Robert
Dudley, Earl Of Leicester (24th June 1532 to 4th
September 1588)
Elizabeth 1st was nearly seventy when she died - a long time
for the era. Though she became Queen aged 25 and lived through interesting
times she never once got engaged or married. In contrast her dad was Henry VIII
and he married six times. Perhaps she repelled marriage when she learnt her dad
had had her mum beheaded for not bearing him a male heir. Despite many suitors
the only person who she would have married was Robert Dudley the Earl of
Leicester (the fifth of thirteen children of John Dudley, Duke of
Northumberland and Lady Jane Guildford.) I’m sure you’ve seen the Blackadder episode where Rik Mayall plays Lord Flashheart and Queenie melts a little in his dynamic presence.
Flashheart was based on Robert Dudley and here I am
at his final resting place at Beauchamp Chapel of St Mary's Church in the centre
of Warwick.
Though he
became a powerful and charismatic Tudor gentleman he knew Queen Elizabeth from
boyhood. He was introduced to Elizabeth when he was about eight years old (she
was a princess at the time) and she bore a soft spot for him through nearly
fifty years of turbulent English history (I won’t go into his varied life here as
it’s all on the internet.) The eight-year-old Elizabeth told Robert privately
that she “will never marry” after the execution of her third stepmother,
Catherine Howard in 1541.
Elizabeth became
closer to Robert during uncertainty under Mary Tudor’s reign (1553–58) when she
lived in constant fear for her life. Robert remained loyal and physically close
to her at risk to his own safety. They spent many years in one another’s
company sharing loves of hunting, dancing and lively conversation. When
Elizabeth became Queen in 1558 she gave Robert the prestigious title of Master
of the Horse. He quickly became the new Queen’s favourite companion and she
bestowed titles and gifts on him for the rest of his life. Gossip and jealousy rose
around court and some suggested Robert got Elizabeth pregnant.
Robert had married
at 18 but always kept his wife away from court in case it damaged his
relationship with Elizabeth. When she died suddenly in 1560 under suspicious
circumstances it ignited rumours that he had her murdered so he could marry the
Queen. As the Queen’s reign progressed she was under immense pressure to marry.
She never did though and kept all her hopeful suitors at bay. Once Robert
invited her to his Warwickshire estate (Kenilworth Castle) and laid on several
days of extraordinarily lavish and expensive entertainments. It didn’t work
though as the Queen knew that marrying Robert may spark intense opposition from
his rivals – and possibly a civil war.
Robert married
again but not for almost eighteen years and only when it became clear Elizabeth
would not marry him. She made him the Earl of Leicester. Aged 46 in 1573 he had
an affair with Lady Douglas Howard with whom he had a son. Aged 51 he secretly
married the Queen's cousin, the widowed Lettice Devereux, Countess of Essex.
Aged 53 he was
made commander of the English forces in aid of the Netherlands which were in
revolt against Spanish rule. When the threat of the Spanish Armada emerged he
was given command over the Queen’s land based forces in England. He stayed with
Elizabeth until danger passed. One of the last recorded sightings of the pair
together was at a palace window, watching a celebratory parade.
He walked beside
Elizabeth’s horse as she delivered her famous speech at Tilbury on 8th August
1588. She had inspected the troops that had been assembled to defend the Thames
Estuary against any incursion up-river towards London and said: “I know I have
the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a
king and of a king of England too.”
After the
defeat of the Armada Robert’s health worsened. From home in Rycote
in Oxfordshire he made plans to go to Buxton which reputedly had healing waters.
Elizabeth wrote probably the last letter he ever received ending with: “I
humbly kiss your foot… by Your Majesty’s most faithful and obedient servant.”
He never made it to Buxton and died five days later on 4th September 1588 aged
56.
Elizabeth was inconsolable at the loss and bequeathed her last gift to him - a sumptuous funeral and he was interred in the Beauchamp Chapel of St Mary's Church, Warwick. For all his titles and bravery he’s mainly remembered as being the only man who could have tempted Elizabeth to marry.
He was Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite
person for nearly fifty years…
Impressive resting place…
Blackadder’s Lord Flashheart was based on Robert Dudley…
