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Death and ... Murder (?) in the Elizabethan Court: the case of Amy Robsart.




 Now, the court of Elizabeth I is a tad outside of my comfort zone, and yet I 've been fascinated by this 'accident'? murder? (who will ever know), for a while now.

So, who was Amy? Born in June, 1532, she was married at 18, to one Robert Dudley.  Now, you may know Robert from various movies with Elizabeth as the central figure, where we learn that he was often called her "eyes."  Upon ascending the throne, Robert immediately went to the court to serve his childhood (sweetheart?) friend, Elizabeth, second child to former king Henry VIII.  Interesting fact here that you may or may not know:  she was also the daughter of Anne Bolelyn of infamous memory. 

Elizabeth and Robert had known each other since childhood, and some even said that they were lovers, but no proof exists of any physical relationship.  Given that no 'bastards' of Elizabeth were ever found in the existing historical record, it is likely that she remained a virgin to the end of her life.  But, there are many types of love, yes, Dear Reader? Most historians believe that Robert was the one love in the lonely, long life of the famous queen.  

In the early years of Elizabeth's reign, her friendship with Robert grew more impassioned.  Clearly, he wanted to be rid of his wife of ten years, to be free to marry Elizabeth, but again, we have no proof:  only speculation.  

It is quite possible that news of the Queen's growing infatuation with Robert reached Amy, which may have increased her anxiety regarding the relationship with her husband.  Certainly it was the gossip of the court, to the horror of William Cecil, Elizabeth's chief minister.  

So, where was Amy during these heady days of the new queen's court? Well, Robert could hardly bring her with him, so he lodged her in a house far away from Elizabeth's palace, Cumner Place.  There, she was relatively safe, especially from the queen's jealousy.

Robert's visits to his wife were infrequent, at best, and one wonders what Amy's feelings would have been, as she learned of  her husband's devotion to the queen.  As the increasingly alienated wife of a prominent courtier, what would she have thought of Elizabeth? Did she hate her?

On the 8th of September (one day after my birthday, by the way), Amy was found dead at the foot of a narrow staircase at Cumner Place.  She had let her servants go to a local fair, so that she might have the house to herself--a highly unusual behavior for the time.  When her maidservants returned at nightfall, they found her body.

So, what happened? Was it murder? Did Robert want to get rid of his wife? Well, the answer has to be YES.  Look what he had to gain:  possible marriage to Elizabeth;  consort to the queen.  Quite a step up for a man from a disgraced family (his father tried to place Jane Grey on the throne in a failed coup d'etat, and was tried for treason by Mary).  As we know from history, however, this never occurred, and Robert remained a close associate of Elizabeth's -- at least until his wife's death, and then relations were strained for a goodly space of time.

Robert Dudley never did marry Elizabeth, but did end up marrying one of her ladies in waiting, whose son would one day become the Earl of Essex, and Elizabeth's last favorite.

But what of Amy? She was interred in St Mary's Church, Oxford, after having a funeral fit for a great noble.  It sure cost Dudley one hell of a lot of money.  

Since the suspicious death of Amy Robsart, there has been speculation as to whether this was suicide or was it assassination? And, if so, by whom? For what reason? I leave it to you, Dear Reader, to decide.  To aid you in this quest, check this out:



And what, do you ask, does this have to do with Halloween? Well, Amy haunts us still:

Before Cumner Place was destroyed in the 19th century, it was said that it was haunted--doors slammed.  Angry cries were heard, objects were reportedly thrown.  This was not a nice little ghostie, but someone who was pretty pissed off about something!  

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