[109], With Douglas Sheffield, a young widow of the Howard family, he had a serious relationship from about 1569. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. After the pope declared her illegitimate in 1570 and released her subjects from obedience to her, several conspiracies threatened her life, all of which were defeated with the help of her ministers' secret service, run by Francis Walsingham. . [37] Among all classes, in England and abroad, gossip got underway that the Queen had children by Dudleysuch rumours never quite ended for the rest of her life. In the background are the devices of the, Learning, theatre, the arts, and literature, There is a popular tradition that Robert Dudley was the same age as. [6] In January 1565, Thomas Randolph, the English ambassador to Scotland, was told by the Scottish queen that she would accept the proposal. views 3,490,942 updated May 23 2018. The title takes its name after the town of Dudley in the West Midlands; the See was erected under the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888 by Order in Council dated 24 October 1973. In religion, she was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. Handsome and immensely ambitious, he failed to win the Queens hand in marriage but remained her close friend to the end of his life. Robert Dudley biography, ethnicity, religion, interesting facts, favorites, family, updates, childhood facts, information and more: [161] By the early 1580s Mary had come to fear Leicester's influence with James VI, her son, in whose privy chamber the English Earl had placed a spy. [138] In 1583 she informed ambassadors that Lettice Dudley was "a she-wolf" and her husband a "traitor" and "a cuckold". "[141] The Earl stood by his wife, asking his colleagues to intercede for her; there was no hope:[142] "She [the Queen] doth take every occasion by my marriage to withdraw any good from me", Leicester wrote even after seven years of marriage. Published 9th December 2017. Robert Dudley - Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, was an ambitious, good looking courtier. [232], Many Dutch statesmen were essentially politiques; they soon became disenchanted with the Earl's enthusiastic fostering of what he called "the religion". [53], Elizabeth remained close to Dudley and he, with her blessing and on her prompting, pursued his suit for her hand in an atmosphere of diplomatic intrigue. They were almost certainly never married, and he cast her off in 1578, when he secretly wed Lettice Knollys, widow of Walter Devereux, earl of Essex. In 1564 CE Dudley refused Elizabeth's offer to have him marry her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots (r. 1542-1567 CE). Which vanished quite, so soon as it was sought. When all was over, the couple progressed to a royal tour of country estates across the centre of England. This and the death of his only legitimate son and heir were heavy blows. [6] His apartments at court were next to hers,[75] andperceived as knowing "the Queen and her nature best of any man"his influence was matched by few. [38], Already in April 1559 court observers noted that Elizabeth never let Dudley from her side;[39] but her favour did not extend to his wife. Leicester, Robert Dudley, 1st earl of. Dudley received his new title and estates in a lavish ceremony at St. James' Palace. He is presented as an atheistic, hypocritical coward, a "perpetuall Dictator",[257] terrorising the Queen and ruining the whole country. The Dutch members of the Council of State were outraged at these bold steps. "[34] Many of the nobility would not brook Dudley's new prominence, as they could not "put up with his being King. Dudley's accumulation of titles and estates continued. The earl's tentacles of power at local level extended everywhere from holding positions as Justice of the Peace in several counties to acting as the high recorder of Maldon in 1565 CE. [6] Meanwhile, he also helped some of Mary's former servants and maintained Catholic contacts. [114], Lettice Knollys was the wife of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, and a first cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth on her mother's side. 715; Wilson 1981 p. 238; Haynes 1987 p. 158, Gristwood 2007 pp. That Robert Dudley, the brother, son and grandson of traitors, should stand beside the queen at such a moment would have shocked many. [156], Until about 1571/1572 Dudley supported Mary Stuart's succession rights to the English throne. There is great offence taken at the conveying down of his lady. As there was no sign of her doing so, Burghley, Leicester, and a handful of other privy councillors decided to proceed with Mary's execution in the interest of the state. Leicester's health had not been good for some time; historians have considered malaria and stomach cancer as causes of death. From 1 October 1993 until 2002, the bishop . [6] There was a Lady of the Lake, a swimming papier-mch dolphin with a little orchestra in its belly, fireworks, masques, hunts, and popular entertainments like bear baiting. Leicester was engaged in many large-scale business ventures and was one of the main backers of Francis Drake and other explorers and privateers. Scientific Disciplines Primary: Navigation, Cartography Dudley's Dell'arcano del mare, 1646-7, was a major work on navigation and cartography. Leicester's fury turned on the town's governor, Baron Hemart, whom he had executed despite all pleadings. [123] His mother supported him, but maintained that she had been strongly against raising the issue and was possibly pressured by her son. In 1586 Walsingham uncovered the Babington Plot. Life. [71] These he had sabotaged and would continue to sabotage. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. 6667; Skidmore 2010 pp. [85] He also received some of his father's lands, but since he was not the family heir it was a matter of some difficulty to find a suitable estate for his intended peerage. Soon, the townsmen of King's Lynn seized Robert Dudley and the rest of his small troop and sent him to Framlingham Castle before Mary I. With the accession of Elizabeth in 1558, Dudleys fortunes soared rapidly. George Lasry, Norbert Biermann, Satoshi Tomokiyo, Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I of England, "Princely pleasures at Kenilworth: Robert Dudley's three-week marriage proposal to Elizabeth I", "Robert Dudley's bindings: 'A bear muzzled and chained', Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester: Autograph letter, signed, to Queen Elizabeth I. Folger Shakespeare Library. [169] On a personal level, he gave to poor people, petitioners, and prisons on a daily basis. It suited him, as he was an excellent horseman and showed great professional interest in royal transport and accommodation, horse breeding, and the supply of horses for all occasions. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532/3-1588) was a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, and one of her most trusted friends. Presumably conforming in public under Mary I,[6] he was counted among the "heretics" by Philip II's agent before Elizabeth's accession. His acceptance of the post of governor-general of the United Provinces infuriated Queen Elizabeth. Consequently, Elizabeth called home the earl in November 1586 CE. [16], On 6 July 1553, King EdwardVI died and the Duke of Northumberland attempted to transfer the English crown to Lady Jane Grey, who was married to his second youngest son, Lord Guildford Dudley. World History Encyclopedia, 08 Jun 2020. [63] He also worked in the interest of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Mary's eventual choice of husband. This was indeed almost true as the couple then indulged in 18 days of feasts, pageants, and dancing, and hunting parties. [147] There also existed a family relationship between them after Walsingham's daughter had married Philip Sidney, Leicester's favourite nephew. [11], In 1549, Robert Dudley participated in crushing Kett's Rebellion and probably first met Amy Robsart, whom he was to wed on 4 June 1550 in the presence of the young King Edward. [21] On 18 November 1558, the morning after Elizabeth's accession, Dudley witnessed the surrender of the Great Seal to her at Hatfield. [249] Elizabeth kept the letter he had sent her six days before his death in her bedside treasure box, endorsing it with "his last letter" on the outside. In 1550 CE Dudley married Amy Robsart, a decision he perhaps regretted later in life. Other grants were to follow. [175] He was allowed to build his own apartments on the premises and organised grand festivities and performances in the Temple. When considering the question of Elizabeth I's virginity, one name comes to mind immediately and before all others: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He was unpopular at the Court, and many were jealous about his rise to power. World History Encyclopedia. [143], For the first 30 years of Elizabeth's reign, until Leicester's death, he and Lord Burghley were the most powerful and important political figures, working intimately with the Queen. Some leading local families benefited from this to the detriment of the Crown's revenue. [213] After progress through several cities and so many festivals he arrived in The Hague, where on 1 January 1586 he was urged to accept the title governor-general by the States General of the United Provinces. His sons had to start from scratch in rebuilding the family fortunes, as they had renounced any rights to their father's former possessions or titles when their own attainders had been lifted in January 1558. [153] Cecil favoured the suit of Francois, Duke of Anjou, in 15781581 for Elizabeth's hand, while Leicester was among its strongest opponents,[72] even contemplating exile in letters to Burghley. [209] An English intervention became inevitable; it was decided that Leicester would go to the Netherlands and "be their chief as heretofore was treated of", as he phrased it in August 1585. [4] Shortly after the child's death in 1584, a virulent libel known as Leicester's Commonwealth was circulated in England. Religion. [70] To remove this threat to Habsburg and Valois suitors, between 1565 and 1578, four German and French princesses were mooted as brides for Leicester, as a consolation for giving up Elizabeth and his resistance to her foreign marriage projects. [174] In 1561, grateful for favours he had done them, the Inner Temple admitted Dudley as their most privileged member, their "Lord and Governor". [86] In June 1563 the Queen granted him Kenilworth Manor, Castle, and Park, together with the lordships of Denbigh and Chirk in North Wales. He supported the execution of Mary Queen of Scots who was the chief threat to Elizabeth's throne. [61] To his amazement, Dudley was not to be moved to comply: But a man of that nature I never found any he whom I go about to make as happy as ever was any, to put him in possession of a kingdom, to lay in his naked arms a most fair lady nothing regardeth the good that shall ensue unto him thereby but so uncertainly dealeth that I know not where to find him. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 08 June 2020. III p. 477; Jenkins 2002 p. 279, Wilson 1981 p. 215; Collinson 1960 pp. [54] His wife's and his father's shadows haunted his prospects. [23] In January 1557 Robert and Amy Dudley were allowed to repossess some of their former lands,[24] and in March of the same year Dudley was at Calais where he was chosen to deliver personally to Queen Mary the happy news of Philip's return to England. 1564. It was clear to all, then, that this man was, without doubt, the queen's favourite. [263], The Victorian historian James Anthony Froude saw Robert Dudley as Elizabeth's soft plaything, combining "in himself the worst qualities of both sexes. The Black Reputation of Robert Dudley. There was universal relief when she recovered her health; Dudley was made a privy councillor. 164165; Gristwood 2007 p. 198, Haynes 1987 pp. By December 1587 the differences between Elizabeth and the Dutch politicians, with Leicester in between, had become insurmountable; he asked to be recalled by the Queen and gave up his post. [6] His efforts leading nowhere, in the spring of 1561 Dudley offered to leave England to seek military adventures abroad; Elizabeth would have none of that and everything remained as it was. For many years he was a suitor for the Queen's hand; she giving him reason to hope. They were not, indeed, such mere upstarts as their enemies loved to represent them; for Leicester's grandfather the notorious Edmund Dudley who was one of the chief instruments of Henry VII 's extortions was descended from a younger branch of the barons of Dudley. Haynes 1992 p. 12; Wilson 1981 pp. Her majesty is unaccompanied and, I assure you, the chambers are almost empty. The sections about her and Robert Dudley are interesting and the book doesn't take a position on whether they had a sexual relationship or not. His company was essential for her well-being and for many years he was hardly allowed to leave. [260], In the early 17th century, William Camden saw "some secret constellation" of the stars at work between Elizabeth and her favourite;[261] he firmly established the legend of the perfect courtier with the sinister influence. [130] Leicester found comfort in God since, as he wrote, "princes seldom do pity according to the rules of charity. [160] In 1577 Leicester had a personal meeting with Mary and listened to her complaints about her captivity. His policies, in violation of Elizabeths instructions, and his arrogant manner alienated the Dutch and resulted in his recall to England in 1587. [208] In 1584 the Prince of Orange was murdered, political chaos ensued, and in August 1585 Antwerp fell to the Duke of Parma. [88], At the time Robert Dudley entered his new Welsh possessions there had existed a tenurial chaos for more than half a century. [264] The habit of comparing him unfavourably to William Cecil[265] was continued by Conyers Read in 1925: "Leicester was a selfish, unscrupulous courtier and Burghley a wise and patriotic statesman". Another threat to the friendship was jealousy from the queen when Dudley was involved with other women. When his first wife, Amy Robsart, fell down a flight of stairs and died in 1560, he was free to marry the queen. Received into the . Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG (24 June 1532 or 1533 - 4 September 1588) was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death. [6], In October 1562 the Queen fell ill with smallpox and, believing her life to be in danger, she asked the Privy Council to make Robert Dudley Protector of the Realm and to give him a suitable title together with twenty thousand pounds a year. He is engaged in a long-term conspiracy to snatch the Crown from Elizabeth in order to settle it first on his brother-in-law, the Earl of Huntingdon, and ultimately on himself. The Earl's patronage of and reliance on individuals was as much a matter of old family loyalties or personal relationships as of religious allegiances. 5961; Gristwood 2007 p. 322, Wilson 1981 pp. xxvxxvi, Adams 2002 p. 18; Alford 2002 p. 30; Doran 1996 p. 216, Hammer 1999 pp. [182] Dudley took a special interest in translations, which were seen as a means to popularise learning among "all who could read. [9], Roger Ascham believed that Robert Dudley possessed a rare talent for languages and writing, including in Latin, regretting that his pupil had done himself harm by preferring mathematics. [73], As "a male favourite to a virgin queen", Robert Dudley found himself in an unprecedented situation. [14] Lord Robert, as he was styled as a duke's son, became an important local gentleman and served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk in 155152, March 1553 and 1559. Leicester wrote to Burghley and Walsingham, explaining why he believed the Dutch importunities should be answered favourably. These were common enough positions for a high-ranked courtier to hold but Dudley impressed with the sheer number and geographical scale of his appointments. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. The Earl of Leicester", "Dudley, Lettice, countess of Essex and countess of Leicester (15431634)", "Dudley, Robert, earl of Leicester (1532/31588)", "Sheffield, Douglas, Lady Sheffield (1542/31608)", "Archival material relating to Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester", Lord Robert Dudley at The Internet Movie Database, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Dudley,_1st_Earl_of_Leicester&oldid=1150182356, Molyneaux, N.A.D. It was unusual to grant an earldom to a man who was not directly related to the monarch and so the move shows the high esteem Dudley enjoyed in the queen's eyes. He died a few weeks later. "Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester." The greatness and the suddenness of the misfortune doth so perplex me, until I do hear from you how the matter standeth, or how this evil should light upon me, considering what the malicious world will bruit, as I can take no rest. [157] He was also, from the early 1560s, on the best terms with the Protestant lords in Scotland, thereby supporting the English or, as he saw it, the Protestant interest. Leicester and the Puritans Pious nobleman or calculating humbug - what is the true characterisation of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester? Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, also called (155064) Sir Robert Dudley, (born June 24, 1532/33died Sept. 4, 1588, Cornbury, Oxfordshire, Eng. Owen Francis Dudley. On Elizabeth I's accession in November 1558, Dudley was appointed Master of the Horse. [234] Those rich provinces engaged in a lucrative trade with Spain which was very helpful to either side's war effort. The next year, Dudley was given two ex-monasteries in Yorkshire, a house in Kew and, best of all, Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire where he royally entertained his queen on many occasions (see below). [171] He took much interest in the careers of John Hawkins and Francis Drake from early on, and was a principal backer of Drake's circumnavigation of the world. 4547, Ives 2009 pp. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG, PC (24 June 1532[note 1] 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. License. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester by Jessica Brain If there was ever a man who could win the heart of Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, it was Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. [6] Alan Haynes describes him as "one of the most strangely underrated of Elizabeth's circle of close advisers",[270] while Simon Adams, who since the early 1970s has researched many aspects of Leicester's life and career,[271] concludes: "Leicester was as central a figure to the 'first reign' [of Elizabeth] as Burghley. At entertainments elsewhere, Dudley often acted as the queen's host. Dudley, to whom a degree had no significance, did not earn a B.A. 94, 95, 138, 197; Doran 1996 p. 124, Gristwood 2007 p. 151; Girouard 1979 p. 111, Adams 2002 p. 120; Wilson 1981 pp. [13] It was a love-match, the young couple depending heavily on their fathers' gifts, especially Robert's. In this function, he invited Queen Elizabeth to visit her troops at Tilbury. 129, 128; Porter 2007 p. 412, MacCulloch 2001 pp. ), favourite and possible lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Though there is no evidence to support this suspicion, Dudley did become an active suitor of the Queen. Short Biography. [252], The book which later became known as Leicester's Commonwealth was written by Catholic exiles in Paris and printed anonymously in 1584. Updates? [225] After some initial successes,[226] the unexpected surrender of the strategically important town of Grave was a serious blow to English morale. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (l. c. 1532-1588 CE), was a high-ranking courtier who rose to become a favourite of Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE). Following her conviction, Leicester, then in the Netherlands, vehemently urged her execution in his letters; he despaired of Elizabeth's security after so many plots. [245], After the Armada the Earl was seen riding in splendour through London "as if he were a king",[246] and for the last few weeks of his life he usually dined with the Queen, a unique favour. [128] Leicester's hope of an heir was fulfilled in 1581 when another Robert Dudley, styled Lord Denbigh, was born. To remedy this situation, and to increase his own income, Dudley affected compositions with the tenants in what Simon Adams has called an "ambitious resolution of a long-standing problem without parallel in Elizabeth's reign". Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. 68-69, Adams 2002 p. 134; Chamberlin 1939 pp. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG, PC (24 June 1532 [note 1] - 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. Upon the first that she took up was written, 'My Lord's Picture'. The next year, though, Dudley was back in the Netherlands as Elizabeth was obliged to meet her treaty obligations with the Dutch. This he did in the manner of his private business affairs, underpinned by a patriotic and missionary zeal (commercially, these relations were loss-making). His father went to the scaffold. 6. His zeal caused him to be attacked, presumably by a Catholic writer, in a famous but highly distorted expos of his character known as Leicesters Commonwealth (1584). Later that year he died suddenly at his home. Likewise, all tenants' rights of common were secured as were the boundaries of the commons, thus striking a balance between property rights and protection against enclosure. [121] In his will he left him the bulk of his estate (after his brother Ambrose's death), including Kenilworth Castle. [228] Unity among their ranks was at risk by Leicester's and the other officers' quarrels with Sir John Norris, who had commanded previous English contingents in the Netherlands and was now the Earl's deputy. There was even less success than his first stint there, as Dudley managed to lose control of Sluys to Philip II's regent, the Duke of Parma. [248] Her nickname for Dudley had been "Eyes", which was symbolised by the sign of in their letters to each other. Following the Ridolfi Plot (1571) and the Throckmorton Plot (1583), this was another scheme to assassinate Elizabeth in which Mary Stuart was involved. [168] The Earl also concerned himself with relieving unemployment among the poor. . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Robert_Dudley_1st_Earl_of_Leicester/. [129] The child died aged three in 1584, leaving his parents disconsolate. [82] He was also the Queen's regular dancing partner. [239] His Dutch friends, as his English critics, pressed for Leicester's return to the Netherlands. Robert Dudley was the fifth son of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and his wife Jane, daughter of Sir Edward Guildford. [125][note 4], On 21 September 1578 Leicester secretly married Lady Essex at his country house at Wanstead, with only a handful of relatives and friends present. When the queen entered the house, all of the clocks therein were stopped to signify that the party had begun and time was now of no importance. IV pp. [122] Douglas Sheffield remarried in 1579. [258] This influential classic is the origin of many aspects of Leicester's historical reputation. Once again, after upsetting everyone on all sides, the earl resigned and was called home by his sovereign in November 1587 CE. 199, 209; Haynes 1987 pp. I assure you it will fret me to death ere long to see my soldiers in this case and cannot help them", Leicester wrote home. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [100] The town of Warwick felt this during a magnificent visit by the Earl in 1571 to celebrate the feast of the Order of Saint Michael, with which Leicester had been invested by the French king in 1566. He had been a suitor of the queen for many years and came close to marrying her. [178] Leicester was also instrumental in founding the official Oxford University Press,[179] and installed the pioneer of international law, Alberico Gentili, and the exotic theologian, Antonio del Corro, at Oxford. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In his absence, William Stanley and Rowland York, two Catholic officers whom Leicester had placed in command of Deventer and the fort of Zutphen, respectively, went over to Parma, along with their key fortressesa disaster for the Anglo-Dutch coalition in every respect. The story of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley has fascinated people for more than 450 years. Robert Dudley, the fifth son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland was born on 24th June 1532. [45] The jury found that it was an accident: Lady Dudley, staying alone "in a certain chamber", had fallen down the adjoining stairs, sustaining two head injuries and breaking her neck. 8788, Hume 18921899 Vol. In vain Leicester tried to have the nearby episcopal see of St. Asaph transferred to Denbigh. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. He is best known as being a favorite of Elizabeth I, the Queen of England. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. [152], On the whole, Cecil and Dudley were in concord about policies while disagreeing fundamentally about some issues, such as the Queen's marriage and some areas of foreign policy. The earl of Leicester was one of Elizabeth's leading statesmen, involved in domestic as well as foreign politics alongside William Cecil and Sir Francis Walsingham. [191] The Earl's circle of scholars and men of letters included, among others, his nephew Philip Sidney, the astrologer and Hermeticist John Dee, his secretaries Edward Dyer and Jean Hotman, as well as John Florio and Gabriel Harvey. He acted as an official host on state occasions and was himself a frequent guest at ambassadorial dinners. [7] Among the siblings' tutors figured John Dee,[8] Thomas Wilson, and Roger Ascham. After establishing himself in Florence, Dudley became a Catholic. [250], Leicester was buried, as he had requested, in the Beauchamp Chapel of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick on 10 October 1588in the same chapel as Richard Beauchamp, his ancestor, and the "noble Impe", his little son. She at once made him master of the horse, and in April 1559 he became a privy councillor and Knight of the Garter. [note 3] Visiting foreigners of princely rank were bidding for his goodwill. [212], On Thursday 9 December 1585, the Earl of Leicester set sail for the Low Countries from Harwich and landed after a swift crossing of less than 24 hours, the fleet anchored at Flushing (Vlissingen). Robert Dudley had appointed her executrix of his will, and her income from both her husbands' jointures amounted to 3,000 annually, to which came plate and movables worth 6,000. [124] Leicester himself had throughout considered the boy as illegitimate. Cartwright, Mark. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [6] This was an important court position entailing close attendance on the sovereign. Patching up their friendship again, Dudley was to have led the queen's land army stationed at Tilbury to face the Spanish Armada in August 1588 CE but he was too unwell to do so and died in September. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. [91] He set about developing the town of Denbigh with large building projects;[92] the church he planned, though, was never finished, being too ambitious. [207], During the 1570s Leicester built a special relationship with Prince William of Orange, who held him in high esteem. Leicester went to Bath and Bristol for his health; unlike the other privy councillors involved, he escaped Elizabeth's severe wrath on hearing the news of Mary's death. 78, 305, Haynes 1987 pp. The Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir Henry Sidney, conducted an official investigation which did not find any indications of foul play but "a disease appropriate to this country whereof died many". [118] The rumours continued. [214], The Earl had now "the rule and government general" with a Council of State to support him (the members of which he nominated himself). Despite the scandal and the rumours of what went on between them, the queen and Dudley remained good friends. [269] His importance as a privy councillor and statesman has often been overlooked,[78] one reason being that many of his letters are scattered among private collections and not easily accessible in print, as are those of his colleagues Walsingham and Cecil. [20] In the Tower, Dudley's stay coincided with the imprisonment of his childhood friend,[21] Edward and Mary's half-sister Elizabeth, who was sent there on suspicion of involvement in Wyatt's rebellion. 99% of them did whatever they wanted because they thought they were above all others and didn't . [210] He was alluding to the recently signed Treaty of Nonsuch in which his position and authority as "governor-general" of the Netherlands had only been vaguely defined. He was born during the early 1530s, a period where John Dudley was beginning his climb to royal favour. This favourite of Queen Elizabeth came of an ambitious family. He displayed a strong sense for economising and reform in this function, which he had de facto occupied long before his official appointment. Dudley also put on plays as he was, after all, the owner of a company of professional actors known as 'Leicester's Men', the first such troupe to be awarded a royal license in 1574 CE. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG (24 June 1532 - 4 September 1588) was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death. 7576; Haynes 1987 p. 175, Hume 18921899 Vol. [145], In 1560 the diplomat Nicholas Throckmorton advocated vehemently against Dudley marrying the Queen, but Dudley won him over in 1562. [235] He also affected a fiscal reform. Cite This Work In 1563, Elizabeth suggested Dudley as a consort to the widowed Mary, Queen of Scots, the idea being to achieve firm amity between England and Scotland and diminish the influence of foreign powers. Sparing no expense, the earl decorated his house and created a huge artificial lake in the grounds to create a magnificent setting for his festivities, themed according to the traditions of medieval chivalry. However, the resulting scandal very much reduced his chances in this respect. It laid the foundation of a literary and historiographical tradition that often depicted the earl as the Machiavellian "master courtier"[5] and as a deplorable figure around Elizabeth I. [48] Suicide has also often been considered an option, motives being Amy Dudley's depression or mortal illness. 6769; Jenkins 2002 pp. 156158; Jenkins 2002 p. 143, Adams 2008b; Rosenberg 1958 p. 64; Wilson 1981 pp. In April 1559 Dudley was elected a Knight of the Garter. Leicester's private life interfered with his court career and vice versa. 33; Jenkins 2002 p. 217, Owen 1980 p. 44; Jenkins 2002 pp. [240] After this blow Elizabeth, who ascribed it to "the malice or other foul error of the States",[241] was happy to enter into peace negotiations with the Duke of Parma. He also worked as an engineer and shipbuilder, and designed and published Dell'Arcano del Mare, the maritime atlas. Dudley was banished from the court but returned again when the queen regained her composure. [151] In later years, being at odds, Dudley felt like reminding Cecil of their "thirty years friendship". Robert Stedall has written the interesting new book, Elizabeth I's Secret Lover, which explores the life and influence of Robert Dudley.. Today on the blog Robert Stedall tells us 5 fascinating facts about Robert Dudley. Dudley was also from too-discredited a family to be seriously considered a suitable queen's consort. [115] After Lord Essex went to Ireland in 1573, they possibly became lovers. Religion Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester By - May 18, 2019 98 Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester : biography 1532 - 4 September 1588 Since the 1950s academic assessment of the Earl of Leicester has undergone considerable changes.Adams 2002 p. 176 Leicester's importance in literary patronage was established by Eleanor Rosenberg in 1955. [32] By the autumn of 1559 several foreign princes were vying for the Queen's hand; their impatient envoys came under the impression that Elizabeth was fooling them, "keeping Lord Robert's enemies and the country engaged with words until this wicked deed of killing his wife is consummated. 9094, 99, 101104; Jenkins 2002 p. 130, Hume 1904 pp. The surviving brothers were released in the autumn; working for their release, their mother (who died in January 1555) and their brother-in-law, Henry Sidney, had befriended the incoming Spanish nobles around Philip of Spain, Mary's husband. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. (1) His grandfather, Edmund Dudley, was a government official working for Henry VII. From around 1560 CE, there were rumours that the relationship between Elizabeth and Dudley went beyond mere friendship. [41] Her husband visited her for four days at Easter 1559 and she spent a month around London in the early summer of the same year. [211] The Earl prepared himself for "God's cause and her Majesty's" by recruiting the expedition's cavalry from his retainers and friends, and by mortgaging his estate to the sum of 25,000. The earl would add a magnificent new gatehouse to his new home. [62], Dudley indeed had made it clear to the Scots at the beginning that he was not a candidate for Mary's hand and forthwith had behaved with passive resistance. I held the candle and pressed to see which picture was so named. After Throckmorton's death in 1571, there quickly evolved a political alliance between the Earl of Leicester and Sir Francis Walsingham, soon to be Secretary of State. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! "[33] "Lord Robert", the new Spanish ambassador de Quadra was convinced, was the man "in whom it is easy to recognise the king that is to be she will marry none but the favoured Robert. [6] She spread stories about his supposed lust for the English throne,[6] and when the Catholic anti-Leicester libel, Leicester's Commonwealth, was published in 1584 Dudley believed that Mary was involved in its conception. [133] Leicester was a concerned parent to his four stepchildren,[134] and in every respect worked for the advancement of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, whom he regarded as his political heir. Campion had once been one of Oxford's most prized scholars, even favoured by the queen herself, but he had embraced the old faith. In 1585 Elizabeth sent Leicester in command of a force of 6,000 troops to the United Provinces (the Netherlands) to assist their revolt against Spain. [83], After the Duke of Northumberland's attainder the entire Dudley inheritance had disappeared. [64] Elizabeth herself wavered as to declaring Mary her heir, until in March 1565 she decided she could not bring herself to it. Robert and Ambrose Dudley were also the principal patrons of Martin Frobisher's 1576 search for the Northwest Passage. [224], Elizabeth demanded of her Lieutenant-General to refrain at all costs from any decisive action with Parma, which was the opposite of what Leicester wished and what the Dutch expected of him. [47] [81] The sanitary situation in the palaces was a perennial problem, and a talk with Leicester about these issues inspired John Harington to construct a water closet. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Leicester vigorously counteracted the disorganisation he found everywhere, having few illusions about "all sudden hurley-burleys", as he wrote to Walsingham. In 1575 CE Dudley hosted a famous party at his Kenilworth home in celebration of his 10 years of owning such a fine gift from the queen. [116] Rumours of poison, administered by the Earl of Leicester's means, were soon abroad. In 1559 CE, after Elizabeth became queen, Dudley was appointed Master of the Horse, a highly honoured position that put him in charge of his monarch's stables, transport, and hunting hounds. [42] They never saw each other again; Dudley was with the Queen at Windsor Castle and possibly planning a visit to her, when his wife was found dead at her residence Cumnor Place near Oxford on 8 September 1560:[43], There came to me Bowes, by whom I do understand that my wife is dead and as he sayeth by a fall from a pair of stairs. [188], Leicester possessed one of the largest collections of paintings in Elizabethan England, being the first great private collector. [219] Elizabeth's "commandment"[220] was that the Governor-General immediately resign his post in a formal ceremony in the same place where he had taken it. Robert Dudley's Gatehouse, Kenilworth Castle. [126] He did not dare to tell the Queen of his marriage; nine months later Leicester's enemies at court acquainted her with the situation, causing a furious outburst. This rivalry was not only one of ideas but also one of courtier and statesman. Connections [229] Elizabeth was angry that the war cost more than anticipated and for many months delayed sending money and troops. [233] His most loyal friends were the Calvinists at Utrecht and Friesland, provinces in constant opposition to Holland and Zeeland. As the son and grandson of men who had been executed . Despite his compromising family history and disastrous career start, the handsome and ambitious Robert Dudley would rise to the very pinnacle of English politics. ; Wilson 1981 p. 215 ; Collinson 1960 pp 2008b ; Rosenberg p.... Heir were heavy blows the chief threat to the detriment of the Horse who held in... Write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors on between them, the bishop beyond mere.. 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