文艺复兴时，称为“桂冠诗人”的是意大利诗人弗朗西斯克·彼特拉克。

从阿波罗神话到英国的桂冠诗人，一脉相承，沿袭了国王和首领们供养宫廷诗人为其歌功颂德的古老传统。斯堪的纳维亚的吟唱诗人(skald)，威尔士的吟游诗人(bard)，盎格鲁—撒克逊的吟游诗人(scop)都和英格兰的桂冠诗人有相似之处，都依附于某个宫廷，为其服务。为宫廷娱乐而设的专职诗人，如威廉一世时的宫廷诗人，亨利一世时的御前诗人，到了亨利三世时，便成为王室诗人，成为英国皇家成员。

月桂树——希腊神话中的花草树木

顽皮的小爱神厄洛斯(罗马名丘比特)由于遭到阿波罗的嘲笑，决心向阿波罗展示一下自己的弓箭的威力。他在空中飞来飞去，笑嘻嘻地取出一支铅头小箭向珀涅俄斯河的仙女达佛妮（Daphne）射去；然后，他又取出一支金箭，射中了阿波罗。铅箭令人厌恶爱情，金箭却能使人燃起爱火。阿波罗热烈地爱上了达佛妮，而与此同时，达佛妮却以爱情为耻，并请求父亲河神珀涅俄斯答应她以处女终身。

阿波罗望见达佛妮，立即向她飞奔过去，而达佛妮却惊慌地逃开。太阳神一边追逐，一边喃喃地向她倾诉着自己的爱慕之情，但这只能让达佛妮更加恐惧。就这样，一个追，一个逃，越过了许多山川和田野。渐渐地，达佛妮没有力气了，她觉得自己透不过气来——阿波罗的脚步声就在耳畔，她甚至可以感觉到他的呼吸。达佛妮绝望地向父亲求助:“请帮助我,父亲！大地啊,裂开了吞我进去吧！”话音刚落，她就开始变得僵硬：身体成为树干，金发伸展成为树叶，双臂变成树枝，能奔善跑的双足如今生出了根须，她的头遮蔽在浓荫之中，遗存的只有她的美与洁净。

达佛妮虽然成了树，阿波罗仍然很喜欢她，他拥抱着树干，树叶沙沙地颤抖着。“你将成为我的树，”他说，“你将终年长青，成为胜利者的荣冠。”从此，阿波罗将月桂树尊为他的圣树，他的发上，琴上和箭袋上总是饰以桂树的枝叶。每年，他所挑选出的全希腊最优秀的诗人也被赐予桂枝做的花冠以示荣耀。这就是“桂冠诗人”（Poet Laureate）的由来。

桂冠是用月桂树的枝叶编成的花冠，它象征着爱情、光荣和胜利。那么诗人桂冠是怎样来的呢？据说希腊神话中的太阳神阿波罗有一天受了小爱神厄洛斯的捉弄，被他的爱情之箭射中，爱上了仙女达佛涅，而达佛涅却同时被厄洛斯的冷酷之箭射中，拒绝了阿波罗的求爱，并头也不回地逃跑了。阿波罗跟在后面追着她，眼看就要追上了，达佛涅大声呼唤父亲河神出来帮忙，果然一股巨浪从河里涌起，吞没了达佛涅。浪潮过后，河边亭亭玉立着一株月桂，它就是仙女达佛涅的化身。阿波罗满怀深情地抚摸着它，倾诉着心中真挚的爱情：“达佛涅，你快醒醒吧！亲爱的月桂树，我要把你的枝叶缠在竖琴和银弓上，让你永远陪伴在我的身边；我要把你的枝叶编成花冠，戴在骄傲的诗人和胜利的将军的头上……”从此，桂冠就成了爱情、荣誉和胜利的象征，成了诗人成就的最高奖赏。

From the more general use of the term "poet laureate" arose its restriction in England to an official office of Poet Laureate, attached to the royal household. James I essentially created the position as it is known today for Ben Jonson in 1617, although Jonson's appointment does not seem to have been formally made. The office was a development from the practice of earlier times when minstrels and versifiers formed part of the King's retinue. Richard Coeur de Lion had a versificator Regis (King's Poet), Gulielmus Peregrinus, and Henry III had a versificator named (Master Henry). In the 15th century, John Kay, also a "versifier", described himself as Edward IV's "humble poet laureate".No single authentic definitive record exists of the office of Poet Laureate of England. According to Wharton, Henry I paid 10 shillings a year to a Versificator Regis. Geoffrey Chaucer 1340–1400 was called Poet Laureate, being granted in 1389 an annual allowance of wine. W. Hamilton classes Chaucer, Gower, Kay, Andrew Bernard, Skelton, Robert Whittington, Richard Edwards, Spenser and Samuel Daniel, as "volunteer Laureates".John Skelton studied at Oxford University in the early 1480s, and was advanced to the degree of "poet laureate" in 1488. The title of laureate was also conferred on him by the University of Louvain in 1492, and by Cambridge University in 1492–3. He soon became famous for rhetoric, satire and translations. In 1488 Skelton joined the court of Henry VII, tutored Henry VIII and was the official royal poet for most of the next 40 years. He was held in high esteem: "But I pray mayster John Skelton, late created poete laureate in the unyversite of Oxenforde, to oversee and correct this sayd booke" — Caxton in the preface to The Boke of Eneydos compyled by Vargyle 1490.The title of Poet Laureate, as a royal office, was first conferred by letters patent on John Dryden in 1670, two years after Davenant's death. The post then became a regular institution. Dryden's successor Shadwell originated annual birthday and New Year odes. The poet laureate became responsible for writing and presenting official verses to commemorate both personal occasions, such as the monarch's birthday or royal births and marriages, and public occasions, such as coronations and military victories. His activity in this respect has varied according to circumstances, and the custom ceased to be obligatory after Pye's death. The office fell into some contempt before Southey, but took on a new lustre from his personal distinction and that of Wordsworth and Tennyson. Wordsworth stipulated, before accepting the honour, that no formal effusions from him should be considered a necessity; but Tennyson was generally happy in his numerous poems of this class.On Tennyson's death there was a considerable feeling that no possible successor was acceptable, William Morris and Swinburne being hardly suitable as court poets. Eventually, however, the undesirability of breaking with tradition for temporary reasons, and thus severing the one official link between literature and the state, prevailed over the protests against allowing anyone of inferior genius to follow Tennyson. It may be noted that abolition had been similarly advocated when Warton and Wordsworth died. Edward Gibbon had condemned the position's artificial approach to poetry:From Augustus to Louis, the muse has too often been false and venal: but I much doubt whether any age or court can produce a similar establishment of a stipendiary poet, who in every reign, and at all events, is bound to furnish twice a year a measure of praise and verse, such as may be sung in the chapel, and, I believe, in the presence, of the sovereign. I speak the more freely, as the best time for abolishing this ridiculous custom is while the prince is a man of virtue and the poet a man of genius. — Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Chapter LXX (footnote) The salary has varied, but traditionally includes some alcohol. Ben Jonson first received a pension of 100 marks, and later an annual "terse of Canary wine". Dryden had a pension of �0�5300 and a butt of Canary wine. Pye received �0�527 instead of the wine. Tennyson drew �0�572 a year from the Lord Chamberlain's department, and �0�527 from the Lord Steward's "in lieu of the butt of sack".