Francis Bacon

2 Pages 576 Words

Biography
Bacon was born on January 22 in London, at York House off the Strand. He was the youngest of two sons of Sir Nicholas Bacon. Bacon was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, but suffered ill health and studied there for only two years. His aversion towards Aristotelian philosophy began at Cambridge.
In 1576 Bacon was admitted as a senior governor at one of the four Inns of Court, which served as institutions for legal education. The same year Bacon went to France as a part of the English ambassador's suite, but was recalled when his father died suddenly. He took up his residence at Gray's Inn (one of the Inns of Court) and became a barrister in 1582. He had a succesful career but it did not satisfy his political and philosophical ambitions. He embarked on a political career that was fairly successful. He suffered a setback though due to his objections to increased subsidies to meet the expenses of the war against Spain, an opinion that upset Queen Elizabeth.

In 1591 Bacon became acquainted with the earl of Essex to whom he offered the friendly advice of an older, wiser, and more subtle man. Essex recommended Bacon for several high offices, but Bacon failed to be appointed each time. The failure of an expedition by Essex and his later attempted coup d'etat, cost the head of Bacon's protector, Essex, in 1604.

One year earlier, Bacon went into the service of James I of Scotland, and was knighted in that same year. Even though he became Solicitor General his political power was negligible. This was something that he attributed to the jealousy of Robert Cecil, first earl of Salisbury and the king's chief minister. After Salisbury's death in 1612, Bacon wrote a number of remarkable papers of advice upon state affairs, and with them his success and influence grew. In 1613 he was appointed Attorney General. The next five years brought him into conflict with Sir Edward Coke. Coke was dissmissed and shortly after Bacon was appo...