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1632
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Born at Wrington, Somerset, 29 August
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1642
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Outbreak of the Civil Wars
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1643
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Troops of Col. Popham, Locke’s future patron, despoil Wells Cathedral
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1645
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Defeat of Charles I at Naseby by Oliver Cromwell
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1647
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Admitted to Westminster School, London
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1648
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Treaty of Westphalia ends European Thirty Years’ War
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1649
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Execution of Charles I; England a republic
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1651
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Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
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1652
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Elected a Student of Christ Church, Oxford
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1652–67
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Usually resident in Oxford
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1655
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Graduates as a bachelor of arts
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1658
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Graduates as a master of arts; death of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
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1660
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Restoration of monarchy under Charles II
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1660–62
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Writes Two Tracts on Government, against toleration (published
1967)
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1661–64
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Lecturer in Greek, rhetoric, and moral philosophy
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1662
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Act of Uniformity reimposes Anglicanism; dissenting worship illegal
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1663
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Attends chemical and medical lectures
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1663–64
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Writes Essays on the Law of Nature (published 1954)
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1665–66
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Embassy secretary sent to the Elector of Brandenburg at Cleves (Kleve)
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1666
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Licensed to practice medicine
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Granted dispensation to retain Studentship without taking holy orders
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Great Fire of London
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1667
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Joins Lord Ashley’s household; usually resident in London until
1675.
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Writes Essay Concerning Toleration (published 1876)
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1668
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Oversees lifesaving operation on Ashley
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Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
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1669
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Helps draft The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina
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1670
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Baruch Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus
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1671
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Secretary to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina (until 1675)
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First drafts of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
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1672
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Ashley created Earl of Shaftesbury and Lord Chancellor
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Appointed secretary for ecclesiastical presentations (to 1673)
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First visit to France
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Samuel Pufendorf, On the Law of Nature and Nations
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1673
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Secretary to the Council of Trade and Plantations (to 1674)
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Charles II’s brother and heir, James, Duke of York, converts to
Catholicism
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Shaftesbury ousted from office; begins to lead opposition
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1675
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Shaftesburian manifesto, A Letter from a Person of Quality
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Graduates as a bachelor of medicine
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To France; chiefly resident at Montpellier until 1677; then mainly
Paris
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1676
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Translates three of Pierre Nicole’s Essais de Morale
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1677
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Repeal of writ De haeretico comburendo, abolishing burning
for heresy
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Andrew Marvell, An Account of the Growth of Popery
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1678
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Popish Plot revealed; executions of Catholics follow (to 1681)
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1679
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Returns to England
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Habeas Corpus Act
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1679–81
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Exclusion Crisis; Whigs seek to exclude Catholic heir from the throne
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Whig victory in three general elections, but Whigs outmaneuvered
by the king
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1680
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Signs London’s “monster petition,” demanding sitting of Parliament
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1679–83
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Resides in London, Oxford, and Oakley (James Tyrrell’s home)
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Writes Two Treatises of Government
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1681
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Writes a defense of toleration against Edward Stillingfleet
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Assists Shaftesbury at the Oxford Parliament
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Oxford Parliament dismissed; Charles summons no more parliaments
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Beginning of royal and Tory backlash against Whigs and dissenters
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Shaftesbury accused of treason; charge dismissed by a Whig grand
jury
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1682
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Court coup against Whigs in City of London; Shaftesbury flees to
Holland
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1683
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Death of Shaftesbury in Holland; Locke attends funeral in Dorset
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Whig Rye House Plot, to assassinate the king, exposed
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Executions of Lord William Russell and Algernon Sidney
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Earl of Essex’s suicide in the Tower; Whigs suspect state murder
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Judgment and Decree of Oxford University against seditious
doctrines
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1683–89
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Exile in Holland; lives mainly in Utrecht, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam
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1684
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Expelled in absentia from Studentship of Christ Church
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1685
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Death of Charles II; accession of James II and VII
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Abortive rebellion of the Whig Duke of Monmouth; his execution
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Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes; persecution of Huguenots
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Writes Epistola de Tolerantia (Letter Concerning Toleration)
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1686
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Pierre Bayle, Philosophical Commentary on religious persecution
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1687
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James II issues Declaration of Indulgence (edict of toleration)
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1688
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Reviews Newton’s Principia Mathematica for Bibliothèque
universelle
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Culmination of resistance to James II’s Catholicizing policies
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“Glorious Revolution”: invasion of England by William of Orange
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James II overthrown and flees to France
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1689
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National Convention installs King William and Queen Mary
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Nine Years’ War against Louis XIV opens
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Toleration Act: freedom of worship for Protestant dissenters
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Returns to England; declines an ambassadorship
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Appointed Commissioner of Appeals in Excise
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Publication of A Letter Concerning Toleration
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Publication of Two Treatises of Government
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Publication of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
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1690
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Battle of the Boyne: William defeats Jacobites in Ireland
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Letter Concerning Toleration attacked by Jonas Proast
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Publication of A Second Letter Concerning Toleration
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1691
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Publication of Some Considerations of the . . . Lowering of Interest
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Settles at Oates in Essex in Damaris Masham’s household
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1692
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Publication of A Third Letter for Toleration
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Memorandum on the naturalization of immigrants
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1693
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Publication of Some Thoughts Concerning Education
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1694
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Founding of the Bank of England; invests 500
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Triennial Act, requiring regular parliamentary elections
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1695
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Advises on the ending of press censorship and the recoinage
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Publication of The Reasonableness of Christianity
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The Reasonableness attacked by John Edwards; publishes Vindication
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Publication of Further Considerations Concerning . . . Money
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1696
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Appointed a member of the Board of Trade and Plantations (to 1700)
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The Essay attacked by Bishop Edward Stillingfleet
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John Toland, Christianity not Mysterious
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Pierre Bayle, Historical and Critical Dictionary
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1697
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Treaty of Ryswick: temporary peace with France
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Publication of Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity
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Publication of two replies to Stillingfleet in defense of the Essay
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Composes An Essay on the Poor Law
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Composes report on the government of Virginia
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Composes The Conduct of the Understanding
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Thomas Aikenhead hanged at Edinburgh, Britain’s last heresy execution
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1698
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Molyneux’s Case of Ireland cites Two Treatises in
defense of Ireland
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Algernon Sidney, Discourses Concerning Government (posthumous)
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1701
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Act of Settlement, ensuring Protestant (Hanoverian) succession
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Renewal of war against France
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1702
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Final visit to London
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Composes A Discourse on Miracles
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Death of William III; accession of Queen Anne
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World’s first daily newspaper, in London
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1703
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First major critique of Two Treatises, by Charles Leslie
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1704
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Completes A Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul
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Battle of Blenheim: Duke of Marlborough’s victory over France
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Capture of Gibraltar begins Britain’s Mediterranean naval dominance
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Dies at Oates, 28 October; buried in High Laver churchyard, Essex
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1705–7
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Publication of A Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St.
Paul
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1706
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Publication of the unfinished Fourth Letter for Toleration
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1710
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First French and German editions of A Letter Concerning Toleration
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1714
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First edition of the Works of Locke
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1743
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First American edition of A Letter Concerning Toleration
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1764
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Voltaire’s edition of A Letter Concerning Toleration
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1765
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Thomas Hollis’s edition of the Letters Concerning Toleration
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Resources 