1666

Event dated 1 September 1666

Prophecy of the Great Fire of London

Poet involved

What happened

For years before the Great Fire of London, various prophets and astrologers, including Nostradamus, had predicted a great fire that would destroy the city. When the fire broke out in London in September 1666, these prophecies were widely recalled and interpreted as divine judgment. The fire reshaped London's architecture and had profound religious and political consequences, being seen by many as punishment for the city's sins.

Literary impact

The Great Fire of London inspired a flood of prophetic and apocalyptic literature, including poems and pamphlets that interpreted the event as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Writers like John Dryden and later Daniel Defoe referenced the fire and its portents, embedding it in the English literary imagination as a symbol of divine wrath and national renewal.

Source: Wikipedia

Poets alive in 1666

37 poets

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