Tudor Minute May 18, 1593: Accusations against Christopher Marlowe

Today in 1593 the playwright Thomas Kyd gave evidence against Christopher Marlowe.

There is still a lot of mystery around the death of Marlowe – who was one of the greatest playwrights of the time, and whose light was extinguished way too soon when he was murdered shortly after this event. Either way, Kyd had been arrested on May 15, and tortured, suspected of treason. When he was told that heretical documents were found in his room, he signed a letter saying that they actually belonged to Marlowe – he had shared rooms with Marlowe before.

Marlowe was arrested on May 20, but he was able to post bail. He was then mysteriously killed in a bar brawl, ten days later.

That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.

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