Aemilia Lanyer

Aemilia Lanyer (1569-1645) was brought up in the home of the Countess of Kent. She was, for a time, the mistress of the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Hunsdon, and had a child by him, but was later married off to Alphonso Lanyer. Her poems advocate and praise female virtue and Christian piety, but reflect a desire for an idealized, classless world.