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Period: 1509 to 1547
Reign of Henry VIII
Tudor House. Shifted England from Catholicism to Protestantism after the Pope refused to grant him an annulment to his first marriage. Famed for his six wives: Catherine of Aragon (marriage annulled), with whom he had Mary; Anne Boleyn (executed), with whom he had Elizabeth; Jane Seymour (died in childbirth), with whom he had Edward; Anne of Cleves (marriage annulled); Catherine Howard (executed); Catherine Parr (nearly executed, but ultimately outlived him). -
1544
Psalms or Prayers
Catherine Parr (c. 1512-1548; Queen of England 1543-1547) -
1545
Prayers or Meditations
Catherine Parr (c. 1512-1548; Queen of England 1543-1547) -
1547
The Lamentation of a Sinner
Catherine Parr (c. 1512-1548; Queen of England 1543-1547) -
Period: 1547 to Jul 6, 1553
Reign of Edward VI
Tudor House. A Protestant king; reigned in his minority, and died young. -
1550
Hecatodistichon
Anne Seymour Dudley, Countess of Warwick (1538-1588), Margaret Seymour (1540-?), and Jane Seymour (c. 1541-1561), daughters of the Lord Protector during Edward VI's minority; a collections of 103 Latin distichs (couplets) for the tomb of Margaret of Valois, queen of Navarre -
Period: Jul 10, 1553 to Jul 19, 1553
Ascension of Jane Grey, the "Nine Days' Queen"
This was an attempt to avoid the return of Catholicism to England through the reign of Mary, the eldest child of Henry VIII. Jane Grey was executed in 1554. She was in her late teens at the time. -
Period: Jul 19, 1553 to 1558
Reign of Mary I
Tudor House. Known as "Bloody Mary" for her relentless pursuit of Protestants in England (although in reality her sister Elizabeth had more Catholics executed than Mary did Protestants). -
Period: 1558 to
Reign of Elizabeth I
Tudor House. Restored England to Anglicanism/Protestantism. -
1560
A Meditation of a Penitent Sinner
Anne Locke (1533-after 1590), the first published sonnet sequence in England, and the first by a woman. -
1564
An Apologie...in Defence of the Churche of England
Anne Bacon (1528-1610) (this is a manuscript translation of John Jewel's 1564 work) -
1573
A Sweet Nosegay
Isabella Whitney (1546/48-after 1624) -
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
Elizabeth's cousin and the mother of the future James I, Mary, Queen of Scots was embroiled in political issues for most of her life (she possibly contrived the death of her husband, Lord Darnley, and plotted escapes and attempts on Elizabeth's life more than once). Still, Elizabeth didn't want to execute her, but ended up doing so under political pressure and after the discovery of the latest attempt on Elizabeth's life. -
The Spanish Armada
A victory claimed by the English in the war with Spain, where a storm swept away the Spanish Armada (which would have likely devastated England, had it landed). Elizabeth's speech at Tilbury occurs (allegedly) just before this event. -
Jane Anger her Protection for Women
Jane Anger (dates unknown) -
Edition of Philip Sidney's Arcadia
Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621) -
Tragedie of Antonie
Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621) -
The Sidney Psalter
Psalms translated by Sir Philip Sidney and his sister Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621) (manuscript; date c. 1599) -
Period: to
Reign of James I
Stuart House. Married to Anna of Denmark. James I was known for his profligate spending and his general unwillingness to be around the throne, preferring hunting in the countryside. -
Diary (1599-1605)
Margaret Hoby(1571-1633), Puritan; earliest surviving diary written by a woman (manuscript; dates 1599-1605) -
Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum
Aemilia Lanyer (1569-1645) -
The Tragedy of Mariam
Elizabeth Cary, Viscountess Falkland (1585-1639) -
A Mouzell for Melastomus
Rachel Speght (1597-?) -
Love' Victory
Mary Wroth (1587-1653) (manuscript; date c. 1620) -
The Countess of Montgomery's Urania
Mary Wroth (1587-1653) -
Pamphilia to Amphilanthus
Mary Wroth (1587-1653) -
Mortalities Memorandum with a Dreame Prefixed
Rachel Speght (1597-?) -
Period: to
Reign of Charles I
Stuart House. Charles I was even more profligate than his father, and married Henrietta Maria, a Catholic. -
The Second Part of the Countess of Montgomery's Urania
Mary Wroth (1587-1653) (manuscript; date c. 1620-30) -
The Booke of Remembrance
Elizabeth Isham (1609-1654); another diary which includes recipes (manuscript; date c. 1638-39) -
Commonplace Book
Anne Ley (1599-1641) (manuscript; compiled in 1641) -
Period: to
English Civil Wars
A series of wars fought between Parliamentarians (supporters of parliamentary rule, called "Roundheads"; also associated with Puritans) and Royalists (supporters of monarchical rule, called "Cavaliers"; associated with Anglicans but also a little bit associated with Catholics). Ultimately the Parliamentarians won and executed the king, ushering in the Commonwealth. -
The Concealed Fansyes
Jane (1621-1669) and Elizabeth Cavendish (1626-1663) (manuscript; date c. 1643-1645) -
Execution of Charles I
Charles I was executed for treason by order of Parliament on January 30, 1649. -
A Continuation of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia
Anna Weamys (?-?) -
Period: to
Commonwealth
Also known as the Interregnum. Rule by Parliament, under Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protector, then his son Richard (a.k.a. "Tumbledown Dick"). It ultimately failed to stick and England was easily overtaken again for the monarchy in an invasion by George Monck. -
Diary (1608-1654)
Elizabeth Isham (1609-1654) -
Anna Trapnell's Report and Plea
Anna Trapnell (1630s-?), a prophetess associated with the Fifth Monarchists; this text is her report on her trial for disturbing the peace. -
Poems Breathed Forth by the Noble Hadassas, etc.
Hester Pulter (1605-1678) (manuscript; date c. 1640s-1650s) -
Period: to
Reign of Charles II
Stuart House. The restored monarchy; he was beset by troubles, in part because he was a known philanderer and also because his only heir was his younger brother James, a Catholic. -
Restoration of the Monarchy
Charles II returned to London from exile. -
Recipe book (Wellcome MS.7133)
Ann Fanshawe (1625-1680) (manuscript; c. 1665, includes first known written recipe for ice cream -
Poems
Katherine Philips "The Matchless Orinda" (1631/32-1664) (Poems published posthumously) -
Poems and Fancies
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) (published in three editions in 1653, 1664, and 1668) -
Observations upon Experimental Philosophy & The Blazing World
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) (published in two editions, 1666 and 1668) -
The Forc'd Marriage
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) -
An Essay to Revive the Ancient Education of Gentlewomen
Bathsua Makin (1600-1675) -
Memoir of Richard Fanshawe
Ann Fanshawe (1625-1680) (manuscript transcribed 1676) -
The Rover, Part 1
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) -
The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy
Anne Conway (1631-1679) (manuscript date c. 1677; Latin publication 1690; English publication 1692) -
Translation of Lucretius's De Rerum Natura
Lucy Hutchinson (1620-1681) (manuscript; date c. 1650s-1670s) -
Order and Disorder
Lucy Hutchinson (1620-1681) (first 5 cantos published 1679; entirety published posthumously in 1817) -
Memoirs of the Life of Colonel Hutchinson
Lucy Hutchinson (1620-1681) (manuscript only; published 1806) -
The Rover, Part 2
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) -
Period: to
Reign of James II
Stuart House. A Catholic king, James was ultimately dethroned by his own daughter, the Anglican [Protestant] Mary. -
The Lucky Chance
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) -
Oroonoko
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) -
Period: to
Reign of William III and Mary II
Hanover House. The Protestant king and queen ruled jointly. Mary II was the Anglican daughter of James II. -
A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part 1
Mary Astell (1666-1731) -
The Lost Lover or the Jealous Husband
Delarivier Manley (1663/c. 1670-1724) -
A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part 2
Mary Astell (1666-1731) -
Period: to
Reign of Anne
Hanover House (although also linked with the Stuart House). Anne was the younger sister of Mary II, and also Protestant. During her time, the disparate countries ruled by the monarch (England, Scotland, and Ireland, and sometimes France) became known collectively as Great Britain in 1707. -
The New Atalantis
Delarivier Manley (1663/c. 1670-1724) -
The Adventures of Rivella
Delarivier Manley (1663/c. 1670-1724)