Earl of Leicester

English nobleman

• Born: June 24, 1532 or 1533
• Birthplace: Kent, England
• Died: September 4, 1588
• Place of death: Cornbury, Oxfordshire, England

Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, a key figure at Queen Elizabeth I’s court, was very close to the monarch and was rumored to have been her lover. He became a strong leader of the Puritan cause at court and was appointed to lead the fight against the Spanish Armada in 1588, but he died before he saw much action.

Early Life

Robert Dudley, later dubbed earl of Leicester (LEHS-tehr), was the grandson of Edmund Dudley, who had been executed by Henry VIII for crimes he had allegedly committed during his service to Henry VII years earlier. Robert’s father, John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, also lost his life because of his involvement in politics.

After Edward VI’s death in 1553, Northumberland and his two sons, Guildford and Robert, attempted to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne of England. For this, Queen Mary I sent all three men to the Tower of London and condemned them to death in 1554. Northumberland and Guildford were executed, but Mary pardoned Robert in early 1555. Despite the pardon from Mary, Dudley’s later political life was tainted by his lineage, as his opponents often pointed out that he came from a line of traitors and so should not be trusted.

As a child, Dudley was taught by Roger Ascham, tutor also to Elizabeth I. In 1550, at age eighteen, he married Amy Robsart. Their relationship may have begun as a love match, but soon the couple grew apart because Dudley spent much of his time at the court of Mary’s sister and successor, Queen Elizabeth I, while Amy lived with relations in the country. Tall, dark, handsome, and athletic, Dudley was favored by Elizabeth, who devoted much of her attention to the young man.

Life’s Work

Robert Dudley’s political and personal lives were always intimately linked. He is probably most famous for his controversial role as Queen Elizabeth’s favorite. He had known Elizabeth since both were young children, and early in her reign, she named Dudley master of the horse. This position allowed him to remain close to the queen. He had lodgings at court and rode directly behind Elizabeth during public ceremonies.

The two, very close in age, shared an intimate friendship, and many believed the relationship was more than platonic. Throughout Dudley’s years at court, rumors about the nature of his involvement with the queen flourished. Dudley spent much of his time with Elizabeth, and the queen was clearly drawn to this handsome young man. Nicknamed “the gypsy” because of his dark eyes and hair, Dudley’s attractiveness and his quick wit kept the queen in good humor.

Because Dudley was married, however, there was no hope of the two making a formal union. In 1559, however, his wife, Amy, became gravely ill (probably with breast cancer). This provoked a rumor at court that should she die, Dudley would probably marry the queen. Indeed, when Amy was found dead from a broken neck at the bottom of a staircase in 1560 at Cumnor Place in North Berkshire, many suspected foul play on Dudley’s part because they believed he would do anything in order to marry the queen. So as to appear impartial, the queen set up a formal inquiry into Amy’s death. After the investigation, Dudley was absolved of any wrongdoing and soon returned to court, apparently unaffected by his wife’s death.

Elizabeth and Dudley might have pursued a serious relationship once he was single and proven innocent of his spouse’s death. This never occurred, however, perhaps because Elizabeth knew that aligning herself with a questionable figure like Dudley would cause her to lose allies at home and abroad. Still, Dudley attempted to advance himself as a suitor to the queen by secretly joining forces with the Spanish. He was rumored to have promised that if Spain would encourage Elizabeth to take him as her husband, once he was king, he would restore England to Catholicism. Whether or not Dudley was sincere in his proposal to the Spanish is unclear, especially since later he would become a leader of the Puritan cause. Though this plan did not succeed in making Dudley Elizabeth’s partner, it did not upset Elizabeth, who granted him apartments nearby the court. The ploy did, however, cultivate anti-Catholic feelings at court, and perhaps made Dudley decide that Protestantism was better suited to him.

In 1563, Elizabeth offered Dudley in marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots , probably in an effort to secure a Protestant marriage for her Catholic cousin. In 1564 (perhaps to make the offer of Dudley more attractive to her cousin), Elizabeth named Dudley earl of Leicester. Mary, though, was not enthusiastic about accepting one of Elizabeth’s old suitors, and she eventually stopped her cousin’s plan by marrying Lord Darnley (Henry Stuart) in 1565.

About this time, Dudley surfaced as a strong supporter of the Puritan cause. This may seem strange because Dudley was a patron of one of the earliest acting companies, Leicester’s Men, and the Puritans despised the theater. Dudley was full of contradictions, and endorsing the Puritans may have been yet another of his politic decisions. Though it is unclear whether he was sincere in his devotion to this religion, Dudley’s association with the Puritans and his calculating behavior at court were the targets of a 1584 libel written by the Jesuits and most likely published in Antwerp. The book, soon outlawed by the queen, accused the earl of being evil and of killing anyone who got in his way. Although the libel was written by a group of extremists, Dudley’s reputation for being arrogant and manipulative was widespread. His political savvy along with his desire and ability to remain close to the queen, contributed to his unpopularity among his contemporaries.

In spite of popular opinion, Elizabeth continued to favor Dudley until he married without asking her permission. In 1573, Dudley married a widow from Sheffield but later abandoned her in order to secretly marry Lettice Knolleys, cousin of Elizabeth and widow of Walter Devereux, first earl of Essex, in 1578. The marriage made him stepfather to Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex, a young man who would later replace Dudley as Elizabeth’s favorite. Dudley’s secret marriage greatly offended the queen, though the earl eventually managed to regain her favor and was appointed to command the Dutch campaign in 1585. Once in the Netherlands, however, the ambitious Dudley accepted the title of governor, which infuriated Elizabeth. She had instructed him clearly on the limits of his power there. Dudley eventually gave up the title and returned to England, where the queen, though upset, made up with her favorite.

In May, 1588, as the Spanish Armada approached, Elizabeth gave Dudley command of the main army. Dudley did not see much action, however, because by August he became ill and headed for the spas in Buxton at Derbyshire to regain his health. Though there have been speculations that he was murdered on his way to Buxton, it is most likely that the fifty-six-year-old earl died of natural causes on September 4 before he could reach the spas.

Significance

Dudley’s nearness to Queen Elizabeth set him apart from his contemporaries, many of whom were jealous of and nervous about the couple’s relationship. Though the queen never chose a husband, Dudley was perhaps the suitor who came nearest to being Elizabeth’s king.

The issue of Dudley’s relationship with the queen was particularly important because all England was concerned about whom Elizabeth would marry. Dudley’s contemporaries feared that because he was both favored and politic, he might persuade the queen to support him regardless of the cause, especially if he were king.

As a patron of the arts, a suitor to the queen, and a prominent man at court, Dudley was feared and admired by many. The earl was noted for being sometimes blithe and playful and at other times manipulative and ambitious. He remained an attractive and dangerous force at court for his entire life.

Bibliography

Adams, Simon. Leicester and the Court: Essays on Elizabethan Politics. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press, 2002. Sixteen chapters discuss the role Dudley played in the politics of Queen Elizabeth’s court, and they provide a good introduction to Elizabeth, her court, Parliament, and early modern patronage.

Doran, Susan. Monarchy and Matrimony: The Courtships of Elizabeth I. New York: Routledge, 1996. This is the first comprehensive study of Queen Elizabeth I’s courtships. In the book, Doran emphasizes both international and domestic issues as she examines the question of Elizabeth’s marriage.

Rosenberg, Eleanor. Leicester, Patron of Letters. 1955. Reprint. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976. In this classic study of Dudley, Rosenberg examines the relationships between the earl and his many protégés closely while making larger generalizations about patronage in the English Renaissance.

Somerset, Anne. Elizabeth I. New York: Anchor Books, 2003. Somerset brings to life the queen of England as she explains the difficult political and personal choices faced by Elizabeth, including what to do with Dudley.

Weir, Alison. The Life of Elizabeth I. New York: Ballantine Books, 1998. The author explores the intersection of Elizabeth’s political and personal lives, including her tumultuous relationship with Dudley.

Wilson, Derek. Sweet Robin: A Biography of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1981. This biography presents Dudley not as a manipulative or evil politician, but rather as one doing his best to succeed professionally while remaining loyal to his queen.