ABSTRACT
Maria Tesselschade Roemersdochter lived through the first half of the Dutch Golden Age, an era in which political power and economic prosperity were matched by intense cultural activity She wrote poetry, including sonnets, and kept up a lively correspondence with some of the great writers and intellectuals of the time, such as Hooft, Huygens, and van Baerle or Barlaeus. Mostly written on the occasion of, or as a reaction to, private and public events, Tesselschade's letters and poems are not only fine examples of Dutch Renaissance literature (which was late in developing compared to Southern Europe), but they also offer valuable insights into the bustling intellectual, literary, and religious climate of the young Dutch republic.
