Elizabeth I: Killer Queen?

Robert Dudley married Amy Robsart long before he was considered Elizabeth I's favorite. They spent much time apart as Robert became Elizabeth's master of horse and Amy remained at their estate, rumored to be ill.  As Elizabeth's affections for Robert grew, gossip started that if Amy were to die that Elizabeth would marry Robert and make him her consort.

 In April 1559 court observers noted that Elizabeth never let Dudley from her side; but her favor did not extend to his wife. Lady Amy Dudley lived in different parts of the country and was rarely seen at court. Robert had visited Amy for four days at Easter 1559 and she spent a month around London in the early summer of the same year. They never saw each other again; Dudley was with the Queen at Windsor Castle when his wife was found dead at her residence Cumnor Place near Oxford on September 8, 1560. It appeared she has fallen down some stairs and died of her injuries. Gossip immediately began at to whether Robert, Elizabeth or one of their "henchman" could have been responsible for her death, clearing the way for the two to marry.

In order to quiet the talk, Robert retired to his house at Kew, away from court and from the probable crime scene and pressed for an impartial inquiry which had already begun in the form of an inquest. The jury found that Amy's death was an accident: Lady Dudley, staying alone "in a certain chamber", had fallen down the adjoining stairs, sustaining multiple head injuries and breaking her neck. Despite the findings it was widely speculated that Dudley had arranged his wife's death to be able to marry the Elizabeth and share power, something his family had desired for years. The scandal played into the hands of nobles and politicians who desperately tried to prevent Elizabeth from marrying him. Some of these, like William Cecil and Nicholas Throckmorton, made use of it, telling Elizabeth that their marriage would cause outrage and more factional violence. As we know Elizabeth never married Dudley or anyone else. Robert would marry again, this time to Elizabeth's cousin Lettice Knollys who would feel the Queen's hatred for the remainder of her days.

Many historians, myself included, do not believe that Robert, Elizabeth or anyone else was responsible for Amy's death. Ian Aird, a professor of Medicine suggested that Amy may have suffered from breast cancer, which would explain not only her prolonged illness but also could have caused metastatic cancerous deposits on her spine causing her neck to break even from limited strain. This video, despite popular historical opinion, asserts that Elizabeth DID have something to do with Amy's death.

Watch and weigh in!

 

Read of the Week

This week I chose to spoil myself with a historical novel :) The Tudor Conspiracy by CW Gortner was really interesting and fun to read. Most novels that deal with Elizabeth or Anne are told from a female perspective. Interestingly, this one story was told by a man, Brendan Prescott who was the illegitimate child of Mary Tudor, sister to Henry VIII. The child was fathered by Charles Brandon's squire who was madly in love with Mary. The story follows Brendan through his love life, efforts to save Elizabeth from a plot she herself began and his life at court where he also pretends to serve Elizabeth's sister Queen Mary I. Mary has been convinced by Hapsburg ambassador Renard that Elizabeth is a dangerous and traitorous heathen who must be executed in order for Mary's marriage to Prince Philip to take place. Both Cecil and Prescott know that this is not true. Prescott decides to work for Elizabeth, and infiltrate Mary's court to thwart Renard's plan. However, he is called upon by Queen Mary to find proof of Elizabeth's treachery and involvement in the plot to overthrow her. Now serving as a double agent, he must find the proof (whether it be treacherous or not) in Elizabeth's letters before his unknown nemesis finds it first and Elizabeth meets an executioner. This book is enthralling from beginning to end; humanizing the virgin Queen and giving us a few of her beginnings. For a true history lover, you can see the compressed timeline of the novel, but can also appreciate the way the author attempted to stay true to historical facts. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to picking up another great book by him!

A St. Erkenwald's Day Wedding for Anne and Henry?

November 14, 1532 is the day that Henry and Anne landed back in England after their lengthy trip to France to gain support for their union with Francis I. The King and his intended took their time heading back to London, tarrying in Dover for several days for the purpose "...of having harbours constructed in the said town..." They did not return to the capital for ten days! Edward Hall, a Tudor chronicler wrote that they were not actually raising funds and buildings but rather that they had gotten married! He wrote, "The kyng after his returne<sic>, married priuily[privily, meaning in a private way] the lady Anne Bulleyn, on sainct<sic> Erkwnwaldes daie, whiche marriage was kept so secrete,<sic> that very fewe knewe it, til she was greate with child, as Easter after..."

This story directly contradicts the idea that they married in January, only after Anne found out that she was pregnant. We may never know the exact date of their marriage, but we do know that after this point the King and Anne began co-habitating and that she became pregnant sometime in December. I find myself leaning towards Hall's account; it seems unlikely that Anne would give herself to Henry after so many years of holding out unless she had gotten her ultimate goal, marriage.

 

 

 

On This Day in Tudor History

On this day in history 1501 Arthur, elder brother of Henry VII, Prince of Wales married Katherine of Aragon, Infanta of Spain in a lavish ceremony at Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. The bride and groom were clothed in white satin and the Archbishop of Canterbury presided. Their reception, which took place at Baynard's castle, included feasting, a fountain which distributed wine and many, many sweets. Following the ceremony the only public bedding in 16th century England took place. Katherine's bed was sprinkled with holy water and prayed over by Catholic priests. Katherine was undressed by her ladies in waiting, veiled and reverently laid in bed; Arthur entered the room to the sounds of musicians playing and together they prayed with the Bishop of London for their marriage to be fruitful. Unfortunately for them, the marriage was very short, less than six months. Arthur would die of either tuberculosis or influenza and Katherine would enter a tumultuous widowhood lasting seven years before she would remarry and become the first of wife of Henry VIII.

Reader Questions

Once again, I have fallen off of the band wagon of answering your questions! There were so many that I will post two sections of them this week. Here is section one:

Q: What did Anne Boleyn look like?
A: I have answered this question a lot, I never tire of it! Probably because I have wondered this very thing myself. Here is the link to my article on the topic.

Q: What did Mary I die of?
A: We cannot be entirely certain, she died during an influenza epidemic which could have done it, but we also know from her medical records that she was suffering from intense pain and bloating (so much so that she thought herself pregnant), possibly from Ovarian cysts or uterine cancer. Internal bleeding from the cysts or complications from the cancer could have caused her demise as well.

Q: Was Elizabeth involved in the Dudley plot against Mary?
A: I think you are incorrectly calling Wyatt's Rebellion the "Dudley Plot" Thomas Wyatt the younger led the rebellion because he, and other nobles, feared that Mary's marriage to the Spanish Prince Phillip would lead to the subjugation of England to the Holy Roman Empire. The rebellion also had religious roots, the Spanish prince and devout Catholic Mary would certainly try to return England to the Roman fold. The rebels sought to depose Mary and place Elizabeth in her stead. Robert Dudley, and his brothers, were often thought to have conspired in the plot even though no evidence could be found. We cannot be sure if Elizabeth was involved, although Mary certainly thought she was and locked her in the Tower for it.

Q: Did Henry VIII suffer from MacLeod's Syndrome?
A: Great question, one that cannot be answered without access to his body; which is unlikely to ever happen. However Kyra Cornelius Kramer makes an excellent argument for the case in her book Blood Will Tell: A Medical Explanation for the Tyranny of Henry VIII. I would suggest picking it up and drawing your own conclusions.

Keep your questions coming! I will endeavor to be more diligent about answering!