John Skelton

Born around 1460 and dead in 1529, John Skelton was an English poet and cleric who served for a time as tutor to the future Henry VIII. He became known for learned writing as well as for a style so distinctive that readers still speak of “Skeltonics” — short, rapid, strongly rhythmic lines that give his poems a driving, spoken force.

Skelton wrote across several modes, from courtly praise to fierce satire. Works such as Speke, Parrot, Collyn Clout, and Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? show his willingness to attack corruption, vanity, and political enemies with biting wit. That boldness made him a vivid and sometimes controversial figure in Tudor literary life.

Today he is often seen as a bridge between medieval and Renaissance English writing. His poetry can be playful, abrasive, devotional, and deeply inventive, and its voice still stands out for its speed, sound, and personality.