In the grand tapestry of English Renaissance poetry, few figures occupy such a fascinating yet underexplored position as Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden. Born into privilege and immersed in the turbulent court life of Henry VIII, Vaux emerged as one of the early Tudor poets whose work would bridge the medieval and modern worlds of English verse. His life, spanning the transformative years from 1509 to 1556,…
“I humbly require you to be good unto me. I have as I perceive a great many more foes than friends, and am like, your goodness reserved, to be trodden under the feet and to be made a slave.”
Neighbourhood:
Death & Mortality, Elizabethan Poets, Love Poets, Medieval Poets, Renaissance Poets
Emotional landscape: Despair, Sorrow, Longing
William Dunbar stands as one of the brightest stars in the golden firmament of late medieval Scottish poetry, a makar whose voice crackles with wit, passion, and unflinching honesty. Born around 1465 in East Lothian, Scotland, into what appears to have been a family with noble connections—perhaps linked to the ancient house of Dunbar and March—he emerged as the dominant poetic figure at the court of King James IV. Hi…
Neighbourhood:
Death & Mortality, Devotional Poets, Medieval Poets, Scottish Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Tenderness, Sorrow
