Editing William Penn (section)

== Early Life and Conversion ==

William Penn was born in London on October 14, 1644, to Admiral Sir William Penn and Margaret Jasper Penn. His father was a distinguished naval officer who served both the Commonwealth and the restored monarchy, accumulating wealth and royal favor through his military service. The younger Penn received a privileged education, attending Chigwell Grammar School and later enrolling at Christ Church, Oxford. At Oxford, Penn first encountered Quaker teachings and began questioning the religious establishment, for which he was expelled from the university in 1662. His father, dismayed by his son's religious inclinations, sent him to France to acquire more worldly polish, but Penn's spiritual convictions only deepened.<ref name="dunn">{{cite book |last=Dunn |first=Mary Maples |last2=Dunn |first2=Richard S. |title=The World of William Penn |year=1986 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

Penn formally joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1667, a decision that would shape the rest of his life. Quakerism was a radical Protestant movement that rejected formal clergy, liturgy, and the established church hierarchy. Quakers believed in the "Inner Light"—the direct presence of God within every person—and practiced equality, simplicity, and pacifism. In 17th-century England, these beliefs brought persecution: Quakers were fined, imprisoned, and sometimes killed for refusing to conform to the Church of England. Penn himself was imprisoned multiple times for his religious activities, including a stint in the Tower of London. During one imprisonment, he wrote ''No Cross, No Crown'', a classic of Quaker spiritual literature that argued for religious tolerance and the acceptance of suffering for one's beliefs.<ref name="bronner">{{cite book |last=Bronner |first=Edwin B. |title=William Penn's "Holy Experiment": The Founding of Pennsylvania, 1681-1701 |year=1962 |publisher=Temple University Publications |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>