Biography of Locke

John Locke was born in 1632, the son of a Puritan lawyer.  He grew up in a rural town near Bristol, England.  At the age of 15 he started school in London.  Reportedly he was more interested in the works of modern writers like Descartes than the more classical writers.  In time he studied medicine and 'natural philosophy' (what we think of as science, especially biology).  He became a member of the Royal Society, a group of the foremost scientific English thinkers of the day.
In 1666 he met Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper (Earl of Shrewsbury) and soon became his personal physician.  Locke helped treat his liver condition and probably saved his life.  During this time period Locke also served on various boards of trade, where no doubt he was given front row lessons in economics.  He also became exposed to more and more of the politics of the day and at the prompting of Shrewsbury, began writing his thoughts.  Locke fled to the Netherlands in 1683, in fear that we tied into a plot to assassinate King Charles II.  He stayed there for five years, returning when William of Orange took over the English throne.
Quoting from Wikipedia:

Events that happened during Locke's lifetime include the English Restoration, the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London. He did not quite see the Act of Union of 1707, though the thrones of England and Scotland were held in personal union throughout his lifetime. Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy were in their infancy during Locke's time.

17th century England was a time of great changes.  There were serious questions about the legitimacy of monarchy and the rights of normal men.  Locke tackled those questions and became an enormous influence on the next generation.  If you're interested in that time period, I highly recommend Neal Stephenson's 'Baroque Cycle', especially the first book 'Quicksilver'.  A great deal of this novel takes place within the Royal Society.