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''See also:'' 15th century in literature, other events of the 16th century, 17th century in literature, list of years in literature.

Contents

New books

New drama

New poetry

Births

Deaths

New books

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 Virgil's ''Aeneid'' into English language (Scots dialect) by Gavin Douglas
1514-15
:
★ ''Sofonisba'' - Gian Giorgio Trissino
1515
:
★ '' The New Chronicles of England and France'' by Robert Fabyan
1516
:
★ ''Utopia'' by Thomas More
1517
:
★ Francysk Skaryna's Bible translation and printing
:
★ Teofilo Folengo's ''Baldo'', a popular Italian work of comedy.
1526
:
★ William Tyndale's Bible translation
1527
:
★ ''Historia Scotorum'' - Hector Boece
1528
:
★ ''The Book of the Courtier'' by Baltissare Castiglione
1531
:
★ ''De trinitatis erroribus ("On the Errors of the Trinity")'' - Michael Servetus
1532
:
★ ''The Prince'' by Niccolò Machiavelli
1534
:
★ Martin Luther's Bible translation
1535
:
★ ''Huon of Bordeaux'' - John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
1538
:
★ ''Les Angoisses douloureuses qui procèdent d'amours'' - Hélisenne de Crenne
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
1543
:
★ ''De humani corporis fabrica libri septem'' ''(On the Fabric of the Human body in Seven Books)'' – Andreas Vesalius
:
★ ''De revolutionibus orbium coelestium'' ''(On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres)'' – Nicolaus Copernicus
1545
:
★ ''Toxophilus'' - Roger Ascham
1547
:
★ ''The Simple Words of Catechism'' - Martynas Mažvydas (first printed book in Lithuanian language)
1549
:
★ ''Johannes der Täufer (St. John Baptist)'' - Johannes Aal
1552
:
★ ''Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis (Little Book of the Medicinal Herbs of the Indians)'', composed in Nahuatl by Martín de la Cruz and translated into Latin by Juan Badiano.
1553
:
★ (about 1553) – ''Gammer Gurton's Needle'' and ''Ralph Roister Doister'', the first comedies written in the English language
1559
:
★ The Elizabethan version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, which remained in use until the mid-17th century and was the first English Prayer Book in America.
:
★ Jorge de Montemayor - ''Diana''
1560
:
★ ''Geneva Bible'' - William Whittingham, Anthony Gilby, Thomas Sampson
:
★ ''Jules César'' - Jacques Grévin
1562
:
★ ''Bullein's Bulwarke of Defence againste all Sicknes, Sornes, and Woundes'' - William Bullein
1563
:
★ ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs'' - John Foxe
1576
:
★ ''Six livres de la République'' - Jean Boudin
1577
:
★ ''The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Irelande'' - Raphael Holinshed
:
★ ''The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies'' - Richard Eden
1578
:
★ ''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
:
★ ''Smithus, vel Musarum lachrymae'' - Gabriel Harvey
1579
:
★ ''Honest Excuses'' - Thomas Lodge
:
★ ''The Schoole of Abuse'' - Stephen Gosson
1582
:
★ ''Divers Voyages'' - Richard Hakluyt
:
★ ''Rerum Scoticarum Historia'' - George Buchanan
1583
:
★ ''The Anatomy of Abuses'' - Philip Stubbes
1584
:
★ ''The Araygnement of Paris'' - George Peele
1585
:
★ ''La Galatea'' - Miguel de Cervantes
1586
:
★ ''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
:
★ ''The Arte of English Poesie'' - attributed to George Puttenham
:
★ ''Primera parte de la Angélica'' - Luis Barahona de Soto
:
★ ''Pappe with an hatchet, alias a figge for my Godsonne'' - John Lyly
1588
:
★ ''The Anatomie of Absurditie'' - Thomas Nashe
1590
:
★ ''An Almond for a Parrat'' - Thomas Nashe
:
★ ''Rosalynde'' - Thomas Lodge
1592
:
★ ''Groatsworth of Wit'' - Robert Greene
:
★ ''Foure Letters and certaine Sonnets'' - Gabriel Harvey
:
★ ''Nine Worthies of London'' - Richard Johnson
1594
:
★ ''Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie'' - Richard Hooker
:
★ ''The Seamans Secrets'' - Sir John Davys
1595
:
★ ''An Apologie for Poetrie'' - Sir Philip Sidney (posthumous)
:
★ ''Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia'' - Thomas Harriot
:
★ ''Colin Clouts Come Home Againe'' - Edmund Spenser
1596
:
★ ''The Civell Warres of Edward the Second and the Barrons'' - Michael Drayton
:
★ ''The Discoverie of the Large, Rich and Beautiful Empyre of Guiana'' - Sir Walter Raleigh
1597
:
★ ''Englands Heroicall Epistles'' - Michael Drayton
1598
:
★ ''Palladis Tamia, Wits Treasury'' - Francis Meres
:
★ ''Politeuphuia (Wits' Commonwealth)'' - John Bodenham
:
★ ''Survey of London'' - John Stow
:
★ ''The Trew Law of Free Monarchies'' - King James VI of Scotland
1599
:
★ ''The Shoemaker's Holiday'' - Thomas Dekker
:
★ ''Patient Grissel'' - Thomas Dekker, Henry Chettle, and William Haughton
:
★ ''Wits' Theater'' - John Bodenham

New drama

1541
:
★ ''Orbecche'' - Giovanni Battista Giraldi
1562
:
★ ''Gorboduc'' - Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville
:
★ ''Jack Juggler'' - anonymous, sometimes attributed to Nicholas Udall
1573
:
★ ''Aminta'' - Torquato Tasso
1582
:
★ ''Il pastor fido'' - Giovanni Battista Guarini
1584
:
★ ''Campaspe'' - John Lyly
:
★ ''Sapho and Phao'' - John Lyly
:
★ ''The Three Ladies of London'' - Robert Wilson (published)
1588
:
★ ''The Battle of Alcazar'' - George Peele (performed)
1590
:
★ ''Famous Chronicle of King Edward the First'' - George Peele
:
★ ''Tamburlaine,'' - Christopher Marlowe (both parts published)
:
★ ''The Three Lords and Three Ladies of London'' - Robert Wilson (published)
1591
:
★ ''Endymion'' - John Lyly (published)
:
★ ''The Troublesome Reign of King John'' - Anonymous (published)
1592
:
★ ''Henry VI, Part 1'', ''Part 2'', ''Part 3'' - William Shakespeare
:
★ ''The Spanish Tragedy'' - Thomas Kyd
:
★ ''Arden of Faversham'' - anonymous (previously attributed to Shakespeare)
1594
:
★ ''The Battle of Alcazar'' - George Peele (published)
:
★ ''Cleopatra'' - Samuel Daniel
:
★ ''The Cobbler's Prophecy'' - Robert Wilson (published)
:
★ ''Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay'' - Robert Greene (published)
:
★ ''A Looking Glass for London and England'' - Thomas Lodge & Robert Greene (published)
:
★ ''Orlando Furioso'' - Robert Greene (published)
:
★ ''Romeo and Juliet'' -William Shakespeare
1595
:
★ ''Locrine'' - Anonymous (published)
1597
:
★ ''The Isle of Dogs'' - Thomas Nashe & Ben Jonson
:
★ ''Richard II'' - William Shakespeare (published)
1598
:
★ ''Every Man in His Humour'' - Ben Jonson
:
★ ''The Scottish Historie of James the Fourth'' - Robert Greene (published)
1599
:
★ ''Every Man Out of His Humour'' - Ben Jonson
:
★ ''Henry V'' - William Shakespeare

New poetry

★ 1514 – Francesco Maria Molzo translates ''Aeneid'' into Italian, in consecutive unrhymed verse (forerunner of Blank verse)

★ 1557 – Giovanni Battista Giraldi – ''Ercole''

★ 1590 – Sir Philip Sidney – ''Arcadia''

★ 1591 – Sir Philip Sidney – ''Astrophel and Stella'' (published posthumously)
:1592

★ Henry Constable – ''Diana''

★ Michael Drayton – ''The Shepherd's Garland''

★ 1593 – Michael Drayton – ''Peirs Gaveston''

★ 1595 – Thomas Campion – ''Poemata''
:1596

★ Sir John Davies – ''Orchestra, or a Poeme of Dauncing''

★ Edmund Spenser – ''The Faerie Queene''
:1599

★ Sir John Davies – ''Hymnes of Astraea''

★ Sir John Davies – ''Nosce Teipsum''

★ George Peele – ''The Love of King David and Faire Bethsabe''

Births

★ 1503 - Thomas Wyatt

★ 1510 - Martynas Mažvydas

★ 1515 - Roger Ascham

★ 1517 - Henry Howard

★ 1547 - Miguel de Cervantes

★ 1551 - William Camden

★ 1554 - Philip Sidney

★ 1555 - Lancelot Andrewes

★ 1558 - Robert Greene

★ 1558 - Thomas Kyd

★ 1561 - Luís de Góngora y Argote

★ 1564 - Christopher Marlowe

★ 1564 - William Shakespeare

★ 1570 - Robert Aytoun

★ 1572 - Ben Jonson

★ 1576 - John Marston

★ 1577 - Robert Burton

★ 1581 - Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft

★ 1583 - Philip Massinger

★ 1587 - Joost van den Vondel

★ 1594 - James Howell

Deaths

★ 1502 - Henry Medwall

★ 1513 - Robert Fabyan

★ 1552 - Alexander Barclay

★ 1563 - John Bale

★ 1563 - Martynas Mažvydas

★ 1568 - Roger Ascham

★ 1577 - George Gascoigne

★ 1592 - Robert Greene

★ 1593 - Christopher Marlowe

★ 1594 - Thomas Kyd

★ 1595 - Luis Barahona de Soto