Links to Websites with information on
Literature and culture of the English Renaissance
(excluding Shakespeare)

Find any good websites? Let me know!

General Renaissance

tudorhistory.org: A good starting point for the history of the Tudor period, including chronologies, biographies, primary & secondrary source materials, images, & more.

Tudor History On AboutBritain.com: General information, geared more for tourists than students.

The Thomas Gray Archive: Very thorough collections of Gray's (1716-1771) works, biography, criticism, and so on.

Hever Castle and Gardens: The official site of Hever Castle, Anne Bolyn's childhood home (late owned by William Waldorf Astor)

The Tudors: This site is geared towards middle-school aged students, but has some useful information. The National Archives and Victoria & Albert Museum maintain it.

The Tudor Shoppe: In case you want to look at replica Tudor items for sale (a suit of armor is only $2500!).

Elizabethan Period

Elizabethan Costume: Nice introduction to the the "Sumptuary Laws," which governed who was allowed to wear what, and the styles common during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

The Sonnet

Sonnets in English Literature on the BBC's website: good summary of the history of the sonnet form in Britain (Thanks, Liza!)