British scientists from the University of Bristol have discovered a lost letter whose author is thought to be Joan Shakespeare, the younger sister of the great English playwright William Shakespeare. Despite the close relationship with the famous writer, almost nothing is known about his close relative. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Shakespeare Quarterly (SQ).
The document is a religious treatise whose author swears allegiance to the Catholic faith. For a long time, the authorship of this text was attributed to William Shakespeare’s father, John.
Other historians considered the manuscript to be a fake. Later, experts managed to prove that the material was actually a translation into English of the Italian work “The Last Will and Testament of the Soul”, and its author turned out to be none other than Joan Shakespeare.
Joan Shakespeare was five years younger than her famous brother. She married a poor merchant and gave birth to four children. Later, Joan outlived both her husband and William Shakespeare by 30 years, living to the age of 77.
Earlier historians I learned The cause of the mass persecution of witches in England in the 17th century.