Origins & Early Life

Robert Henryson (Middle Scots: Robert Henrysoun) was a poet who flourished in Scotland in the period c. 1460–1500. Counted among the Scots makars, he lived in the royal burgh of Dunfermline and is a distinctive voice in the Northern Renaissance at a time when the culture was on a cusp between medieval and renaissance sensibilities. Little is known of his life, but evidence suggests that he was a teacher who had training in law and the humanities, that he had a connection with Dunfermline Abbey and that he may also have been associated for a period with Glasgow University.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His poetry was composed in Middle Scots at a time when this was the state language. His writing consists mainly of narrative works. His surviving body of work amounts to almost 5000 lines. Henryson's surviving canon consists of three long poems and around twelve miscellaneous short works in various genres. The longest poem is his Morall Fabillis, a tight, intricately structured set of thirteen fable stories in a cycle that runs just short of 3000 lines.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Two other long works survive, both a little over 600 lines each. One is The Tale of Orpheus and Erudices his Quene, his dynamic and inventive version of...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Madhava of Sangamagrama — Contemporary (Died in 1425) (1425): Founder of the Kerala School, pioneering work in infinite series and trigonometry.
• Vasily I of Moscow — Contemporary (Died in 1425) (1425): Grand Prince of Moscow, pivotal figure in consolidating Russian statehood.
• Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi — Contemporary (Born in 1506) (1506): Imam and General of the Adal Sultanate, known for conquering Abyssinia.
• Andrea Mantegna — Contemporary (Died in 1506) (1506): Master of the Italian Renaissance, known for monumental perspective and sculptural figures.
• Christopher Columbus — Contemporary (Died in 1506) (1506): Italian explorer whose voyages opened the Americas to European contact.
• James II of Scotland — Historical peer (Died in 1460) (1460): King of Scots, whose reign saw the strengthening of the Scottish monarchy.
• Juan Ponce de León — Historical peer (Born in 1460) (1460): Spanish explorer and conquistador, famed for discovering Puerto Rico and Florida.
• Atahualpa — Historical peer (Born in 1500) (1500): The last effective Inca Emperor, whose reign marked the end of the great Andean civilization.
• Bartolomeu Dias — Historical peer (Died in 1500) (1500): Portuguese explorer who rounded the southern tip of Africa in 1488.
• 1425 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1425
• 1506 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1506