Sir Patrick Sidney (1554-1586) – renaissance cavalier, person of overall interests and abilities, died in Holland as a volunteer in the war against Spain. He himself considered more a patron than an artist, but he initiated a great evolution of British literature, pastoral novel, sonnet cycle and critical essay namely. For his sister he wrote the first pastoral novel in English Arcadia, which is highly allegorical prose with ornamental enclosures, lyrical poems and many episodes and characters described in rich metaphorical language. He also became the first author of English cycle of sonnets called Astrophil and Stella (1591). The literary type of cycle of sonnets dedicated to one theme, love of a lady mainly, started a boom of  this genre in 90’s, inspiring Shakespeare, Spencer and many others. Sydneys work on this field enriched British literature in innovating rhymes and stanzas. Third major field of Sidney’s work is literary theory and criticism – his pamphlet Apology for Poetrie (1595) vindicated moral value of poetry, sourcing from antique tradition and his own critical wits. One of his masterpieces was that he brought Spencer to literature, who later dedicated Shepherd’s diary to him. He exemplified an ideal renaissance courtier.