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History and Literature of Renaissance England Part 4: The Stuarts
The Stuart period begins with James I of England, who also ruled as James VI of Scotland. For the first time, England and Scotland are united under one crown. James believes strongly in the divine right of kings. In simple terms, he sees monarchy as something granted by God, not something to be questioned by… Continue reading
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History and Literature of Renaissance England Part 3: William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town far from the political center of England. His background was not aristocratic, yet he received a solid education grounded in classical texts, which would later influence his writing. When he moved to London, he entered a city that was rapidly becoming the cultural heart of England. Theaters… Continue reading
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History and Literature of Renaissance England Part 2: The Tudors
The Tudor story begins at the end of the Wars of the Roses. England had been torn apart by decades of conflict between rival noble houses. When Henry VII took the throne in 1485, his first priority was simple: control. He reduced the power of the nobility, strengthened the monarchy, and focused heavily on financial… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 10: The Canterbury Tales
By the time we reach Geoffrey Chaucer, English literature feels like it has been speaking in distant voices for centuries. Old English poetry carried the weight of heroism and fate. Middle English writing leaned heavily on religion and moral instruction. Much of it feels formal, even a little removed from everyday life. Then suddenly, everything… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 9: BeowulfÂ
Long before Chaucer’s pilgrims walked the roads of England, long before castles and kings shaped the medieval landscape, stories were told around fires in great halls. The greatest of these stories, the one that has survived across centuries, is Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English, the language of the Anglo-Saxons, sometime… Continue reading
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History and Literature of Renaissance England Part 1: The Wars of the Roses
England in the 15th century was a land on edge. After decades of intermittent warfare in France and the unstable reign of Henry VI of England, the kingdom’s nobles were restless, ambitious, and divided. What followed was nearly thirty years of dynastic conflict that would tear England apart: the Wars of the Roses. The war… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 8: The Plantagenets
After the Norman dynasty, England was no longer a fragile land of conquest and survival. The Plantagenets, beginning with Henry II of England in 1154, would rule for over three centuries, and their reign reshaped the country politically, socially, and culturally. England became a place of ambition, law, literature, and story. Henry II inherited a… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 7: The Norman Dynasty
After 1066, England was no longer the England that Alfred, Athelstan, or Edward had known. The Norman Conquest had upended kingship, aristocracy, and culture. William the Conqueror ruled not just as a king but as a conqueror, and his dynasty would reshape the land, law, and literature for generations. William’s victory at Hastings was only… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 6: End of the Anglo Saxon Period
In our previous we spoke about England under the first king to call himself “King of the English People”: Athelstan. For the first time, the word “England” had real meaning. But Athelstan’s greatness was not only military. His court became a beacon of culture and scholarship. Manuscripts were collected, laws codified, and scholars drawn from… Continue reading
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Road to Chaucer: History and Literature of Early England Part 5: Anglo-Saxon Britain
Before we get to pilgrims and playful storytelling with Geoffrey Chaucer, we have to go back much further, to a time that feels almost unrecognizable. When the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century, they did not make a dramatic exit. There was no grand farewell, no final speech, no sense of closure. They… Continue reading
Honey & Prose 🍯🌸 