Sir Edward Coke ( ("cook"), formerly ; 1 February 1552 – 3 September 1634) was an English
barrister, judge and, later, opposition politician, who is considered to be the greatest jurist of the
Elizabethan and
Jacobean eras. Born into a middle-class family, Coke was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge, before leaving to study at the
Inner Temple, where he was
called to the Bar on 20 April 1578. As a barrister he took part in several notable cases, including
Slade's Case, before earning enough political favour to be elected to Parliament, where he served first as
Solicitor General and then as
Speaker of the House of Commons. Following a promotion to
Attorney General he led the prosecution in several notable cases, including those against
Robert Devereux,
Sir Walter Raleigh, and the
Gunpowder Plot conspirators. As a reward for his services he was first knighted and then made
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.