The Mysterious Death of Amy Robsart
Today I want to tell you about one of the most talked about scandals of the Tudor period. The death of Amy Robsart. It very quickly became one of the most intriguing mysteries of Elizabethan England and it still raises so many questions today.
Amy Robsart was born in 1532 into a wealthy Norfolk family. In 1550, when she was still only a teenager, she married Robert Dudley, the son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Does that name sound familiar? At first their marriage seemed promising. They were young, well connected, and they moved in powerful circles close to the Tudor court. But England was politically dangerous during those years. When Robert’s father aided in an attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne in 1553, after the death of Edward VI. the plan failed and Robert Dudley was imprisoned in the Tower of London and Amy’s future suddenly became dangerous.
His father, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was executed for treason and Robert stayed in prison for about a year, from 1553 until 1554.
Robert was eventually released because Mary’s government no longer saw him as a major threat once her rule was secure. Philip II of Spain, who was preparing to marry Queen Mary, also encouraged mercy towards some of the prisoners. After his release, Robert slowly rebuilt his position by showing loyalty at court, although the Dudley family name was still badly damaged. He and Amy lived a much quieter life than before, and money was often tight.
Everything changed in 1558 when Elizabeth I became queen. Robert had known Elizabeth since they were children, and she brought him in close to her court, giving him the role of Master of the Horse. This meant he spent a lot of time with the queen, and rumours, as they inevitably do, soon spread that their feelings towards each other were more than friendship. Elizabeth trusted him and there were not many people she could truly rely on and trust, so he meant a lot to her. Rumours spread across court that the queen might even marry him. But there was one major obstacle standing in their way. Robert was already married to Amy.
Amy was living mostly away from court and historians still debate as to why. Some believe she preferred the countryside while others think she may have been deliberately kept distant as Robert’s influence with Elizabeth grew.
On the 8th of September 1560, Amy was found dead at Cumnor Place near Oxford. She was lying at the bottom of a staircase with a broken neck. The news spread quickly and suspicion that it was not an accident was rife. Some people suspected that Robert Dudley may have arranged her death so that he could marry Elizabeth. Others thought that it was political enemies. There were even rumours that Amy had been unhappy.
An official inquest was carried out and the jury concluded that Amy had died through an accidental fall down the stairs. Modern historians have also suggested she may have suffered from breast cancer, which could possibly have weakened her bones or caused her to become dizzy. But the timing of her death seemed to be far too convenient for many people to accept. Even though there was no evidence to prove that it was murd*r, the scandal damaged Robert Dudley’s reputation permanently.
For Elizabeth I, the situation very quickly became politically dangerous. If she married Dudley after Amy’s death, many people would probably have believed he had killed his wife to get close to the throne. The gossip and suspicion surrounding the case may also have helped to influence Elizabeth’s later decision never to marry at all.
Today the death of Amy Robsart remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of Tudor England.
Was it truly a tragic accident, or was there something darker hidden behind the walls of Cumnor Place? And how different might English history have been if Amy had lived? Or if Dudley had married Elizabeth? So many questions!
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Date: 1877
Author: William Frederick Yeames
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