Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was born in East Smithfield, London, around the year 1552. His parentage remains obscure to modern historians, though evidence suggests he was the son of John Spenser, a journeyman clothmaker. As a young boy, he received his education at the Merchant Taylors' School in London. He later matriculated as a sizar at Pembroke College, Cambridge. While studying there, he formed a friendship with Gabriel Harvey. This bond persisted despite their differing views on poetry. In 1578, he served briefly as secretary to John Young, Bishop of Rochester. The exact date of his birth remains ambiguous, yet this humble beginning set the stage for a life that would reshape English verse.
In July 1580, Spenser traveled to Ireland to serve Lord Grey de Wilton, the newly appointed Lord Deputy. He worked alongside Walter Raleigh during the siege of Smerwick. When Lord Grey returned to England, Spenser remained behind. He acquired official posts and lands within the Munster Plantation. Between 1587 and 1589, he secured his main estate at Kilcolman near Doneraile in North Cork. He later purchased a second holding called Rennie, situated on a rock overlooking the river Blackwater. A tree known locally as Spenser's Oak stood nearby until lightning destroyed it in the 1960s. Local legend claims he wrote parts of his epic poem beneath that tree.
Spenser published the first three books of The Faerie Queene in 1590 after traveling to London. He likely received assistance from Walter Raleigh to promote the work. His success earned him a life pension of £50 per year from Queen Elizabeth I. He hoped this poetry would secure him a place at court. However, his next publication antagonized Lord Burghley through its satirical content. The poem was intended to consist of twelve books, but only six were completed before his death. It remains one of the longest poems in the English language. Spenser described the work as cloudily enwrapped in allegorical devices designed to fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous discipline.
By 1594, Spenser's first wife had died. That same year, he married Elizabeth Boyle, a relative of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. She was much younger than he was. He addressed her with the sonnet sequence Amoretti. Their marriage was celebrated in the poem Epithalamion. They had a son named Peregrine. The volume containing these works included eighty-nine sonnets commemorating his courtship. In Amoretti, Spenser used subtle humor while praising his beloved. He reworked Petrarchism in his treatment of longing for a woman. Some speculate that the attention to disquiet reflects personal anxieties regarding his inability to complete The Faerie Queene.
In 1596, Spenser wrote a prose pamphlet titled A View of the Present State of Irelande. This piece circulated in manuscript and remained unpublished until the mid-17th century. It likely stayed out of print due to its inflammatory content. The work argued that Ireland would never be pacified by the English until indigenous language and customs were destroyed. Spenser categorized the evils of the Irish people into laws, customs, and religion. He pressed for a scorched earth policy noting its effectiveness during the Second Desmond Rebellion. He described how people crept from woods on their hands because their legs could not bear them. He claimed they ate carrions and even one another before famine left the country void of man or beast.
Spenser died at the age of forty-six in 1599 after traveling to London. Ben Jonson stated he died for want of bread, though this claim is doubtful given his authorized pension. His coffin was carried to Westminster Abbey near Geoffrey Chaucer's grave. Other poets threw pens and pieces of poetry into his grave. Charles Lamb called him the Poet's Poet. John Milton considered him a better teacher than Scotus or Aquinas. William Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, and Tennyson all admired his work. Walter Raleigh wrote a commendatory poem claiming Spenser's work surpassed any other in the English language. Alexander Pope compared him to a mistress whose faults we see but love with them all.
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Common questions
When was Edmund Spenser born and where?
Edmund Spenser was born in East Smithfield, London around the year 1552. His parentage remains obscure to modern historians though evidence suggests he was the son of John Spenser a journeyman clothmaker.
What estate did Edmund Spenser acquire in Ireland between 1587 and 1589?
Between 1587 and 1589 Edmund Spenser secured his main estate at Kilcolman near Doneraile in North Cork. He later purchased a second holding called Rennie situated on a rock overlooking the river Blackwater.
How many books of The Faerie Queene did Edmund Spenser complete before his death?
The poem was intended to consist of twelve books but only six were completed before Edmund Spenser died. It remains one of the longest poems in the English language.
Who did Edmund Spenser marry in 1594 and what sonnet sequence did he write for her?
In 1594 Edmund Spenser married Elizabeth Boyle who was much younger than he was. He addressed her with the sonnet sequence Amoretti which included eighty-nine sonnets commemorating his courtship.
What policy did Edmund Spenser advocate for in A View of the Present State of Irelande published in 1596?
Edmund Spenser pressed for a scorched earth policy noting its effectiveness during the Second Desmond Rebellion. He argued that Ireland would never be pacified by the English until indigenous language and customs were destroyed.