15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
====English rebel====
Research in recent years has yielded another potential candidate for the model of Robinson Crusoe. One possible model for the most famous castaway in the history of literature was the rebel and surgeon Henry Pitman. He was the personal physician of the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II. The Duke launched a rebellion against the pro-Catholic James II and in order to claim the Throne of England. Pitman took part in the rebellion but after Monmouth’s defeat at Sedgemoor, he was captured and transported to a penal colony in the Caribbean. Pitman was able to escape from the colony, but during his escape, he was shipwrecked. For a period of time he was stranded on a desert island .<ref>Severin, Tim In search of Robinson Crusoe (New York: Basic Books, 2002), p. 101</ref>.
However, he was fortunate to be rescued and eventually after the Revolution of 1688 and the deposition of James II, he was able to return to London, and was pardoned. Pitman published a book on his adventures and this was quite popular. It is believed that Defoe may have lived in the same area as him and may even have met the former castaway.<ref> Severin, p 78</ref>
