Sir Philip Sidney

Biography of Sir Philip Sidney (1554 – 1586)

Sir Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)

Sir Philip Sidney (November 30, 1554 – October 17, 1586) became one of the Elizabethan Age’s most prominent figures. Famous in his day in England as a poet, courtier and soldier, he remains known as a writer of sonnets.

Born at Penshurst, Kent, he was the eldest son of Sir Henry Sidney and Lady Mary Dudley. His mother was the daughter of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and the sister of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Philip was educated at Shrewsbury School and Christ Church College, Oxford. He was much travelled and highly learned. He was knighted in 1582, and three years later became governor of Flushing in the Netherlands. He married Frances, daughter of Sir Francis Walsingham.

Sir Philip’s life ended prematurely when he suffered a fatal wound at the Battle of Zutphen. His great work, Arcadia, was only published after his death.

The most famous story about Sir Philip (intended as an illustration of his noble character) is that, while dying, he gave his water-bottle to another wounded soldier, saying, “Thy need is greater than mine”. An early biography of Sidney was written by his friend and schoolfellow, Fulke Greville.

His work, Astrophel and Stella (1591), is a series of love poems. Stella is Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, his uncle Robert’s step-daughter. The Rye House conspirator, Algernon Sydney, was Sir Philip’s great-nephew.

Biography By: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and uses material adapted in whole or in part from the Wikipedia article on Sir Philip Sidney.

Poems By Sir Philip Sidney

Miscellaneous

Astrophel And Stella-Eleventh Song (No Comments »)
Astrophel And Stella-First Song (No Comments »)
Astrophel And Stella-Sonnet LIV (No Comments »)
Astrophel And Stella-Sonnet XXXI (No Comments »)
Come Sleep, O Sleep! The Certain Knot Of Peace (No Comments »)
Leave Me, O Love Which Reachest But To Dust (No Comments »)
Leave Me, O Love, Which Reachest But to Dust (No Comments »)
Loving In Truth, And Fain In Verse My Love To Show (No Comments »)
My True Love Hath My Heart, And I Have His (No Comments »)
Philomela (No Comments »)
Psalm 19: Coeli Enarrant (No Comments »)
Ring Out Your Bells (No Comments »)
Sleep (No Comments »)
Song (No Comments »)
Song from Arcadia (No Comments »)
Sonnet I: Loving In Truth (No Comments »)
Sonnet II: Not At First Sight (No Comments »)
Sonnet III: With how sad steps (No Comments »)
Sonnet IV: Virtue, Alas (No Comments »)
Sonnet IX: Queen Virtue’s Court (No Comments »)
Sonnet LXIV: No More, My Dear (No Comments »)
Sonnet LXXI: Who Will in Fairest Book (No Comments »)
Sonnet LXXXIV: Highway (No Comments »)
Sonnet V: It Is Most True (No Comments »)
Sonnet VI: Some Lovers Speak (No Comments »)
Sonnet VII: When Nature (No Comments »)
Sonnet VIII: Love, Born In Greece (No Comments »)
Sonnet X: Reason (No Comments »)
Sonnet XCII: Be Your Words Made (No Comments »)
Sonnet XI: In Truth, Oh Love (No Comments »)
Sonnet XII: Cupid, Because Thou (No Comments »)
Sonnet XIII: Phoebus Was Judge (No Comments »)
Sonnet XIV: Alas, Have I Not (No Comments »)
Sonnet XIX: On Cupid’s Bow (No Comments »)
Sonnet XLI: Having This Day My Horse (No Comments »)
Sonnet XV: You That Do Search (No Comments »)
Sonnet XVI: In Nature Apt (No Comments »)
Sonnet XVII: His Mother Dear Cupid (No Comments »)
Sonnet XVIII: With What Sharp Checks (No Comments »)
Sonnet XX: Fly, Fly, My Friends (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXI: Your Words, My Friend (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXII: In Highest Way of Heav’n (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXIII: The Curious Wits (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXIV: Rich Fools There Be (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXIX: Like Some Weak Lords (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXV: The Wisest Scholar (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXVI: Though Dusty Wits (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXVII: Because I Oft (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXVIII: You That With Allegory’s Curious Frame (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXX: Whether the Turkish New Moon (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXXI: With How Sad Steps, O Moon (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXXIII: I Might (No Comments »)
Sonnet XXXIX: Come, Sleep! (No Comments »)
Splendidis longum valedico Nugis (No Comments »)
The Bargain (No Comments »)
The Highway (No Comments »)
This Lady’s Cruelty (No Comments »)
Thou Blind Man’s Mark (No Comments »)
To The Sad Moon (No Comments »)
Voices at the Window (No Comments »)
You Gote-heard Gods (No Comments »)

Astrophel and Stella

Astrophel And Stella – Sonnet CVIII (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella LXXXIV: HIGHWAY (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella VII: WhenNature Made her Chief Work (No Comments »)
Astrophel And Stella-Sonnet XXXI (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: I (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: III (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: LXIV (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: LXXI (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XCII (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XLI (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XV (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XX (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XXIII (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XXXIII (No Comments »)
Astrophel and Stella: XXXIX (No Comments »)