Flémalle, Master of See CAMPIN, ROBERT
Fletcher, Giles, the Elder (1546–1611) English lawyer,
diplomat, and writer
Born in Watford and educated at Eton and Cambridge,
Fletcher gained his doctorate in law in 1581. From 1587
to 1605 he was remembrancer of the City of London. A
diplomatic mission to Scotland (1586) was followed by
one to Germany and then to Russia (1588), where he se-
cured important concessions for English merchants, de-
spite a hostile reception from the tsar. His frank account
of The Russe Commonwealth (1591) was suppressed on
publication on account of the English traders’ fears that it
would antagonize the Russians. He also wrote a cycle of
sonnets entitled Licia (1593) and a quantity of Latin verse.
His sons Giles the Younger and Phineas were also poets.
Fletcher, Giles, the Younger (c. 1585–1623) English
poet
The younger son of Giles FLETCHER THE ELDER, he was
born in London, went to Cambridge in 1603, and became
reader in Greek grammar there in 1615. About 1618 he
left Cambridge and in 1619 became rector of Alderton,
Suffolk, where he spent the rest of his life. His chief work,
the long devotional poem Christ’s Victorie and Triumph
(1610), acknowledges a debt to both DU BARTAS and
SPENSER.
Fletcher, John (1579–1625) English dramatist
Born at Rye in Sussex, the son of a clergyman, Fletcher is
remembered for his collaboration with Francis BEAUMONT;
however, it is now thought that many of the plays attrib-
uted to this team were in fact the work of Fletcher alone
or in conjunction with other collaborators. His earliest
known independent play is the pastoral The Faithful Shep-
herdess (1608/09); before then little is known of his life.
Fletcher also probably collaborated with SHAKESPEAREon
The Two Noble Kinsmen and with Philip Massinger,
William Rowley, and Thomas Middleton. One of his solo
plays, The Island Princess (1621), written at the time that
he was the main playwright for the King’s Men, is the first
English play set in the East Indies and addresses contem-
porary issues such as interracial relationships and the
clash of religions that were being raised by the EAST INDIA
COMPANY’s oriental ventures. He is reported to have died of
the plague.
Fletcher, Phineas (1582–1650) English clergyman and
poet
He was born at Cranbrook, Kent, the elder son of Giles
FLETCHER THE ELDER, and was educated at Eton and Cam-
bridge. While a fellow at King’s College, Cambridge
(1611–16), he wrote (1614) the pastoral play Sicelides
(1631). He became chaplain to Sir Henry Willoughby, who
in 1621 presented him to the living of Hilgay in Norfolk,
where he remained for the rest of his life. The contents of
his volume of verse The Purple Island...with Piscatorie
Eclogs (1633) were written in his youth. The title poem,
an allegory of the human body, is strongly influenced by
SPENSER, and the “Piscatorie Eclogs” trace their origin to
SANNAZARO(see also PASTORAL).Florence A city state situated on the River Arno in Tus-
cany, central Italy. Florence was founded as the Roman
military colony of Florentia. During the late Middle Ages
it developed from a small city of moneylenders and cloth
manufacturers to become a major Italian power and a
dominating European influence during the period of the
Renaissance. Its vernacular was the basis of the modern
Italian language; in political and social development it
gave Europe the model of an ideal prince and the first ex-
ample of a genuine bourgeoisie. The BARDI, MEDICI, and
other banking and commercial houses extended their
power and influence throughout Europe. In learning and
the arts Florence led the Renaissance.
During the earlier years of the Renaissance Florence’s
achievements were made in the face of political turmoil.
Throughout the 14th century it was a battleground for the
conflict of GUELFS AND GHIBELLINES, and it was constantly
threatened by Milanese expansionism. Its merchant oli-
garchy was riven by feuds and threatened by the poorer
citizens, notably in the revolt of the CIOMPI(1378). By
1434 the Medici family had established their power in the
city; the rich merchant families were generally prepared to
accept Medici rule, which preserved the republican forms
of government, gave them stability, and extended Flo-
rence’s power over Tuscany, but the city did free itself
briefly from the Medici for two periods during the Wars of
ITALY(1494–1512; 1527–30).
Renaissance Florence was the center for such archi-
tects, painters, and sculptors as ALBERTI, BRUNELLESCHI
(who designed the cathedral dome), CELLINI, DONATELLO,
GHIBERTI, LEONARDO DA VINCI, MASACCIO, MICHELANGELO,
UCCELLO, and VASARI. The city was also in the forefront of
musical innovation in the late 16th century. The Floren-
tine Camerata, a small academy of musicians (both ama-
teur and professional) and intellectuals, met at the house
of Count Giovanni BARDIin the 1570s and 1580s, and the
patronage of Bardi and the Medici dukes played an impor-
tant role in the flowering of the city’s musical tradition.
Alessandro STRIGGIOwas one of the musical stars of the
Medici court in the 1560s. At the very end of the century
their protégés the composers Jacopo PERIand Giulio CAC-
CINIwrote the earliest operas. In letters and scholarship
Florence was the center of Platonic studies under FICINO,
and the home of BOCCACCIO, DANTE, GALILEO, MACHI-
AVELLI, and PETRARCH. It was also the birthplace of the
navigator Amerigo VESPUCCI.
A large and a prosperous city with close on 100,000
inhabitants in the late 15th century, Florence is famous for118822 FFllee ́ ́ mmaallllee,, MMaasstteerr ooff