Arthur Dudley
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Arthur Dudley was a 16th-century man famous for the controversial claim that he was the son of Queen
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
and Robert Dudley, a man known to have had a (not necessarily consummated) long love affair with the queen.


Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley

In the spring of 1559, it became evident that Elizabeth was in love with her childhood friend Robert Dudley. It was said that Amy Robsart, his wife, was suffering from a "malady in one of her breasts" and that the Queen would like to marry Dudley if his wife should die. By the autumn of 1559, several foreign suitors were vying for Elizabeth's hand; their impatient envoys engaged in ever more scandalous talk and reported that a marriage with her
favourite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated s ...
was not welcome in England: "There is not a man who does not cry out on him and her with indignation ... she will marry none but the favoured Robert." Amy Dudley died in September 1560, from a fall from a flight of stairs and, despite the coroner's inquest finding of accident, many people suspected Dudley of having arranged her death so that he could marry the queen. Elizabeth seriously considered marrying Dudley for some time. However, William Cecil,
Nicholas Throckmorton Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (c. 1515/151612 February 1571) was an English diplomat and politician, who was an ambassador to France and later Scotland, and played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I of Englan ...
, and some conservative peers made their disapproval unmistakably clear. There were even rumours that the nobility would rise if the marriage took place. Among other marriage candidates being considered for the queen, Robert Dudley continued to be regarded as a possible candidate for nearly another decade. Elizabeth was extremely jealous of his affections, even when she no longer meant to marry him herself. In 1564, Elizabeth raised Dudley to the peerage as
Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creatio ...
. He finally remarried in 1578, to which the queen reacted with repeated scenes of displeasure and lifelong hatred towards his wife,
Lettice Knollys Lettice Knollys ( , sometimes latinized as Laetitia, alias Lettice Devereux or Lettice Dudley), Countess of Essex and Countess of Leicester (8 November 1543Adams 2008a – 25 December 1634), was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtier ...
. Still, Dudley always "remained at the centre of lizabeth'semotional life", as historian Susan Doran has described the situation. He died shortly after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. After Elizabeth's own death, a note from him was found among her most personal belongings, marked "his last letter" in her handwriting.


Claim of relation to Elizabeth I

A central issue, when it comes to the question of her virginity, was whether Elizabeth ever consummated her love affair with Robert Dudley. In 1559, Elizabeth had Dudley's bedchambers moved next to her own apartments.Inside the Bedchamber of the Virgin Queen
/ref> In 1561, she was mysteriously bedridden with an illness that caused her body to swell. Years later in 1587, a man calling himself Arthur Dudley was detained by the Spanish after rescue from a shipwreck on the Biscay Coast under suspicion of being a spy.British History Online: Simancas: June 1587, 16–30
/ref> Taken to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, Dudley claimed to be the son of Queen Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, conceived in 1561, the timing of which would have been consistent with when she was bedridden. Dudley was examined by
Francis Englefield Sir Francis Englefield (c. 1522 – 1596) was an English courtier and Roman Catholic exile. Family Francis Englefield, born about 1522, was the eldest son of Thomas Englefield (1488–1537) of Englefield, Berkshire, Justice of the Common Pl ...
, a Catholic aristocrat exiled to Spain and secretary to King
Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...
. Three letters exist today describing the interview, detailing what Arthur proclaimed to be the story of his life, from birth in the royal palace to the time of his arrival in Spain. As told by Arthur, Elizabeth had a governess, Katherine Ashley, whose servant was summoned to the court in 1561 and told to obtain a nurse for the newborn infant of someone at the palace. That servant, Robert Southern, was told to take the boy to London and raise him as one of his own children. That infant, named Arthur, was to be raised as a gentleman. He was indeed raised well, Arthur recounted, and taught music, arms, Classical languages, and dance. A youthful attempt to run away to a life of adventure in his teens was ended when a surprisingly forceful and officious letter demanding his return arrived while he awaited a ship in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. He was taken to a palace in London, Pickering Place, meeting John Ashley, who said that it was he, not Arthur's father, who had paid for his upbringing. Arthur did not return home immediately, but was accommodated in travels between England and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, until years later when his adoptive father was on his deathbed. At that point, Robert Southern confessed Arthur's Royal origins to him, prompting considerable worry that the safety of both of them was jeopardized. After more travel between England and France, Arthur had voyaged to Spain, and in the return had been shipwrecked, he claimed. However, Dudley's story failed to convince the Spanish: Englefield admitted to the King that Arthur's "claim at present amounts to nothing", but suggested that "he should not be allowed to get away, but ..kept very secure." The King agreed, and Arthur was never heard from again. Modern scholarship dismisses the story's basic premise as "impossible", and asserts that Elizabeth's life was so closely observed by contemporaries that she could not have hidden a pregnancy.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Arthur Elizabeth I 16th-century English people 1560s births Dudley family People from London