Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634)
1552 Born Feb 1st 1552 at Mileham, Norfolk.

Educated at Norwich Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
1578-94 Called to the bar in 1578, Coke became member of Parliament for Aldeburgh in 1589, and solicitor general and recorder of London in 1592. He was elected speaker of the House of Commons in 1593, and then beat Francis Bacon to the post of Attorney General in 1594.
1600-05 As Attorney General he conducted several trials of treason, prosecuting the earls of Essex and Southampton (1600-01), Sir Walter Raleigh in 1603 and the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
1606 Coke was made chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He was a champion of Common Law and held the belief that it was the supreme law and far more powerful than the King...which upset James I !
1610 He upset King James I again when he stated that 'the King cannot change any part of the common law nor create any offence by proclamation which was not an offence before'
1613-15 Cunning plan by James I - appoint Coke to be chief justice of the Court of King's Bench, and he would be bound to look after the King's interests...but he continued to maintain the supremacy of the common law...and continued to upset the King!
1616 The Privy Council, supported by Bacon, brought several charges against Coke and on Nov 14th 1616 he was dismissed. In order to regain influence, he offered his daughter in marriage to Sir John Villiers, the brother of the Duke of Buckingham. His wife, supported by Bacon, hid the 14-year-old girl, but Coke abducted her and had her forcibly married to Villiers.
1617 By 1617 Coke was back in the Privy Council and in the Star Chamber.
1620 He re-entered Parliament, opposed Prince Charles' proposed marriage to a Spanish princess and took part in drawing up bribery charges against Bacon.
1621 Coke continued to speak energetically for the liberties of parliament and this resulted in 9 months in prison...no charges could be made to stick!
1628 Instigator of the Petition of Right presented to champion the rights of man and limit the powers of the King. He retired at the end of that parliamentary session.
1634 Died Sept 3rd 1634 at Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire...all his papers were instantly seized including his will.