This episode details the life of Samuel Pepys, a prominent seventeenth-century Englishman recognized for his dual legacy as a naval administrator and a prolific chronicler. While he reached high-ranking political positions, including Secretary of the Admiralty and President of the Royal Society, he is most famous for his private diary maintained between 1660 and 1669. This document provides an essential first-hand perspective on monumental historical events like the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague, while also offering candid insights into his personal habits and moral failings. The text outlines his early education, his administrative reforms that helped professionalize the Royal Navy, and his extensive collection of books now housed at Magdalene College. Ultimately, the sources illustrate how his detailed shorthand records transformed a career bureaucrat into one of history’s most celebrated and studied biographical figures.
