Today in 1560 Amy Dudley, also known as Amy Robsart died in her home, found at the bottom of a flight of steps in her home in Oxfordshire. She was the wife of Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester, who was also Elizabeth I’s … well, at the very least her closest companion. Perhaps (likely) more. The death of Amy is a mystery even now. At the time there was an official inquest and it was ruled a “misfortune” – ie an accident. But a cloud of suspicion hung over Robert, and it meant that any talk of him ever marrying Elizabeth had to be shelved for good. There are all sorts of theories ranging from an accident to suicide (on the morning she almost forced her servants out of the house. There’s also the theory of course that it was murder, and it’s also been postulated that it could have been an aneurysm. Sadly, we’ll never know.
Amy Robsart died today, 1560.
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.
Suggested links:
Christine Hartweg at the Tudor Summit talking about Amy Robsart
Episode 95: Tudor Times on Robert Dudley
From the shop:
Celebrate Elizabeth I’s birthday month with the Celebrations of Elizabeth I Collection.
Featuring Elizabeth I “I will have but one Mistress and no Master” Accessory Pouch
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.