The Crimean War broke out in October of 1853. Life and Work During the War Nursing in the Crimean war Her father had provided her with a £500 annual allowance (approximately £40,000/US$65,000 in today's money), which enabled her to live comfortably and continue her work. She also got four months of medical training at the institute, which served as the foundation for her subsequent care.įlorence became superintendent of the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Upper Harley Street, London, on August 22, 1853, a position she held until October 1854. Her findings were published anonymously in 1851, and she viewed the experience as a watershed moment in her life. She witnessed Pastor Theodor Fliedner and the deaconesses caring for the sick and poor. Later that year, she paid a visit to the Lutheran religious community of Kaiserswerth-am-Rhein in Germany. She wrote in her diary near Cairo a week later (as opposed to her much longer letters that her elder sister Parthenope was to print after her return). This was to ensure her social standing.ĭuring the Victorian Era, English women had essentially no property rights, rather than taking up jobs that the higher social classes regarded as lowly menial labor. A young lady of Nightingale's social position was expected to marry a man of riches.

Her parents were unhappy when she told them about her plans to become a nurse and banned her from pursuing the necessary training. Nightingale eventually realized that nursing was her calling, and she considered it to be her divine destiny. They generated a strong desire to devote her life to the service of others. In February 1837, while visiting Embley Park, Nightingale had the first of several experiences that she believed were divine invitations. Nightingale was a philanthropist from an early age, caring for the sick and impoverished in the village adjacent to her family's land. Clarke demonstrated that women could be equal to men, something Florence's mother had not taught her. While her beliefs didn't necessarily align with her guests, she 'couldn't bore anyone,' according to Florence Nightingale.ĭespite their 27-year age difference, Clarkey and Florence remained close friends for 40 years. 'Clarkey' was a lively hostess who didn't care about her appearance. Florence Nightingale Early Influencesįlorence Nightingale got introduced to the English-born Parisian hostess Mary Clarke, whom she connected with during a family trip to Europe in 1838. On tour to Europe in 1838, Nightingale met a significant figure who profoundly impacted her life. The more scholarly of the two sisters, Florence showed an outstanding talent for collecting and assessing material from an early age, which she would use to great success later in life.' Classical education strives to revive a traditional and historic 'liberal' education by reinstating a thorough study of the liberal arts, natural sciences, and 'great books.' The modern term for Florence Nightingale education is classical education. History, mathematics, Italian, ancient literature, and philosophy were among the subjects they studied.

'Florence benefited from their father's progressive ideas on women's education,' according to a BBC documentary. Florence Nightingale Family Tree Educationįlorence's liberal-humanitarian outlook was instilled in her by both sides of her family. William acquired his estate at Lea Hurst from him and took on the name and arms of Nightingale.īeing born into a wealthy household had several advantages, such as a decent education for Nightingale. Mary née Evans, William's mother, was a niece of Peter Nightingale. Nightingale's father was a wealthy landowner with two estates: one in Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, and the other in Embly, Hampshire.

William Edward Shore was Nightingale's father (who had changed his surname from 'Shore'), and Frances ('Fanny') Nightingale, née Smith, her mother. William Smith, an abolitionist and Unitarian, was Fanny's father (and Florence's maternal grandfather). Florence's older sister, Frances Parthenope, was named after her birthplace, Parthenope, a Greek colony now part of Naples.įlorence Nightingale's family resided in Embley, Hampshire, and Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, after returning to England in 1821. Nightingale was the younger of two girls from a wealthy British family who belonged to upper-class social circles. Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820, the city that inspired her name.

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