John Skelton was born around 1460 and lived through a tumultuous era marked by the tensions of the English church, the royal court, and the rise of the printing press. He studied at Cambridge and Oxford, earning the title of "poet laureate" from both institutions — a title that during his time was more about academic recognition than the ceremonial role we think of today. He also received a laureateship from the University of Louvain, indicating that his reputation spread far beyond England.
Skelton served as a tutor to the young Prince Henry, who later became Henry VIII. This royal connection granted him access and influence but also put him in precarious situations. Ordained as a priest in 1498, he held the rectorship of Diss in Norfolk for many years, though his relationship with the church was not without its challenges. He reportedly lived with a woman he referred to as his wife, which created quite a scandal for someone in holy orders.
“His real troubles stemmed from his writing.”
He authored a series of sharp satirical poems that fiercely criticized Cardinal Wolsey, the most powerful figure in England after the king. Works like *Speak, Parrot*, *Colin Clout*, and *Why Come Ye Not to Court?* ruthlessly attacked Wolsey's arrogance and overreach, putting Skelton in genuine danger. At one point, he sought refuge at Westminster Abbey to avoid arrest. He died there in 1529, the same year Wolsey lost his power — a coincidence that seems almost too perfect.
Skelton's writing style is among the most distinctive in English literary history. "Skeltonics" — the short, rapid, rhyme-rich lines he popularized — surge forward with a breathless energy that feels surprisingly contemporary. His work could be bawdy, vicious, tender, and absurd, often within the same poem. He wrote *The Tunning of Elinour Rumming*, a lively depiction of a tavern and its patrons, and *Philip Sparrow*, a heartfelt elegy for a girl's deceased pet bird that is genuinely touching.
