Thomas Bodley ( Eng. Thomas Bodley ) ( March 2, 1545 , Exeter , England - January 28, 1613 , London ) is an English diplomat, scientist, and director of the Bodley Library , named after him.
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Biography
Father - John Bodley - a merchant, an adherent of the Anglican Church , who lived with his family during the persecution of Protestants abroad ( Wesel , Frankfurt , Geneva ). In Geneva, Thomas had the opportunity to study at the Academy of the French reformer Jean Calvin, to attend the lectures of his associate Theodore Bez and the service of the Scottish John Knox. In Geneva, Thomas learned the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages, which remained his passion throughout his life.
Under Queen Elizabeth I, the Bodley family was able to return to England. Thomas enrolled at Oxford Magdalena College. In 1563, he received a bachelor's degree and soon already lectured at Merton College, and in April 1565 he was appointed the first teacher of the ancient Greek language at the college. He worked at several Oxford colleges and in 1569 was elected one of the junior proctors at Oxford University .
In 1576 he received a grant from the college and a license to study abroad and visited France, Italy and Germany.
Upon his return, Bodley was marked by the Queen and in 1584 became a Member of Parliament from Portsmouth. In 1587 he went to Denmark to conclude an alliance with King Frederick II and several German Protestant princes to help Henry of Navarre .
In 1587, Bodley married the wealthy widow Anne Ball. Then he went to France with a secret mission, and in 1588 he went to The Hague as an ambassador, whose position required great diplomatic skill, since he had to fight not only for influence in the Netherlands with the Spanish royal house, but also with the intrigues of other Queen's ministers .
When Bodley was allowed to return to England in 1596, he was appointed Secretary of State, but not wanting to take part in court intrigues, refused such a high appointment and returned to Oxford, where in 1602 he offered his services to university leadership. Bodley devoted the rest of his life to a library, which he greatly expanded. Under his leadership, the library became the first public library in Europe.
On April 18, 1604 he was elevated to knighthood , and his name was given to the library.
He died childless.
He was buried in the chapel of Merton College.
Notes
- ↑ BNF ID : 2011 Open Data Platform .