Writers

The period 1485 – 1625 saw an explosion of writing – books, plays, poems, pamphlets and prayers poured from the new printing presses. Government censorship was strict. Many works, particularly on religious or political topics, were banned but no matter how severe the punishments for publishing unauthorised material, it continued to flourish.

The great literary achievements of the Bible and Prayerbooks in English and Welsh transformed both languages and created a literary standard that still influences both languages today. The political works of Erasmus, More, Tyndale, Vives, Lefèvre, Vives, Machiavelli and many others across Europe transformed the secular as well as the religious landscape.

It was also a great era of poetry and playwriting, culminating in the last years of the century with Shakespeare, Marlowe and Johnson.