John Skelton

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1463–1529 Also known as Skelton

John Skelton was one of the most outstanding poets of the early English Renaissance, serving as court poet to Henry VII and Henry VIII, known for liv…

Timeline

c. 1463–1500Cambridge · EnglandBorn around the 1460s, Skelton received classical and theological training at Cambridge, earned a doctorate and taught, excelling in Latin verse and rhetoric, and gradually entered English church and court circles.
1501–1510London · EnglandActive at the Tudor court from 1501 to 1510, he served as tutor to the young Henry VIII and composed congratulatory verses and court odes as laureate poet, with vivid poetic language blending scholarly rhetoric and popular speech.
1510–1529Westminster · EnglandIn his later years he lived in Westminster and elsewhere, producing a large body of satirical verse attacking church corruption and the powerful minister Wolsey, with representative works including Collyn Clout, influencing later English poetry with his distinctive rhythms and sharp humor.

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica: John Skelton https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Skelton
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Skelton, John https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-25702