Statesman, Author. The son of Sir Fulke Greville, 4th Baron Willoughby de Broke, he was born in Warwickshire, England, and educated at Shrewsbury School and Cambridge University. He was a close friend of Sir Philip Sidney. Greville was a favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1597 and made him a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. After serving four terms in Parliament, he was Treasurer of the Navy from 1598 to 1604 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1614 to 1621. He was elevated to the peerage upon the death of his father in 1606 and created 1st Baron Brooke in 1621. Greville was fatally stabbed in his London apartment by a disgruntled servant, who then committed suicide. His fame rests largely on his literary works, most of which were published posthumously. The best known is his biography "The Life of the Renowned Sir Philip Sidney" (1652), with its valuable insights into Elizabethan life and manners. "Certain Learned and Elegant Works" (1633) contains the sonnet sequence "Caelica" and the plays "Alaham" and "Mustapha". Greville was preoccupied with what he saw as England's decline following the death of Elizabeth, and he wrote in a solemn, straightforward style. He was also a notable owner of the Medieval-era Warwick Castle in Warwickshire. King James I bestowed the castle to him as a ruin in 1604, and he restored it to its original splendor. Today it is a popular tourist attraction. Local legend maintains that Greville's ghost haunts one of the castle towers.
Statesman, Author. The son of Sir Fulke Greville, 4th Baron Willoughby de Broke, he was born in Warwickshire, England, and educated at Shrewsbury School and Cambridge University. He was a close friend of Sir Philip Sidney. Greville was a favorite courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1597 and made him a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. After serving four terms in Parliament, he was Treasurer of the Navy from 1598 to 1604 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1614 to 1621. He was elevated to the peerage upon the death of his father in 1606 and created 1st Baron Brooke in 1621. Greville was fatally stabbed in his London apartment by a disgruntled servant, who then committed suicide. His fame rests largely on his literary works, most of which were published posthumously. The best known is his biography "The Life of the Renowned Sir Philip Sidney" (1652), with its valuable insights into Elizabethan life and manners. "Certain Learned and Elegant Works" (1633) contains the sonnet sequence "Caelica" and the plays "Alaham" and "Mustapha". Greville was preoccupied with what he saw as England's decline following the death of Elizabeth, and he wrote in a solemn, straightforward style. He was also a notable owner of the Medieval-era Warwick Castle in Warwickshire. King James I bestowed the castle to him as a ruin in 1604, and he restored it to its original splendor. Today it is a popular tourist attraction. Local legend maintains that Greville's ghost haunts one of the castle towers.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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