest of Cranford near London in 1658
2. Author:
   • Known for his witty and prolific writing
   • Wrote on various subjects including history, biography, and theology
   • Notable for enriching factual accounts with human interest details

Major Works:

• “Andronicus, or the Unfortunate Politician” (1646) – a satire against Oliver Cromwell
• “The Church-History of Britain” (1655)
• “The History of the University of Cambridge” (1655)
• “The History of Waltham-Abbey in Essex” (1655)
• “The Holy State, the Profane State” (1642) – a collection of character sketches
• “History of the Worthies of England” (1662) – published posthumously, considered the first attempt at a dictionary of national biography

Contributions:

• Widened the scope of English biographical writing
• Gathered historical facts from original sources
• Known for his epigrams, anecdotes, and puns
• Paid careful attention to literary form

Recognition:

• Awarded a Doctor of Divinity at Cambridge upon the restoration of the monarchy in 1660

Personal Life:

• Became friends with Izaak Walton, another leading biographer of the age

Death:

Thomas Fuller died on August 16, 1661, in London at the age of 53.Legacy:
Fuller is remembered as an important figure in 17th-century English literature and historiography. His works provide valuable antiquarian information and his writing style, characterized by wit and attention to human interest, influenced the development of English biographical and historical writing.