Roger Williams
Sign in to saveAlso known as Rev. Roger Williams, Founder of Rhode Island, Rodzher Uilʹi︠a︡ms, Rogerius Williams
English Baptist theologian and author (1603–1683)
Key facts
- Preceded by
- Nicholas Easton
- Succeeded by
- Benedict Arnold
- Born
- c. 1603 , London , England
- Died
- between 21 January and 15 March 1683 (aged 79), Providence Plantations
- Spouse
- Mary Bernard
- Education
- Pembroke College, Cambridge
- Occupation
- minister, statesman, author
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Roger
- Family name
- Williams
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Colony of Rhode Island and Plantations
- Place of birth
- London
- Place of death
- Providence
- Occupation
- official
- Position held
- captain
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Native language
- English language
- Religion
- Reformed Baptists
- Image
- Religious denominations of the world - comprising a general view of the origin, history, and condition of the various sects of Christians, the Jews, and Mahometans, as well as the pagan forms of (14598189978).jpg
- Work location
- Cambridge
Show 9 more facts
- Commons category
- Roger Williams
- date of death
- 1683-00-00
- date of birth
- 1599-00-00
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- writing language
- English language
- P12749
- Ernst Baier
- ethnic group
- white people
- sexual orientation
- heterosexuality
- name in native language
- Roger Williams
Sources (10)
via Wikidata · CC0
~35 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Roger Williams (c. 1603 – March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and later the State of Rhode Island. He was a staunch advocate for religious liberty, separation of church and state, and fair dealings with the Native Americans.
Initially a Puritan minister, his beliefs evolved and he questioned the authority of the Puritan church in enforcing religious conformity. He was expelled by the Puritan leaders from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and he established Providence Plantations in 1636 as a refuge offering what he termed "liberty of conscience" making Rhode Island the first government in the Western world to guarantee religious freedom in its founding charter. His ideas on religious tolerance and civil government directly influenced the principles later enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He briefly became a Baptist, and in 1638 he founded the First Baptist Church in America in Providence. He then moved beyond organized religion, becoming a "seeker" who did not identify with any specific church. Williams studied the language of the New England Native Americans and published the first book-length study of it in English.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Roger Williams” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.