54-472: Sir Thomas Overbury (baptized 1581 – 14 September 1613) was an English poet and essayist, also known for being the victim of a murder which led to a scandalous trial. His poem A Wife (also referred to as The Wife ), which depicted the virtues that a young man should demand of a woman, played a large role in the events that precipitated his murder. Thomas Overbury was born near Ilmington in Warwickshire ,
108-479: A progressive leg injury (a consequence of a horse accident early in his life), which resulted in his not being able to walk towards the end of his life. He was a gentle and pious prince who gave little trouble to anyone and effaced himself behind his counsellors. Sometimes they were relatively honest and capable men like his father; sometimes they were corrupted and bigoted, like the Saltykov relatives of his mother. He
162-496: A 5–5 verdict, so James quickly appointed two extra judges guaranteed to vote in favour, an intervention which aroused public censure. When, after the annulment, Thomas Bilson (son of Thomas Bilson, Bishop of Winchester, one of the added commissioners) was knighted, he was given the nickname "Sir Nullity Bilson". There were also rumours that the commission was tricked into believing that Frances was still virgo intacta . The marriage two months later of Frances Howard and Robert Carr, now
216-517: A career as a poet, they can be helpful as training, and for giving the student several years of time focused on their writing. Lyrical poets who write sacred poetry (" hymnographers ") differ from the usual image of poets in a number of ways. A hymnographer such as Isaac Watts who wrote 700 poems in his lifetime, may have their lyrics sung by millions of people every Sunday morning, but are not always included in anthologies of poetry . Because hymns are perceived of as " worship " rather than "poetry",
270-592: A continuation of patronage of poets by royalty. Many poets, however, had other sources of income, including Italians like Dante Aligheri , Giovanni Boccaccio and Petrarch 's works in a pharmacist's guild and William Shakespeare 's work in the theater. In the Romantic period and onwards, many poets were independent writers who made their living through their work, often supplemented by income from other occupations or from family. This included poets such as William Wordsworth and Robert Burns . Poets such as Virgil in
324-466: A deadly duel between the mistress and the friend. The Countess tried to manipulate Overbury into seeming to be disrespectful to the queen, Anne of Denmark who took offence. Her chamberlain, Viscount Lisle , wrote in November 1612 that Overbury was allowed to come to court, but not in the queen's sight, or into her side of the royal lodgings. James I offered Overbury an assignment as ambassador, probably to
378-592: A foreign land until his return, shortly before his death. The Story of Sinuhe was one of several popular narrative poems in Ancient Egyptian . Scholars have conjectured that Story of Sinuhe was actually written by an Ancient Egyptian man named Sinuhe, describing his life in the poem; therefore, Sinuhe is conjectured to be a real person. In Ancient Rome , professional poets were generally sponsored by patrons , including nobility and military officials. For instance, Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , friend to Caesar Augustus ,
432-585: A part in Overbury's murder, but her husband did not. Fearing what Carr might say about him in court, James repeatedly sent messages to the Tower pleading with him to admit his guilt in return for a pardon. "It is easy to be seen that he would threaten me with laying an aspersion upon me of being, in some sort, accessory to his crime". In late May 1616, the couple were found guilty and sentenced to death for their parts in this conspiracy. Nevertheless, they remained prisoners in
486-543: A reputation for an accomplished mind and free manners. About 1601, whilst on holiday in Edinburgh , he met Robert Carr , then an obscure page to the Earl of Dunbar . A great friendship was struck up between the two youths, and they came up to London together. Carr's early history is obscure, and it is probable that Overbury secured an introduction to court before his young associate contrived to do so. At all events, when Carr attracted
540-559: A son of the marriage of Nicholas Overbury , of Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucester , and Mary Palmer. In the autumn of 1595 he became a gentleman commoner of Queen's College, Oxford . He took his degree of BA in 1598, by which time he had already been admitted to study law in the Middle Temple in London . He soon found favour with Sir Robert Cecil , travelled on the Continent, and began to enjoy
594-472: A specific event or place) or metaphorically . Poets have existed since prehistory , in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary greatly in different cultures and periods. Throughout each civilization and language, poets have used various styles that have changed over time, resulting in countless poets as diverse as the literature that (since the advent of writing systems) they have produced. The civilization of Sumer figures prominently in
SECTION 10
#1732884834996648-437: Is a person who studies and creates poetry . Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker , songwriter , writer , or author ) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or written ), or they may also perform their art to an audience . The work of a poet is essentially one of communication, expressing ideas either in a literal sense (such as communicating about
702-626: The Streletsky Prikaz (in charge of the streltsy , regiments who served as Moscow's garrison), the Prikaz bolshoy kazny , minister of the treasury, and the Aptekarsky Prikaz ("Pharmacy Office", a de facto ministry of health, most particularly the tsar's health). After Filaret's arrival, their former heads were sent away from Moscow, and all three given to Ivan Cherkassky (Filaret's nephew), who proved to be an able and competent administrator and
756-564: The Aeneid and John Milton in Paradise Lost invoked the aid of a Muse . Poets held an important position in pre-Islamic Arabic society with the poet or sha'ir filling the role of historian, soothsayer and propagandist. Words in praise of the tribe ( qit'ah ) and lampoons denigrating other tribes ( hija' ) seem to have been some of the most popular forms of early poetry. The sha'ir represented an individual tribe's prestige and importance in
810-1084: The Arabian Peninsula , and mock battles in poetry or zajal would stand in lieu of real wars. 'Ukaz, a market town not far from Mecca , would play host to a regular poetry festival where the craft of the sha'irs would be exhibited. Poets of earlier times were often well read and highly educated people while others were to a large extent self-educated. A few poets such as John Gower and John Milton were able to write poetry in more than one language. Some Portuguese poets, as Francisco de Sá de Miranda , wrote not only in Portuguese but also in Spanish. Jan Kochanowski wrote in Polish and in Latin, France Prešeren and Karel Hynek Mácha wrote some poems in German, although they were poets of Slovenian and Czech respectively. Adam Mickiewicz ,
864-512: The Earl of Somerset , was the court event of the season, celebrated in verse by John Donne . The Howards' rise to power seemed complete. Rumours of foul play in Overbury's death began circulating. Almost two years later, in September 1615, and as James was in the process of replacing Carr with new favourite George Villiers , the governor of the Tower sent a letter to the King, informing him that one of
918-633: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until it was recovered with the conclusion of another war under Michael's son and successor Alexis in 1667 . Michael's reign saw some of the greatest territorial expansion in Russian history. During his reign, the conquest of Siberia continued, largely accomplished by the Cossacks and financed by the Stroganov merchant family . Tsar Michael suffered from
972-573: The Posolsky Prikaz ("Foreign Office") and the Razryadny Prikaz (a Duma chancellery and a personnel department for both central and provincial administration including military command). Those offices could be pivotal in struggles between boyar factions, so they were traditionally headed not by boyars but by dyaki (professional clerks). The first head of the Posolsky Prikaz under Michael
1026-457: The Tower of London on 22 April 1613, where he died on 14 September. The Howards won James's support for an annulment of Frances's marriage to Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex , on grounds of impotence, to free her to remarry. With James's assistance, the marriage was duly annulled on 25 September 1613, despite Essex's opposition to the charge of impotence. The commissioners judging the case reached
1080-592: The Treaty of Polyanovka in 1634. To the east, Cossacks made unprecedented advances in the conquest of Siberia , and Russian explorers had reached the Pacific Ocean ( Sea of Okhotsk ) by the end of Michael's reign. Michael's grandfather, Nikita , was brother to the first Russian Tsaritsa Anastasia and a central advisor to Ivan the Terrible . As a young boy, Michael and his mother had been exiled to Beloozero in 1600. This
1134-539: The Troitsa monastery , 75 miles (121 km) off, before decent accommodation could be provided for him at Moscow . He was crowned on 21 July 1613, on his seventeenth birthday. The first task of the new tsar was to clear the land of the countries occupying it. Sweden and Poland were then dealt with respectively by the peace of Stolbovo (17 February 1617) and the Truce of Deulino (1 December 1618). The most important result of
SECTION 20
#17328848349961188-453: The Countess what Overbury had said. It was at this time, too, that Overbury wrote, and circulated widely in manuscript his poem A Wife , which was a picture of the virtues which a young man should demand in a woman before he has the rashness to marry her. Lady Essex believed that Overbury's object in writing this poem was to open the eyes of his friend to her defects. The situation now turned into
1242-516: The Howard camp, after beginning an affair with the married Frances Howard, Countess of Essex , daughter of the Earl of Suffolk. Overbury was from the first violently opposed to the affair, pointing out to Carr that it would be hurtful to his preferment, and that Frances Howard, even at this early stage in her career, was already "noted for her injury and immodesty." But Carr was now infatuated, and he repeated to
1296-770: The Poles during the Time of Troubles. Michael's youth also contributed to his election as he was seen as easily manipulated. On 21 February 1613, 700 delegates reached a consensus for Michael to be chosen as a compromise candidate as Tsar of Russia by the Zemsky Sobor of 1613 . The delegates of the council did not discover the young Tsar and his mother at the Ipatiev Monastery near Kostroma until 24 March. He had been chosen after several other options had been removed, including Polish prince Vladislav , Austrian Archduke Maximilian III and
1350-554: The Swedish prince Carl Philip . Initially, Martha protested, believing and stating that her son was too young and tender for so difficult an office, and in such a troublesome time. According to Dunning, "The sixteen-year-old boy did not impress the boyars at all; he was poorly educated and not particularly intelligent. Nonetheless, those great lords consoled themselves with the knowledge that Trubetskoi would not become tsar and that Mikhail's ambitious and highly intelligent father, Filaret,
1404-433: The Tower until eventually released in 1622 and pardoned. Four accomplices – Richard Weston, Anne Turner, Gervaise Helwys and Simon Franklin – were found guilty prior to that in 1615 and, lacking powerful connections, were hanged. The implication of the King in such a scandal provoked much public and literary conjecture and irreparably tarnished James's court with an image of corruption and depravity. Poet A poet
1458-553: The Truce of Deulino was the return from Polish captivity of the Tsar's father, Patriarch Filaret . Filaret became the effective ruler of Russia until his death in 1633. In the Treaty of Stolbovo (1617) that ended the Ingrian War with Sweden , Russia gave up Ingria and parts of Karelia as well as claims on the duchies of Estonia and Livonia , but in return Sweden recognised Michael as
1512-658: The attention of James I in 1606 by breaking his leg in the tilt-yard , Overbury had for some time been servitor-in-ordinary to the king. Knighted by James in June 1608, from October 1608 to August 1609, he travelled in the Netherlands and France, staying in Antwerp and Paris ; he spent at least some of this time with his contemporary, the Puritan theologian Francis Rous . Upon his return he began following Carr's fortunes very closely. When
1566-502: The court of Michael of Russia , relations with Russia being at that time a potential issue between those who favoured a strongly pro-Protestant and anti-Catholic foreign policy, and those, centred on the Howards, who favoured accommodation with Catholic powers on the Continent; there were political reasons of international policy as well as personal ones involving the King's jealousy of Overbury's relationship with Carr, to persuade James to send
1620-411: The death of Cecil in 1612, the Howard party, consisting of Henry Howard , Thomas Howard , his son-in-law Lord Knollys , and Charles Howard , along with Sir Thomas Lake , moved to take control of much of the government and its patronage. The powerful Carr, unfit for the responsibilities thrust upon him and often dependent on his intimate friend, Overbury, for assistance with government papers, fell into
1674-490: The form of copper vitriol . It cannot have been difficult for the conspirators to secure James's compliance because he disliked Overbury's influence over Carr. John Chamberlain (1553–1628) reported at the time that the King "hath long had a desire to remove him from about the lord of Rochester [Carr], as thinking it a dishonour to him that the world should have an opinion that Rochester ruled him and Overbury ruled Rochester". Overbury had been poisoned. Frances Howard admitted
Thomas Overbury - Misplaced Pages Continue
1728-479: The former away and also a private interest for Carr and Northampton to urge the offer upon him. Overbury declined, possibly because he felt tricked into it by Carr (precisely because refusing would ensure that Overbury would be imprisoned), possibly because Overbury sensed the urgency to remain in England and at his friend's side. James I was so irate at Overbury's arrogance in declining the offer that he had him thrown into
1782-495: The greatest poet of Polish language, wrote a Latin ode for emperor Napoleon III . Another example is Jerzy Pietrkiewicz , a Polish poet. When he moved to Great Britain, he ceased to write poetry in Polish, but started writing a novel in English. He also translated poetry into English. Many universities offer degrees in creative writing though these only came into existence in the 20th century. While these courses are not necessary for
1836-598: The history of early poetry, and The Epic of Gilgamesh , a widely read epic poem, was written in the Third Dynasty of Ur c. 2100 BC; copies of the poem continued to be published and written until c. 600 to 150 BC. However, as it arises from an oral tradition , the poet is unknown. The Story of Sinuhe was a popular narrative poem from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt , written c. 1750 BC, about an ancient Egyptian man named Sinuhe , who flees his country and lives in
1890-406: The honest Lord Lieutenant of the Tower, removed to make way for a new Lieutenant, Sir Gervase Helwys ; and a gaoler, Richard Weston, of whom it was ominously said that he was "a man well acquainted with the power of drugs", was set to attend on Overbury. Weston, afterwards aided by Mrs Anne Turner , the widow of a physician, and by an apothecary called Franklin, plied Overbury with sulfuric acid in
1944-462: The latter to accept Orthodoxy , so deeply afflicted him as to contribute to bringing about his death. Tsar Michael fell ill in April 1645, with scurvy , dropsy , and probably depression. His doctors prescribed purgatives which did not improve his condition; and after fainting in church on 12 July, he died on 23 July 1645. The two government offices ( prikazes ) that were most important politically were
1998-412: The latter was made Viscount Rochester in 1610, the intimacy seems to have been sustained. With Overbury's aid, the young Carr caught the eye of the King, and soon became his favourite and his lover. Overbury had the wisdom and Carr had the king's ear into which to pour it. The combination took Carr swiftly up the ladder of power. Soon he was the most powerful man in England next to Robert Cecil . After
2052-460: The marriage. In 1626, he married Eudoxia Streshneva (1608–1645), who bore him 10 children, of whom four reached adulthood: the future Tsar Alexis and the Tsarevnas Irina , Anna , and Tatyana . Michael's failure to wed his eldest daughter, Irina, with Count Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein , a morganatic son of King Christian IV of Denmark , in consequence of the refusal of
2106-438: The match with a fervour that made him dangerous. The Queen had sown discord between the friends, calling Overbury Carr's "governor". It was not known at the time, and it is not certain now, how much Carr participated in the first crime, or if he was ignorant of it. Lady Essex, however, was not satisfied with having had Overbury imprisoned; she was determined that "he should return no more to this stage." She had Sir William Wade ,
2160-427: The position to which he was previously controversially named by the pretender False Dmitriy II . Filaret subsequently began to play a large role in the ruling of Russia, lasting until his death in 1633. Russia failed to recover Smolensk from the Poles in a later war from 1632 to 1634 , but did achieve Władysław Vasa's renunciation of his long-standing claims to the Russian throne. Smolensk would officially remain part of
2214-469: The rightful ruler of Russia. The Truce of Deulino of 1618 (which ended the Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) in which Polish forces had once entered Moscow in 1610 and declared Władysław Vasa as Tsar of Russia) saw the loss of Smolensk in exchange for the release of Michael's father Feodor from Polish captivity. A year later, Feodor became Patriarch Filaret of Moscow , or rather was confirmed in
Thomas Overbury - Misplaced Pages Continue
2268-462: The six accused in late 1615 and early 1616 that followed, evidence of a plot came to light. It was very likely that Overbury was the victim of a 'set-up' contrived by the Earls of Northampton and Suffolk, with Carr's complicity, to keep him out of the way during the annulment proceedings. Overbury knew too much of Carr's dealings with Frances and, motivated by a deep political hostility to the Howards, opposed
2322-522: The term "artistic kenosis" is sometimes used to describe the hymnographer's success in "emptying out" the instinct to succeed as a poet. A singer in the pew might have several of Watts's stanzas memorized, without ever knowing his name or thinking of him as a poet. Michael of Russia Michael I ( Russian : Михаил Фёдорович Романов , romanized : Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov ; 22 July [ O.S. 12 July] 1596 – 23 July [ O.S. 13 July] 1645)
2376-410: The warders had been bringing the prisoner "poisoned food and medicine." James showed a disinclination to delve into the matter, but the rumours refused to go away. Eventually, they began hinting at the King's own involvement, forcing him to order an investigation. The details of the murder were uncovered by Edward Coke and Sir Francis Bacon who presided over the trial. In the celebrated trials of
2430-403: Was Pyotr Tretyakov until his death in 1618; he conducted a policy of allying with Sweden against Poland. The next, Ivan Gramotin had a reputation for being a Polonophile ; this appointment was necessary to bring forth Filaret's release from captivity. In the mid-1620s Filaret began preparations for war with Poland; Gramotin fell into disfavour and was dismissed and exiled in 1626. The same fate
2484-526: Was Tsar of all Russia from 1613 until his death in 1645. He was elected by the Zemsky Sobor and was the first tsar of the House of Romanov , which succeeded the House of Rurik . He was the son of Feodor Nikitich Romanov (later known as Patriarch Filaret) and of Xenia Shestova . He was also a first cousin once removed of Feodor I , the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty, through his great-aunt Anastasia Romanovna , who
2538-400: Was a result of the recently elected Tsar Boris Godunov , in 1598, falsely accusing his father, Feodor, of treason. This may have been partly because Feodor had married Ksenia Shestova against Boris's wishes. Michael was eventually chosen for the throne of Muscovy due to his father's martyr-like captivity in Polish detention, as the patriotic mood swept the Russian elite after the expulsion of
2592-624: Was an important patron for the Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil . Ovid , a well established poet, was banished from Rome by the first Augustus for one of his poems. During the High Middle Ages , troubadors were an important class of poets. They came from a variety of backgrounds, often living and traveling in many different places and were looked upon as actors or musicians as much as poets. Some were under patronage, but many traveled extensively. The Renaissance period saw
2646-534: Was covered up, even the two years Mikhail spent in the Polish-occupied Kremlin with his collaborator uncle Ivan Romanov . Michael's election and accession to the throne form the basis of the Ivan Susanin legend, which Russian composer Mikhail Glinka dramatized in his opera A Life for the Tsar . In so dilapidated a condition was the capital at this time that Michael had to wait for several weeks at
2700-473: Was first headed by Sydavny Vasilyev; Filaret replaced him with his fellow in captivity Tomilo Lugovskoy, but the latter somehow provoked Filaret's anger and was sent into exile. In 1623, Fyodor Likhachov was appointed head of the prikaz until his move to the Posolsky Prikaz, and, in 1630, the Razryad was given to Ivan Gavrenev, an outstanding administrator who held this post for 30 years. Three other key offices were
2754-443: Was married three times. He first became engaged to Maria Ivanovna Khlopova via a brideshow in 1616 , where she changed her name to Anastasia. She quickly grew ill and after six weeks of marriage, was deported to Siberia. Michael maintained a strong affection towards her and vowed to never marry. He was married off to Princess Maria Vladimirovna Dolgorukova in 1624, but she became ill, and died in early 1625, only four months after
SECTION 50
#17328848349962808-455: Was shared by Efim Telepnev in 1630 and Fyodor Likhachov in 1631 – they too tried to mitigate Filaret's belligerent approach. Ivan Gryazev, appointed in 1632, was promoted from the second rank of the bureaucracy to carry out Filaret's orders. After the deaths of Filaret and Gryazev, the post was once again assumed by Gramotin in 1634, and after his retirement in 1635, by Likhachov, who undertook a general course of pacification. The Razryadny Prikaz
2862-501: Was still in Polish captivity. One of the boyars allegedly said at the time, 'Let us have Misha Romanov for he is young and not yet wise; he will suit our purposes.' In fact, under the strong influence of reactionary boyars, even in preparation for his coronation, the deeply conservative new tsar revealed his true feelings about his subjects by snubbing many patriots simply because they were commoners." The tsar's family relationship with False Dmitry I , False Dmitry II , and Prince Wladyslaw
2916-466: Was the mother of Feodor I and first wife of Ivan the Terrible . His accession marked the end of the Time of Troubles . The Ingrian and Polish–Muscovite Wars were brought to an end in 1617 and 1618 respectively, with continued Russian independence confirmed at the expense of territorial losses in the west. Polish king Władysław IV Vasa finally agreed to formally give up his claim to the Russian throne with
#995004