Daniel Defoe Born

Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Born	1659–1660 London, England
Died	24 April 1731 (aged 70-72) London, England
Occupation	Writer, journalist, merchant
Genre	Adventure

Daniel Defoe (/ˌdænjəl dɨˈfoʊ/; c. 1660 – 24 April 1731),^[1] born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy, now most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and with others such as Samuel Richardson, is among the founders of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than five hundred books, pamphlets and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). He was also a pioneer of economic journalism
Early life[edit]
Daniel Foe (his original name) was probably born in Fore Street, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, London.^[3] Defoe later added the aristocratic-sounding "De" to his name and on occasion claimed descent from the family of De Beau Faux. His birthdate and birthplace are uncertain and sources offer dates from 1659–1662, with 1660 considered the most likely. His father, James Foe, was a prosperous tallow chandler and a member of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. In Defoe's early life, he experienced some of the most unusual occurrences in English history: in 1665, 70,000 were killed by the Great Plague of London and next year, theGreat Fire of London left standing only Defoe's and two other houses in his neighbourhood.^[4] In 1667, when he was probably about seven, a Dutch fleet sailed up the Medway via the River Thames and attacked the town of Chatham in the raid on the Medway. His mother Annie had died by the time he was about ten.^[5][6]
Education[edit]
Defoe was educated at the Rev. James Fisher's boarding school in Pixham Lane in Dorking, Surrey.^[7] As his parents were Presbyterian dissenters, around the age of 14, he attended a dissenting academy at Newington Green in London run by Charles Morton and is believed to have attended the Newington Green Unitarian Church.^[8][9] During this period, the English government persecuted those who chose to worship outside the Church of England.
Business career[edit]
Defoe entered the world of business as a general merchant, dealing at different times in hosiery, general woollen goods and wine. Though his ambitions were great and he was able to buy a country estate and a ship (as well as civets to make perfume), he was rarely out of debt. In 1684, Defoe married Mary Tuffley, the daughter of a London merchant, receiving a dowry of £3,700 – a huge amount by the standards of the day. With his debts and political difficulties, the marriage was most likely troubled but it lasted 50 years and produced eight children, six of whom survived.^[5]
In 1685, Defoe joined the ill-fated Monmouth Rebellion but gained a pardon, by which he escaped the Bloody Assizes of Judge George Jeffreys. Queen Mary and her husband William III were jointly crowned in 1688 and Defoe became one of William's close allies and a secret agent.^[5] Some of the new regime's policies, led to conflict with France, thus damaging prosperous trade relationships for Defoe, who had established himself as a merchant.^[5] In 1692, Defoe was arrested for debts of £700 (and his civets were seized), though his total debts may have amounted to £17,000. His laments were loud and he always defended unfortunate debtors but there is evidence that his financial dealings were not always honest.
Following his release, he probably travelled in Europe and Scotland^{[citation needed]} and it may have been at this time that he traded wine to Cadiz, Porto and Lisbon. By 1695 he was back in England, now formally using the name "Defoe" and serving as a "commissioner of the glass duty", responsible for collecting taxes on bottles. In 1696 he ran a tile and brick factory in what is now Tilbury, Essex and lived in the parish of Chadwell St Mary.