George Fox (1624-1691) was an English dissenting preacher and the principal founder of the Religious Society of Friends, known as the Quakers. Dissatisfied with the established Church of England and other Protestant denominations of his time, he began preaching in the 1640s a doctrine of direct, unmediated spiritual experience of Christ, the 'Inner Light,' available to every person without the need for clergy or formal ritual. His travels and preaching across England and abroad, often met with imprisonment and persecution, built a growing movement that rejected social hierarchy, oath-taking and violence, and the Quaker movement he founded went on to have a lasting influence on religious tolerance and social reform in the English-speaking world.
Facts
Birth YearWikipedia gives the birth as July 1624 Old Style (July to August 1624 New Style); only the Old Style year is stored here, with the calendar difference noted rather than resolved. Death YearWikipedia gives the death as 13 January 1691 Old Style (23 January 1692 New Style); only the Old Style year is stored here, with the calendar difference noted rather than resolved. RoleEnglish Dissenting preacher; founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) 1 BirthplaceLeicestershire, England 1 Wikipedia lead identifies him only as the son of a Leicestershire weaver, without naming a specific town; recorded at the county level. Role
Role (category) Connections
In Era
Source Wikipedia: George Fox
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: George Fox
WikipediaWikipedia lead paragraph, opening parenthetical (birth/death dates)
(July 1624 O.S. (July-August 1624 N.S.), 13 January 1691 O.S. (23 January 1692 N.S.))
Wikipedia lead paragraph, first sentence, occupation clause
was a Christian mystic and an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends
Wikipedia lead paragraph, second sentence, family origin
The son of a Leicestershire weaver
George Fox: Gender
Dissatisfied with the established Church of England and other Protestant denominations of his time, he began preaching in the 1640s a doctrine of direct, unmediated spiritual experience of Christ, the 'Inner Light,' available to every person without the need for clergy or formal ritual.
- Wikipedia biography, role/occupation stated in lead section (w-bbfill-history3-0927)
In Era: The Early Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Infobox: born July 1624; died 13 January 1691 (aged 66)
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