The Sidneys of Penshurst and the Monarchy, 1500–1700

In the fields of politics, culture and literature the Sidney family was undoubtedly one of the major players in early modern England. This study provides the first book-length examination of their importance to political and court life, both in supporting the monarchy and parliament and in exploring alternative modes of government. Drawing upon both historical and literary sources it offers an absorbing insight into the self-perceptions of a leading renaissance family and how they adapted to the vicissitudes of the sixteenth and seventeenth century world.