Sixteenth Century Lyric Poetry

Courtiers, who produced much of the lyric poetry during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I, did not primarily care about literature

-expected to be polished in manners and artistic accomplishments
-writing was not their primary activity

diplomats, government officials, and soldiers

also members of a royal court

meant that their political relationships were personal ones

poetry they produced was designed to serve their political and social purposes

originally intended for a small group of people who knew each other well

Courtier poets not interested...

-in publication
-did not make a living from their work

poetry of these men (though a few women courtiers, including Queen Elizabeth, also wrote)

both personal and political

mix of personal and political was certainly the case for the two men who introduced the sonnet form to England

Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder (1503−1542)

may have been introduced to this form of Italian poetry during his service as ambassador to the King of Spain under Henry VIII

Henry VIII's courtiers had a difficult time with him; he was an absolute ruler and had an unbalanced personality

Someone described the formal interactions between the king and his court as "teatime with Stalin."

like many of Henry VIII's courtiers, he was imprisoned

first in 1536 over a quarrel with the Duke of Suffolk (a more powerful nobleman)

again in 1541 on suspicion of treason

thought to have had a love affair with Anne Boleyn, then Queen of England

poem "Whoso list to hunt" may refer to this affair

pardoned and released from both imprisonments

died while abroad on a diplomatic mission for the king

poetry was widely distributed in the royal court

few poems were published during his lifetime, but more were published after his death, in Tottel's Miscellany (1557).

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517−1547)

also called Surrey was a member of one of the older noble families of England

educated by humanist teachers and studied classical and modern languages

close to one of Henry VIII's illegitimate sons and had a reputation for being arrogant and quarrelsome

In 1537, he was imprisoned at Windsor Castle on suspicion of being part of the Pilgrimage of Grace, one of the early rebellions against Henry's religious reforms.

In 1542, he was imprisoned again at Fleet Prison

released in 1544 to perform military service in France, where he was wounded at the siege of Montreuil

Suspected of further treason, he was imprisoned at the Tower of London in 1546 with his father

executed in 1547, shortly before Henry's death

During the 16th century, his poetry was more highly thought of than Wyatt's

today his reputation is not as high as that of Wyatt

Upcoming...

• Sir Philip Sidney: "Astrophil and Stella," 1, 31, 39, Volume B; Edmund Spenser: "Amoretti," 1, 34, 54, 68, 75;
• CPA Topic 4 Part 2-Sidney and Spenser's Sonnets