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Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, PC (25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer; his books on British history have been hailed as literary masterpieces.〔John MacKenzie, "A family empire," ''BBC History Magazine'' (Jan 2013)〕 Macaulay held political office as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1848. He played a major role in introducing English and western concepts to education in India. He supported the replacement of Persian by English as the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction in all schools, and the training of English-speaking Indians as teachers.〔 In his view, Macaulay divided the world into civilised nations and barbarism, with Britain representing the high point of civilisation. In his Minute on Indian Education of February 1835, he asserted, "It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that all the historical information which has been collected from all the books written in the Sanskrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the most paltry abridgement used at preparatory schools in England". He was wedded to the Idea of Progress, especially in terms of the liberal freedoms. He opposed radicalism while idealising historic British culture and traditions.〔 ==Early life== Macaulay was the eldest child of Zachary Macaulay, a Scottish Highlander, who became a colonial governor and abolitionist, and Selina Mills of Bristol, a former pupil of Hannah More.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.josephsmithacademy.org/wiki/thomas-babington-macaulay/ )〕 Thomas Macaulay was born in Leicestershire, England, where he was noted as a child prodigy. As a toddler, gazing out of the window from his cot at the chimneys of a local factory, he is reputed to have asked his father whether the smoke came from the fires of hell.〔Sullivan, Robert E , ''Macaulay: The Tragedy of Power'', Harvard University Press, 2010, p. 21.〕 He was educated at a private school in Hertfordshire and at Trinity College, Cambridge. Whilst at Cambridge he wrote much poetry and won several prizes, including the Chancellor's Gold Medal in June 1821.〔 In 1825 he published a prominent essay on Milton in the ''Edinburgh Review''. He studied law and in 1826 he was called to the bar but showed more interest in a political than a legal career.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Thomas Babington Macaulay )〕 Macaulay, who never married and had no children, was once rumoured〔Macaulay, Margaret: ''Recollections'' (see entry for 22 November 1831)〕 to have fallen for Maria Kinnaird, the wealthy ward of "Conversation" Sharp (who was a hat-maker, banker, merchant, poet, critic and British politician). But in fact, Macaulay's strongest emotional ties were to his youngest sisters, Margaret who died while he was in India, and Hannah. As Hannah grew older, he formed the same close attachment to Hannah's daughter Margaret, whom he called "Baba". Macaulay retained a passionate interest in classical literature throughout his life, and prided himself on his knowledge of Ancient Greek literature. While in India, he read every ancient Greek and Roman work that was available to him. In his letters, he describes reading the ''Aeneid'' whilst on vacation in Malvern in 1851, and being moved to tears by the beauty of Virgil's poetry. He also taught himself German, Dutch, and Spanish, and remained fluent in French. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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