In what year was William Shakespeare born?

William Shakespeare was born in 1564. The exact day is not recorded, but parish records show that he was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564, so historians place his birth shortly beforehand.

April 23 is traditionally celebrated as Shakespeare’s birthday, partly because it is Saint George’s Day and because Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. However, that specific birth date is a later convention rather than a documented fact. The year itself is firmly established by the baptismal record.

Shakespeare was the eldest surviving son of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker and local official, and Mary Arden. He later became an actor, playwright, poet, and shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, whose company was renamed the King’s Men under James I.