This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1611.

Events

January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...

– ''

Oberon, the Faery Prince ''Oberon, the Faery Prince'' was a masque written by Ben Jonson, with costumes, sets and stage effects designed by Inigo Jones, and music by Alfonso Ferrabosco and Robert Johnson. ''Oberon'' saw the introduction to English Renaissance theatre o ...

'', a

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

written by

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

and designed by

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

, is performed at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

. *

February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1047 – Drogo of Hauteville is elected as count of the Apulian Normans during the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, u ...

– ''

Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly ''Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly'' was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, with music by Alfonso Ferrabosco. It was performed on 3 February 1611 at Whitehall Palace, and published in 1616. ''Lov ...

'', another Jonson/Jones masque, is also staged at Whitehall. *

May 2 Events Pre-1600 * 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first royal charter. * 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great. * 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and impris ...

– The

Authorized King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

of the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

appears, printed in London by

Robert Barker Robert Barker may refer to: Politicians * Robert Barker (MP for Ipswich) (died 1571), English MP for Ipswich * Robert Barker (MP for Thetford), English MP for Thetford * Robert Barker (MP for Colchester) (1563–1618), English MP for Colchester ...

. *

May 11 Events Pre-1600 * 330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. *868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtr ...

– The first known performance of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'', probably new this year, is given by the King's Men at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

in London. *

November 1 Events Pre-1600 * 365 – The Alemanni cross the Rhine and invade Gaul. Emperor Valentinian I moves to Paris to command the army and defend the Gallic cities. * 996 – Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk, Bishop of Freisin ...

– The King's Men give perhaps the first performance of ''

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

'', Shakespeare's last solo play, at

. *

November 5 Events Pre-1600 *1138 – Lý Anh Tông is enthroned as emperor of Vietnam at the age of two, beginning a 37-year reign. * 1499 – The '' Catholicon'', written in 1464 by Jehan Lagadeuc in Tréguier, is published; this is the first B ...

– The King's Men perform ''The Winter's Tale'' at Whitehall Palace. *

December 26 Events Pre-1600 * 887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy. He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia. * 1481 – Battle of Westbroek: An army of 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers raised by David of ...

– The King's Men return to Court with

Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather t ...

's ''

A King and No King ''A King and No King'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher and first published in 1619. It has traditionally been among the most highly praised and popular works in the canon of Fletcher a ...

''. *

December 27 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – The second Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is consecrated. *1512 – The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regard to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, native Ind ...

–

Queen Anne's Men Queen Anne's Men was a playing company, or troupe of actors, in Jacobean-era London. In their own era they were known colloquially as the Queen's Men — as were Queen Elizabeth's Men and Queen Henrietta's Men, in theirs. Formation The group ...

act one of their most popular plays, ''

Greene's Tu Quoque ''Greene's Tu Quoque'', also known as ''The City Gallant'', is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by John Cooke. The play was a major popular success upon its premier and became something of a legend in the theatre lore of the seventeen ...

'' (''The City Gallant''; probably written by John Cooke) at Court, having previously performed it at the

Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull Theatre was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London, operating in the 17th century. For more than forty years, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the y ...

. *''unknown dates'' **The last known traditional performance of an English

mystery play Mystery plays and miracle plays (they are distinguished as two different forms although the terms are often used interchangeably) are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the represe ...

is given at

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, England. It lies within the River Kent's dale, from which its name is derived, just outside the boundary of t ...

. **Dramatist

Juan Ruiz de Alarcón Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (c. 1581 – 4 August 1639) was a New Spain, New Spanish writer of the Spanish Golden Age, Golden Age who cultivated different variants of dramaturgy. His works include the comedy ''La verdad sospechosa'' (:es:La verdad so ...

returns to Spain from Mexico.

New books

Prose

*''The Holy Bible'',

Jacques Bongars Jacques Bongars (155429 July 1612) was a French scholar and diplomat. Life Bongars was born at Orléans, and was brought up in the Reformed faith. He obtained his early education at Marburg and Jena, and returning to France continued his studies ...

– ''Gesta Dei per Francos'' *

Thomas Coryat Thomas Coryat (also Coryate) (c. 15771617) was an English traveller and writer of the late Elizabethan and early Jacobean age. He is principally remembered for two volumes of writings he left regarding his travels, often on foot, through E ...

– ''

Coryat's Crudities ' is a travelogue published in 1611 by Thomas Coryat (sometimes also spelled "Coryate" or "Coriat") of Odcombe, an English traveller and mild eccentric. History The book is an account of a journey undertaken, much of it on foot, in 1608 t ...

hastily gobbled up in Five Months Travels in France, Italy, &c'' *

Randle Cotgrave Randle Cotgrave was an English lexicographer. In 1611, he compiled and published ''A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues'', a bilingual dictionary that represented a breakthrough at the time and remains historically important. Life and ...

– ''A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues'' *

John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

– '' An Anatomy of the World'' * Giolla Brighde Ó hEoghusa (Bonaventura Ó hEoghusa or O'Hussey) – ''An Teagasc Criosdaidhe'' *

Samuel Rowlands Samuel Rowlands (c. 1573–1630) was an English writer of pamphlets in prose and verse which reflect the follies and humours of lower middle-class life in his day. He seems to have had no literary reputation at the time, but his work throws much ...

– ''The Knave of Clubs'' *

John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.; superseding . The son of a citizen and Merchant Taylor in London,"Life of John Speed", ''The Hibernian Magazine, Or, Compe ...

: **''The Historie of Great Britaine'' **''The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine'' (map atlas)

Drama

Francis Beaumont Francis Beaumont ( ; 1584 – 6 March 1616) was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher. Beaumont's life Beaumont was the son of Sir Francis Beaumont of Grace Dieu, near Thri ...

and John Fletcher – ''

'' *

George Chapman George Chapman ( – 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman is seen as an anticipator of the metaphysical poets of the 17th century. He is ...

– ''

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

'' (published) *John Cooke (?) – ''

'' * Thomas Dekker and

Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...

– ''

The Roaring Girl ''The Roaring Girl'' is a Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker 1607–1610. The play was first published in quarto in 1611, printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Thomas Archer. The title page of ...

'' (published) * Thomas Dekker – ''If This Be Not a Good Play, the Devil Is In It'' *

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece ''A Woman Killed with Kindness'', a ...

– ''The Golden Age'' (published) *

**''

'' **''

Catiline His Conspiracy ''Catiline His Conspiracy (1611)'' is a Jacobean tragedy written by Ben Jonson. It is one of the two Roman tragedies that Jonson hoped would cement his dramatic achievement and reputation, the other being '' Sejanus His Fall'' (1603). Backgrou ...

'' published *

Johannes Messenius Johannes Messenius (1579–1636) was a Sweden, Swedish historian, dramatist and university professor. He was born in the village of Freberga, in Stenby parish in Östergötland, and died in Oulu, in modern-day Finland. Childhood He was the son o ...

– ''Disa'' *

(attributed to) – ''

The Second Maiden's Tragedy ''The Second Maiden's Tragedy'' is a Jacobean play that survives only in manuscript. It was written in 1611, and performed in the same year by the King's Men. The manuscript was acquired but never printed by the publisher Humphrey Moseley afte ...

'' *

Anthony Munday Anthony Munday (or Monday) (1560?10 August 1633) was an English playwright and miscellaneous writer. He was baptized on 13 October 1560 in St Gregory by St Paul's, London, and was the son of Christopher Munday, a stationer, and Jane Munday. He ...

– ''Chryso-Thriambos'' *

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

**''

'' (probable date) **''

'' (consensus date) *

Cyril Tourneur Cyril Tourneur (; died 28 February 1626) was an English soldier, diplomat and dramatist who wrote '' The Atheist's Tragedy'' (published 1611); another (and better-known) play, '' The Revenger's Tragedy'' (1607), formerly ascribed to him, is now mo ...

– ''

The Atheist's Tragedy ''The Atheist's Tragedy, or the Honest Man's Revenge'' is a Jacobean-era stage play, a tragedy written by Cyril Tourneur and first published in 1611. It is the only dramatic work recognised by the consensus of modern scholarship as the undispute ...

'' (published)

Poetry

''See also 1611 in poetry'' *

Richard Braithwaite Richard Bevan Braithwaite (15 January 1900 – 21 April 1990) was an English philosopher who specialized in the philosophy of science, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. Life Braithwaite was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, son of the ...

– ''The Golden Fleece'' *

– '' An Anatomy of the World'' *

Emilia Lanier Emilia Lanier (; 1569–1645) was the first woman in England to assert herself as a professional poet, through her volume '' Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (''Hail, God, King of the Jews'', 1611). Attempts have been made to equate her with Shakesp ...

– ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum''

Births

September 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1145 – The main altar of Lund Cathedral, at the time the seat of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, is consecrated. *1173 – The widow Stamira sacrifices herself in order to raise the siege of A ...

– William Cartwright, English dramatist (died

1643 Events January–March * January 21 – Abel Tasman sights the island of Tonga. * February 6 **(17 Dhu al-Qadah 1052 AH) In India, the first ceremony at the nearly-complete Taj Mahal in Agra, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ob ...

) *

October 22 Events Pre-1600 * 451 – The Chalcedonian Creed, regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus, is adopted by the Council of Chalcedon, an ecumenical council. * 794 – Japanese Emperor Kanmu relocates his empire's capital to H ...

–

Jacques Esprit Jacques Esprit (22 October 1611, in Béziers – 11 June 1677), sometimes called abbé Esprit despite never having been ordained a priest, was a French moralist and writer. Biography Born at Béziers, the son of a doctor from Toulouse, he joined ...

("abbé Esprit"), French moralist (died

1677 Events January–March * January 1 – Jean Racine's tragedy '' Phèdre'' is first performed, in Paris. * January 21 – The first medical publication in America (a pamphlet on smallpox) is produced in Boston. * February 15 ...

) *

October 26 Events Pre-1600 * 1185 – The Uprising of Asen and Peter begins on the feast day of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and ends with the creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire. * 1341 – The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 formally ...

– Antonio Coello, Spanish dramatist and poet (died

1652 Events January–March * January 8 – Michiel de Ruyter marries the widow Anna van Gelder and plans retirement, but months later becomes a vice-commodore in the First Anglo-Dutch War. * February 4 – At Edinburgh, the parl ...

) *''unknown dates'' **

Richard Alleine Richard Alleine (16 October 1610 – 22 December 1681) was an English Puritan divine. Life Alleine was born at Ditcheat, Somerset, in 1610 and baptised on the 18 October 1610, (where his father another Richard Alleine, born circa 1585 and d ...

, English religious writer (died

1681 Events January–March * January 1 – Prince Muhammad Akbar, son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, initiates a civil war in India. With the support of troops from the Rajput states, Akbar declares himself the new Mughal Emperor ...

) **

Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy (; 1611 – 16 January 1668), French painter and writer on his art. Du Fresnoy was born in Paris, son of an apothecary. He was destined for the medical profession, and well educated in Latin and Greek; but, having a ...

, French writer on art and painter (died

1665 Events January–March * January 5 – The ''Journal des sçavans'' begins publication of the first scientific journal in France. * February 15 – Molière's comedy '' Dom Juan ou le Festin de pierre'', based on the Spanis ...

) **

Thomas Urquhart Sir Thomas Urquhart (1611–1660) was a Scottish aristocrat, writer, and translator. He is best known for his translation of the works of French Renaissance writer François Rabelais to English. Biography Urquhart was born to Thomas Urquhar ...

, Scottish translator (died c. 1660) *''probable year'' **

Jean François Sarrazin Jean François Sarrazin (; c. 1611 – 5 December 1654), or Sarasin, was a French writer. Biography Sarrazin was born at Hermanville, near Caen, the son of Roger Sarasin, treasurer-general at Caen. He was educated at Caen, and later settled ...

, French satirist (died

1654 Events January–March * January 6 – In India, Jaswant Singh of Marwar (in the modern-day state of Rajasthan) is elevated to the title of Maharaja by Emperor Shah Jahan. * January 11 – Arauco War – Battle of Río B ...

)

Deaths

February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...

–

Jan Huyghen van Linschoten Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563 – 8 February 1611) was a Dutch spy, merchant, traveller and writer. He travelled extensively along the East Indies regions under Portuguese influence and served as the archbishop's secretary in Goa between ...

, Dutch historian (born

1563 Year 1563 ( MDLXIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 2 (January 2, 1562 O.S., January 11, 1563 N.S.) – The convocation of bishops and clerics of the Church of Engla ...

) *

March 11 Events Pre-1600 * 843 – Triumph of Orthodoxy: Empress Theodora II restores the veneration of icons in the Orthodox churches in the Byzantine Empire. * 1343 – Arnošt of Pardubice becomes the last Bishop of Prague (3 March 13 ...

–

Giles Fletcher, the Elder Giles may refer to: People * Giles (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Giles (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Saint Giles (650–710), Christian hermit saint * Giles of Assisi (c. 1190� ...

, English poet and diplomat (born c. 1548) *

March 20 Events Pre-1600 *1206 – Michael IV of Constantinople, Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. *1600 – The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden: five Swedish n ...

–

Johann Georg Gödelmann Johann Georg Gödelmann, (also Godelmann) (May 12, 1559 – March 20, 1611) was a German jurist, diplomat and demonological writer. He was born in Tuttlingen, and died, aged 51, in Dresden. Selected works * ''Disputatio de magis, veneficis ...

, German demonological writer (born

1559 Year 1559 ( MDLIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 15 – Elizabeth I of England is crowned, in Westminster Abbey. * February 27 – Queen Elizabeth I of England e ...

) *

April 23 Events Pre-1600 * 215 BC – A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Lake Trasimene. *599 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul attacks rival city-state Palenque in so ...

–

Martin Ruland the Younger Martin Ruland the Younger (11 November 1569 – 23 April 1611), also known as Martinus Rulandus or Martin Rulandt, was a German physician and alchemist. He was born in the Bavarian town of Lauingen, the son of the physician and alchemist Martin ...

, German alchemist and editor of his father's writings (born

1569 Year 1569 ( MDLXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 11 — The first recorded lottery in England begins and continues, nonstop, at the west door of St Paul's Cathedral for al ...

) *

June 8 Events Pre-1600 * 218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. * 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces ...

–

Jean Bertaut Jean Bertaut (1552 – 8 June 1611), French poet, was born at Caen. Life He figures with Philippe Desportes in the disdainful couplet of Boileau on Ronsard: "''Ce poëte orgueilleux, trébuché de si haut,'' ''Rendit plus retenus Despor ...

, French poet (born

1552 __NOTOC__ Year 1552 ( MDLII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 15 – Henry II of France and Maurice, Elector of Saxony, sign the Treaty of Chambord. * February 12 &ndas ...

) *

September 22 Events Pre-1600 * 904 – The warlord Zhu Quanzhong kills Emperor Zhaozong, the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty, after seizing control of the imperial government. * 1236 – The Samogitians defeat the Livonian Brothers of the ...

–

Pedro de Ribadeneira Pedro de Ribadeneira (born Pedro Ortiz de Cisneros; 1 November 1527 – 10 September or 22 September 1611) was a Spanish hagiographer, Jesuit priest, companion of Ignatius of Loyola, and a Spanish Golden Age ascetic writer. Life Pedro was b ...

, Spanish ecclesiastical historian (born

1527 Year 1527 ( MDXXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March *January 1 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin. * January 5 &n ...

) *''unknown date'' ** John Hamilton, Scottish Catholic controversialist (born c. 1547)

References

{{Year in literature article categories