Raphael Holinshed

Little is known for certain about his life, which makes him a somewhat shadowy figure even in literary history. Reliable sources agree that he was an English chronicler, probably born around 1525, and that he died before April 24, 1582.

He is remembered above all for Holinshed's Chronicles, a large collaborative history of England, Scotland, and Ireland first published in 1577. The work became widely read in Elizabethan England and was valued not just as history, but as a rich store of dramatic stories, political conflicts, and memorable characters.

His lasting fame comes from influence as much as authorship. Later writers, especially Shakespeare, drew heavily on the Chronicles for plays including the English histories and tragedies such as Macbeth, helping ensure that Holinshed's work would remain important long after his own life had faded from view.