Andrew Marvell 1621-1678

Andrew Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness in the English county of Yorkshire in 1621. His father was a reverent and lecturer at Holy Trinity Church. Marvell was educated at Hull Grammar School and went to Trinity College Cambridge after that. He entered Cambridge University when he was only 12 years old. During his time in college, he ran off to London where he converted to Roman Catholicism. His father didn’t agree and made him come back to Cambridge. Marvell stayed in Cambridge until his father died in 1641. During his time at Cambridge he started writing. His first published verses were written on the occasion of the birth of the daughter of King Charles I in 1637.

Marvell lived in a very turbulent time. In 1642 a civil war broke out because several groups of people protested against the absolute reign of Charles I, who had come to the throne in 1625. During the civil wars, Marvell travelled through Italy, Spain, France and Holland. He wrote a satirical poem called The Character of Holland. If you read the first line, it seems that Marvell was not so impressed with what he had seen of Holland: "Holland, that scarce deserves the name of Land"¹.

In 1649 King Charles I was executed and Oliver Cromwell, the military commander, became Lord Protector of the English Commonwealth. Marvell had always been on the side of the monarchy, but later he became a supporter of Cromwell. Marvell wrote about the execution of Charles I in An Horatian Ode. In 1650 Marvell became the tutor of Mary Fairfax, a twelve-year-old girl and daughter of a parliamentary general, and he led a quiet life in Nun Appleton House. This is where he probably wrote most of his love poetry and a poem about the house itself: Upon Appleton House.

Around 1653 Marvell became friends with John Milton. Marvell became assistant Latin secretary of the Council of State in 1657. In 1659 he was elected a Member of Parliament for Hull, his hometown, a post he held until his death in 1678. In 1660, the monarchy was restored (the Restoration) after the death of Oliver Cromwell and Charles II became the new king.