Edmund Spenser ( born around 1552 - died 13 January 1599 ) was an important poet from England . He is most famous for his poem The Faerie Queene , which talks about different knights who fight against evil . Edmund Spenser ( c. 1552 -- 13 January 1599 ) was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene , an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy , and one of the greatest poets in the English language .