Origins & Early Life

John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and nonconformist preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, which also became an influential literary model. In addition to The Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan wrote nearly sixty titles, many of them expanded sermons. Bunyan came from the village of Elstow, near Bedford.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He had some schooling and, at the age of sixteen, joined the Parliamentary Army at Newport Pagnell during the first stage of the English Civil War. After three years in the army, he returned to Elstow and took up the trade of tinker, which he had learned from his father. He became interested in religion after his marriage, attending first the parish church and then joining the Bedford Meeting, a nonconformist group in St John's church in Bedford, and later became a preacher. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, when the freedom of nonconformists was curtailed, Bunyan was arrested and spent the next twelve years in prison because he refused to give up preaching. During this time, he wrote a spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, and began work on his most famous book, The Pilgrim...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Charles Baudelaire — Shared historical date (08-31 · Died) (1867): Master of modern poetry, Baudelaire captured the ephemeral beauty of industrial Paris.
• Nader Shah — Historical peer (Born in 1688) (1688): Founder of the Afsharid dynasty, Nader Shah reunified Iran and dominated West Asia.
• Daniel Defoe — Historical peer (Born in 1660) (1660): Pioneering English novelist, journalist, and merchant of the early 18th century.
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