Nicholas Udall

Born around 1505 in Hampshire, Nicholas Udall was educated at Winchester College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He became known as a scholar, teacher, and churchman, and held important school posts including Eton and later Westminster.

Udall is remembered above all for Ralph Roister Doister, widely regarded as the earliest surviving English comedy. Drawing on classical models such as Plautus and Terence, the play helped move English drama toward a more clearly comic, character-driven form.

He also translated and adapted Latin works, including writings by Erasmus and Terence, which shows how closely his literary work was tied to humanist education. That blend of classroom learning and theatrical energy makes him an important figure in the story of early English literature.