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He was the son of William Bradford and his wife Alice Hanson, and was baptised on March 19, 1590 in Austerfield, Yorkshire. At an early age he was attracted to the primitive congregational church in nearby Scrooby. By 1607 he was a committed member of what was termed a separatist church, since they wanted to separate from the Church of England. When James I began to persecute separatists in 1608 he fled to the Netherlands along with many members of the congregation. They went first to Amsterdam before settling at LeidenLeiden (in English also, but now rarely, Leyden is a city and municipality in South Holland, The Netherlands. It forms one urban area with Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp and Voorschoten. It is located on the Old Rhine, close to the cities of The Hague and Haarlem. He married his first wife Dorothy May ( 1597Events January 24 Battle of Turnhout. Maurice of Nassau defeats a Spanish force under Jean de Rie of Varas in the Netherlands The first opera is considered to have been written. Bali discovered by the Dutch explorer Cornelis Houtman Births Pieter Saenreda – December 7December 7 is the 341st day (342nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 24 days remaining. Events History 1732 The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London. 1787 Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United Stat, 1620Events September 6 English emigrants on the Mayflower depart from Plymouth, England for the future New England and arrive at the end of the year. The Mayflower Compact is signed on November 11. November 8 The Battle of White Mountain Two officers of the B) on December 10December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 21 days remaining in the year. Events 1041 Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V. 1817, 1613Events January Galileo observes Neptune, but mistakes it for a star and so is not credited with its discovery. February 7 An Assembly of the Russian Empire elects Mikhail Romanov to be Tsar of Russia, and establishes the Romanov Dynasty. June 29 Fire dest in Amsterdam. While at Leiden he supported himself as a fustian weaver.
Shifting alignments of the European powers caused the Dutch government fear approaching war with Catholic SpainThe Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It inc and to become allied with James I. Pressure and even attacks on the separatists increased in the Netherlands. Their congregation's leader, John Robinson, supported the emerging idea of starting a colony. Bradford was in the midst of this venture from the beginning. They wanted to remain Englishmen, yet get far enough away from the church and the government to have some chance of living in peace. Arrangements were made, and William with his wife Dorothy sailed for America in 1620Events September 6 English emigrants on the Mayflower depart from Plymouth, England for the future New England and arrive at the end of the year. The Mayflower Compact is signed on November 11. November 8 The Battle of White Mountain Two officers of the B from Leiden, aboard the Mayflower. She died in Cape Cod Bay, near Provincetown.
The first winter in the new colony was a terrible experience. Half the colonists perished, including the colony's leader, John Carver. Bradford was selected as his replacement in the spring of 1621. From this point his story is linked with the history of the Plymouth Colony.
William Bradford's second wife, Alice Carpenter, came to Plymouth on the Anne in July 1623, and married Governor Bradford on August 14, 1623 at Plymouth. They had three children, William, Mercy, and Joseph. Alice also helped to raise John, the son of his first marriage. William Bradford died at Plymouth and was interred at Plymouth Burial Hill.