16th century in literature

Table of contents

1 Events 2 New Books 3 Births 4 Deaths

Events

• The Bible is translated into English.

• 1501 - The Book of Margery Kempe (posthumous)
• 1503 - The Thrissill and the Rois - William Dunbar
• 1505 - The Passtyme of Pleasure and The Temple of Glass - Stephen Hawes
• 1508 - The Goldyn Targe - William Dunbar
• 1509 - In Praise of Folly - Erasmus
• 1512 - Fulgens and Lucrece - Henry Medwall
• 1513 - First translation of the Aeneid into English language (Scots dialect) by Gavin Douglas
• about 1516 - Utopia by Thomas More
• 1527 - Historia Scotorum - Hector Boece
• 1535 - Huon of Bordeaux - John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
• 1539 - The Castel of Helth - Sir Thomas Elyot
• 1540 - Historia Scotorum of Hector Boece, translated into vernacular Scots by John Bellenden at the special request of James V of Scotland
• 1541 - Baptistes and Jephtha - George Buchanan
• 1542 - The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke - Edward Hall
• 1545 - Toxophilus - Roger Ascham
• about 1553 - Gammer Gurton's Needle and Ralph Roister Doister, the first comedies written in the English language
• 1560 - The Geneva Bible - William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson

• Bullein's Bulwarke of Defence againste all Sicknes, Sornes, and Woundes - William Bullein
• Gorboduc (play) - Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville
• Jack Juggler (play) - anonymous, sometimes attributed to Nicholas Udall

• Foxe's Book of Martyrs - John Foxe

• The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Irelande - Raphael Holinshed
• The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies - Richard Eden

• A True Discourse of the Late Voyages of Discoverie…under the Conduct of Martin Frobisher - George Best
• Euphues: the Anatomy of Wit - John Lyly
• First Fruits - John Florio

• Honest Excuses - Thomas Lodge
• The Schoole of Abuse - Stephen Gosson

• Divers Voyages - Richard Hakluyt
• Rerum Scoticarum Historia - George Buchanan

• The Anatomy of Abuses - Philip Stubbe

• The Araygnement of Paris - George Peele

• A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia - Thomas Hariot
• Historie of the Reformatioun of Religioun within the Realms of Scotland - John Knox
• The Raigne of Edward III - anonymous, attributed by some to William Shakespeare

• Arcadia - Sir Philip Sidney (posthumous)
• Rosalynde - Thomas Lodge

• Astrophel and Stella - Sir Philip Sidney (posthumous)

• The Spanish Tragedy (play) - Thomas Kyd
• The Tragedy of Mr Arden of Feversham (play) - anonymous (previously attributed to William Shakespeare)

• Peirs Gaveston - Michael Drayton

• The Battle of Alcazar (play) - George Peele
• Cleopatra (play) - Samuel Daniel
• Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie - Richard Hooker
• The Seamans Secrets - Sir John Davys

• Colin Clouts Come Home Againe - Edmund Spenser
• Poemata - Thomas Campion
• The Apologie for Poetrie - Sir Philip Sidney (posthumous)

• Orchestra, or a Poeme of Dauncing - Sir John Davies
• The Civell Warres of Edward the Second and the Barrons - Michael Drayton
• The Faerie Queene - Edmund Spenser

• Englands Heroicall Epistles - Michael Drayton

• Every Man in his Humour (play) - Ben Jonson
• The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth (play) - Robert Greene

• Every Man out of his Humour (play) - Ben Jonson
• Hymnes of Astraea (poetry) - Sir John Davies
• Nosce Teipsum (poetry) - Sir John Davies
• The Love of King David and Faire Bethsabe (poetry) - George Peele

• 1515 - Roger Ascham
• 1551 - William Camden
• 1555 - Lancelot Andrewes
• 1558 - Robert Greene
• 1558 - Thomas Kyd
• 1564 - Christopher Marlowe
• 1564 - William Shakespeare
• 1570 - Robert Aytoun
• 1572 - Ben Jonson
• 1577 - Robert Burton
• 1583 - Philip Massinger

• 1502 - Henry Medwall
• 1552 - Alexander Barclay
• 1563 - John Bale
• 1568 - Roger Ascham
• 1577 - George Gascoigne
• 1592 - Robert Greene
• 1593 - Christopher Marlowe
• 1594 - Thomas Kyd