Edward Winslow

Portrait of Edward Winslow (1651)

Edward Winslow (born October 18, 1595 in Droitwich Spa , Worcestershire , England , † May 8, 1655 near Jamaica ) was one of the passengers on the Mayflower who founded the Plymouth Colony in what is now the US state of Massachusetts in 1620 . There he worked in the administration of the colony and was its governor three times.

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As the son of the salt merchant Edward Winslow Sr. he received a good education for the circumstances. He later completed an apprenticeship in the printing trade. He joined a religious group known as the Separatists , a particularly radical sect within the Puritans . Since the Puritans were persecuted in England, he had to leave the country in 1617. He settled in Leiden in Holland , where he married Elizabeth Barker in 1618. In his exile home he was, in addition to leading activities within the Puritanergemeinde, including participating in the printing of pamphlets and other writings that are critical of the Church of England and the then King James I. apart translated. As a result of these activities, he and his like-minded people were persecuted by English agents. Finally, in 1620, he was given the opportunity to leave Europe on the Mayflower . He was one of 102 passengers on the ship who became known as the Pilgrim Fathers . These belonged to the same religious community as Winslow.

The Pilgrim Fathers founded the Plymouth Colony, which initially could only survive with great difficulty. Winslow's first wife also fell victim to the privations and illnesses in 1620. Soon afterwards he married Susanna White, who also belonged to the group of brothers in faith from Leiden. The wedding was the first in the new colony. The marriage produced five children, including the son Josiah , who was also to become governor of the colony between 1673 and 1679. In the following years Edward Winslow took on an increasingly important role in the leadership of the colony. He sought contact and friendship with the natives and for this purpose met with Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe. Negotiations made it possible to enlarge the area of ​​the colony. Winslow also went on expeditions in the area and along the Connecticut River . In addition, he was diplomatically active and represented the interests of the colony and at times also those of the Massachusetts Bay Colony vis-à-vis motherland England. In the years 1633–34, 1636–37 and 1644–45 he held the post of colonial governor of the Plymouth Colony. In 1643 he also served on a military committee for the United Colonies of New England dealing with mounting tensions with the natives. After the outbreak of the English Civil War , Winslow returned to England for an extended period in 1646, where he supported Oliver Cromwell . An originally planned return to the Plymouth Colony did not take place. For some time he lived in Clapham, Surrey, in the neighborhood of Puritan traders. They support Winslow's plan to recruit missionaries for the conversion of the American Indians. From 1654 to 1655 Winslow was involved in a successful naval mission of the English fleet against the Spanish in the Caribbean. He was not to return from this mission. He fell ill with a fever and died on May 8, 1655 near Jamaica.

Web links

Commons : Edward Winslow  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Winslow in the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Winslow at the Pilgrim Hall Museum
• Windslow in the online portal Your Dictionary

• Edward Winslow in the database of Find a Grave (English)