5621230. Find out more about Elizabeth I and discover what her makeup can tell us about her reign. [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. [176] As Chancellor of Oxford University Dudley was highly committed. "[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. In our family book of Devereaux this story is in there. Meanwhile, in public, Elizabeth continued to entertain the prospect of marriage with other potential suitors whilst her closeness to Robert remained a consistent presence throughout much of her reign. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. 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. Updates? May 2014 [190] He was a principal patron of Nicholas Hilliard, as well as interested in all aspects of Italian culture. [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. [185] From at least 1559 he had his own company of players,[186] and in 1574 he obtained for them the first royal patent issued to actors to allow them to tour the country unmolested by local authorities. 4547, Ives 2009 pp. Leicester's private life interfered with his court career and vice versa. [69] Dudley was seen as a serious candidate until the mid-1560s and later. Robert had long flirted with her, and she was now possibly pregnant. Her majesty is unaccompanied and, I assure you, the chambers are almost empty. This ended in failure. He was Walter and Lettice's fifth child and after Robert Dudley's death became a favourite with the aging Elizabeth I. During Queen Marys reign, Robert Dudley and Elizabeth remained close, despite the fragility of both their positions. 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. Tall and handsome, he soon became a 'favourite' at court, so close to the queen many wondered if they were lovers. 94, 95, 138, 197; Doran 1996 p. 124, Gristwood 2007 p. 151; Girouard 1979 p. 111, Adams 2002 p. 120; Wilson 1981 pp. July 2013 The rebellion of the Earl of Essex - Queen Elizabeth I and government December 2016 During the Spanish Armada, the earl was in overall command of the English land forces. [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. With Elizabeth now Queen of England, Robert enjoyed many more privileges in court as his continued loyalty was subsequently rewarded and he became Knight of the Garter. Old Mother Dowe of Brentwood was jailed for assuring her neighbours that My Lord Robert hath given Her Majesty a red petticoatthat is, had taken her virginity. The story of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley has fascinated people for more than 450 years. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [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. [173], Apart from their legal function, the Inns of Court were the Tudor equivalents of gentlemen's clubs. To make matters worse, in 1587 a man claiming to be Arthur Dudley, the illegitimate child of Elizabeth and Robert turned up at Philip IIs court in Madrid. Handsome and immensely ambitious, he failed to win the Queens hand in marriage but remained her close friend to the end of his life. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Robert continued their bickerings and reconciliations. This was the last of many events he had organised over the years, the most spectacular being the festival at his seat Kenilworth Castle in 1575 on the occasion of a three-week visit by the Queen. [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. Died : 24 May 1612 - St Margaret's Priory, Marlborough. [243] At Tilbury on the Thames he erected a camp for the defence of London, should the Spaniards land. [6] Yet, the Dudley brothers were only welcome at court as long as King Philip was there,[22] otherwise they were even suspected of associating with people who conspired against Mary's regime. She ostentatiously honoured him with four visits to Kenilworth Castle, which he was developing at immense cost into a wonder house for her entertainment. Robert Dudley. [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. "[183] He was also a history enthusiast, and in 1559 suggested to the tailor John Stow to become a chronicler (as Stow recalled in 1604). [106] The whole scenery of landscape, artificial lake, castle, and Renaissance garden was ingeniously used for the entertainment.[107]. I cannot do without my Lord Robert, she told the French ambassador, for he is like my little dog. Dudley didnt give up hope of wedding her. He was Lettices son. In this function, he invited Queen Elizabeth to visit her troops at Tilbury. [30] Shortly before, Philip II had been informed: Lord Robert has come so much into favour that he does whatever he likes with affairs and it is even said that her majesty visits him in his chamber day and night. [166], Robert Dudley was a pioneer of new industries; interested in many things from tapestries to mining, he was engaged in the first joint stock companies in English history. On the 25th February 1601, at a little before 8am, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, was brought out to the scaffold on Tower Green. [3] As queen, Elizabeth is meticulous in constructing her public image. [139] Lady Leicester's social life was much curtailed. [246] On his way to Buxton in Derbyshire to take the baths, he died at Cornbury Park near Oxford, on 4 September 1588. 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). Scrutinizing every detail, she micro-manages everything from her appearance to her attitude. [252], The book which later became known as Leicester's Commonwealth was written by Catholic exiles in Paris and printed anonymously in 1584. [90], Though an absentee landlord, Leicester, who was also Lord of Denbigh, regarded the lordship as an integral part of a territorial base for a revived House of Dudley. However, her jointure was to suffer greatly from paying off Leicester's debts, which at some 50,000 were overwhelming. [46] It was widely suspected that Dudley had arranged his wife's death to be able to marry the Queen. [25] Ambrose, Robert, and Henry Dudley, the youngest brother, fought for PhilipII at the Battle of St. Quentin in August 1557. Your comment will be posted after it is approved. A Puritan, Leicester became the leader of those Protestants who favoured vigorous action against Spain abroad and against the Roman Catholics at home. [268] Leicester's importance in literary patronage was established by Eleanor Rosenberg in 1955. [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. [6] Young Robert grew up in Dudley's and his friends' houses, but had "leave to see" his mother until she left England in 1583. Although he refused to be married to Mary, Queen of Scots, Leicester was for a long time relatively sympathetic to her until, from the mid-1580s, he urged her execution. 158159; Bruce 1844 p. 17; Strong and van Dorsten 1964 pp. 715; Wilson 1981 p. 238; Haynes 1987 p. 158, Gristwood 2007 pp. [222] The damage was done, however:[223] "My credit hath been cracked ever since her Majesty sent Sir Thomas Heneage hither", Leicester recapitulated in October 1586. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. In the meantime, Robert Dudley would continue to raise his profile professionally and in the courts, taking part in the suppression of Ketts Rebellion which broke out in July 1549. Whilst his military career landed him in the Netherlands for the next two years, he would return to England without much to show for his efforts. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester - Wikipedia 8788, Hume 18921899 Vol. [78] He largely assumed charge of court ceremonial and organised hundreds of small and large festivities. [248] Her nickname for Dudley had been "Eyes", which was symbolised by the sign of in their letters to each other. Whilst he was not the ideal candidate on paper, mired by scandal from the mysterious death of his first wife, Dudley however remained a firm favourite in the royal court. As much as profit, English seapower was on his mind, and accordingly, Leicester became a friend and leading supporter of Dom Antnio, the exiled claimant to the Portuguese throne after 1580. March 2021 [95], Ambrose and Robert Dudley were very close, in matters of business and personally. 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=1158721850, Molyneaux, N.A.D. His campaign was not a rip-roaring success from Elizabeth's point of view. Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, also called (155064) Sir Robert Dudley, (born June 24, 1532/33died Sept. 4, 1588, Cornbury, Oxfordshire, Eng. The 7 Suitors of Elizabeth I | History Hit 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. [6] This was an important court position entailing close attendance on the sovereign. 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. Walter DEVEREUX Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger oil on canvas, The Devereux Family traces its descent from Robert D'Evereux, who came over with William the Conqueror and settled in Hereford. [112], Although in this letter Leicester said he still loved her as he did at the beginning, he offered her his help to find another husband for reasons of respectability if she so wished.
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