John Ayloffe
John Ayloffe (c. 1645 – 30 October 1685) was an English lawyer, political activist, and satirist, described as "one of the most consistently committed radicals of the century". According to his contemporary and political opponent Sir Roger L'Estrange, there were few 'more daring men for a desperate exploit'.
John Ayloffe | |
|---|---|
"Col. Aylof Desperately Wounded": Ayloffe attempts suicide after his capture during Argyll's Rising, from a contemporary commemorative card | |
| Born | c. 1645 Foxley, Wiltshire |
| Died | 30 October 1685 Fleet Street, London |
| Occupation | Writer, lawyer, secret agent, conspirator, insurgent |
| Genre | Satire |
| Notable works | Marvell's Ghost |
Throughout his career, he was a hardline opponent of the Stuart monarchy, producing a stream of satire and propaganda. His writings were characterised by their bitterly anti-French, anti-Irish, anti-Catholic tone, while the Stuarts were constantly compared to tyrants seeking to destroy English liberties.
In addition to his writings, he served William of Orange as an intelligence agent, and was a trusted supporter of Lord Shaftesbury during the 1679 to 1680 Exclusion Crisis. In 1683, he was forced into exile in the Dutch Republic due to his involvement in the 1683 Rye House Plot, an alleged attempt to assassinate Charles II and his Catholic brother James.
When James became king in 1685, he joined Argyll's Rising, a Scottish attempt to overthrow him; he was captured and executed in London on 30 October 1685.