Lord Baltimore (also known as Cecil Calvert, the Second Lord Baltimore) established the colony of Maryland in colonial America. His father, George Calvert, the First Lord Baltimore, was secretary of state under King James I and later served under Charles I. He had become Catholic and had purchased land in Newfoundland (now part of Canada). James I had given him permission to establish a colony there called the Province of Avalon. He also wanted to establish a colony in the Chesapeake, but he died before he was able to do so.

Cecil Calvert, the Second Lord Baltimore, established Maryland by royal charter. He realized his father's dreams of making Maryland a place of religious tolerance. The 1649 Toleration Act granted religious freedoms to different types of Christians. It was the first law in colonial America to grant religious freedom. Lord Baltimore governed the colony for many years, and it became a haven for Catholics in colonial America.

Who was Lord Baltimore?

There were two Lords Baltimore. The first was George Calvert, who served as Secretary of State to King James I of England. Upon resigning his position, he was rewarded with the title of Baron, or Lord Baltimore. Baltimore, a devout Roman Catholic, became interested in the American colonies, quickly realizing their potential as a haven for those fleeing religious persecution. At that time, Catholics in England were subjected to a wide range of legal disabilities, and Baltimore had had to keep his family's faith under wraps in order to avoid persecution by the fiercely Protestant state.

Initially, Baltimore was awarded a plot of land in what is now Newfoundland in Canada. But it was in the territory of Northern Virginia, where he really made his mark on history. For it was here that Baltimore received a Royal Charter from King Charles I, James I's son and heir, to establish a colony. In due course, this territory would form part of the state of Maryland, named after Charles I's French queen, Henrietta Maria.

Upon the first Lord's death, the title passed on to his son, Cecil Calvert. He inherited his father's land settlement, and under his stewardship Maryland became, as the first Lord had always intended, a haven of religious tolerance. The second Lord Baltimore oversaw the passing of the Maryland Toleration Act of 1649, which mandated tolerance for all Christians who believed in the Trinity. Though falling far short of what would now be considered religious tolerance, this measure was nonetheless radical for its time and further burnished the reputation of the New World as a place where people could practice their faith in peace, free from state persecution.