Nell Gwyn (d. 1687)

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Biography

Eleanor Gwyn was an English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage, she became best known for being a longtime mistress of King Charles II of England.

Timeline

The story of Nell Gwyn, told in moments.

1665 Life

Took the stage at 14 or 15. Samuel Pepys called her "pretty, witty Nell." She played comic roles opposite Charles Hart, who also became her lover.

Was taking the stage at 14 natural for someone who grew up in a theater? Did Pepys calling you 'pretty, witty Nell' flatter you? Was Charles Hart the first important man in your life?

1668 Event

Caught the eye of King Charles II. By 1670 she was his mistress. She bore him two sons: Charles Beauclerk in 1670 and James Beauclerk in 1671.

Did catching the King's eye change everything? Were your two sons with Charles a gift or a complication? Was being a royal mistress power or vulnerability?

1680 Life

Never received a title. Legend says she dangled one son out a window and threatened to drop him unless the King gave the boy a surname. Charles relented with "Beauclerk."

Did you really dangle your son out a window for a surname? Was never receiving a title a slight you felt? What did the Beauclerk name mean to you?

1687 Death

Died at 37, likely of a stroke. Charles II had begged on his deathbed two years earlier: "Let not poor Nelly starve."

Did Charles begging 'let not poor Nelly starve' on his deathbed move you? Was 37 long enough for the life you lived? What would you want history to remember?

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