Delivering the universal reformation: Letters, networks, and intellectual exchange in the Hartlib Circle, 1658-1662

Hannah’s project, “Delivering the Universal Reformation: Letters, Networks, and Intellectual Exchange in the Hartlib Circle, 1658–1662,” examines the final years of the Hartlib Circle, one of the seventeenth century’s largest intellectual networks. Historians have explained the group’s decline by pointing to political change, the increasing specialization of science and medicine, and changing religious ideas. Hannah’s project argues that they have overlooked another factor: the declining health of the group’s founder, Samuel Hartlib.

Between 1658 and his death in 1662, Hartlib became increasingly disabled by chronic bladder stones. Hannah’s research shows how his illness affected both his daily life and his ability to lead the Hartlib Circle. She examines his illness, the medical treatments and prayers his friends offered in hopes of helping him recover, the impact of his worsening health on the group’s work, and the personal relationships that held the community together even as it began to fall apart.