John Gauden

Born in 1605, John Gauden was an English clergyman who lived through the upheavals of the Civil War, Commonwealth, and Restoration. He studied at St John's College, Cambridge, became known as a preacher and religious writer, and held a series of church posts before rising to become bishop of Exeter and later bishop of Worcester.

Gauden is most often recalled because he claimed authorship of Eikon Basilike, the immensely influential book published just after the execution of Charles I in 1649. The question of who truly wrote it has been argued over for centuries, and that controversy keeps his name alive far beyond normal church history.

His life also shows how adaptable and politically aware some clergy had to be in a deeply divided age. Alongside sermons and devotional writing, he worked to maintain influence across changing regimes, ending his career as a senior bishop before his death in 1662.