The man. The myth. The legend.
Historically speaking, his life, legends, and more modern adaptation as Santa Claus have endured, on a global scale, for approximately 1,700 years. In fact, one could probably make a credible argument for St. Nicholas being one of the most influential people in the history of mankind.
There is ample historical evidence to support the claim that St. Nicholas (of Myra) was indeed a real person, and in particular, a 4th century Bishop. Beyond that, however, much is unknown from an historian's point of view. That being said, I've cited a few passages from Wikipedia which provide us with some valuable insights.
"Saint Nicholas (Greek: Ἅγιος Νικόλαος, Hagios Nikólaos, Latin: Sanctus Nicolaus); (15 March 270 – 6 December 343),[3][4] also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek[5] Bishop of Myra..."
"He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the
shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for
Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos".
"The historical Saint Nicholas is commemorated and revered among Anglican,[8] Catholic, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. In addition, some Baptist,[9] Methodist,[10] Presbyterian,[11] and Reformed churches have been named in honor of Saint Nicholas.[12]"
"The legends with the most likely historical basis are the stories of
Nicholas helping three girls and stories of Nicholas helping sailors.
Others, especially the legend of the three murdered children, are much
later additions to Nicholas lore, historian Dr. Adam English concludes[34] in a new biography of Nicholas for Baylor University Press based on a four-year study of current historical research into Nicholas of Myra."
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