On this day in Tudor history, 4th June 1550, in the reign of King Edward VI, Robert Dudley married Amy Robsart.
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June 4 – Robert Dudley marries Amy Robsart
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September 22 – Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, is buried
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Amy Dudley (née Robsart) was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy, who was married to Elizabeth I’s favourite, Robert Dudley, had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of the house she was renting. The coroner ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”.
Amy was buried in a lavish ceremony at St Mary’s, a funeral which cost Robert Dudley over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended…
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June 4 – Robert Dudley gets married, and lightning strikes St Paul’s
On this day in Tudor history, 4th June 1550, sweethearts Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart tied the knot at the royal palace of Sheen at Richmond in a service attended by King Edward VI.
This marriage was a love-match, but it lasted just ten years, ending with Amy’s death in 1560, a death which is surrounded by controversy.
Find out more…
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22 September – Amy Robsart and Anne of Cleves
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home and the subsequent inquest had ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”. She was buried in a lavish ceremony which cost her widower over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended…
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8 September – John Shakespeare and Amy Robsart’s mysterious death
On this day in Tudor history, 8th September 1601, John Shakespeare, father of playwright William Shakespeare, was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.
John was a glover and whittawer, and also an important man in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, serving as high bailiff, chief alderman and deputy bailiff, and being given the right to educate his children at the local grammar school for free. However, he also ran into trouble at times.
Find out more about the life of William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare…
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4 June – Amy Robsart
On 4th June 1550, Robert Dudley married his sweetheart, Amy Robsart, at the royal palace of Sheen at Richmond, near London, in a ceremony attended by King Edward VI.
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22 September – The burial of Amy Dudley (née Robsart)
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home and the subsequent inquest had ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”. She was buried in a lavish ceremony which cost her widower over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended, in today’s talk.
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8 September – The mysterious death of Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley
On this day in Tudor history, 8th September 1560, the body of Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was found at the bottom of some stairs in her rented home, Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire.
What had happened to Amy? Was her death a result of “misfortune”, as decided by the coroner, or was it suicide or murder? Did Robert Dudley kill his wife? Did William Cecil kill Amy?
In today’s talk, Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society, examines what happened that day and the theories regarding Amy Robsart’s mysterious death, an event that definitely put an end to the idea that Elizabeth I could ever marry Robert Dudley.
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4 June – Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart get married
On this day in Tudor history, 4th June 1550, sweethearts Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart tied the knot at the royal palace of Sheen at Richmond in a service attended by King Edward VI.
This marriage was a love-match, but it lasted just ten years, ending with Amy’s death in 1560, a death which is surrounded by controversy.
I share an excerpt from my book “On This Day in Tudor History” in today’s video.
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Amy Robsart – What do we really know about her by Christine Hartweg
Thank you to Christine Hartweg, author of Amy Robsart: A Life and its End for writing this guest article on Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, for us today.
Who was Amy Robsart? And what do we really know about her? And why?
In 1559, the Imperial ambassador at Elizabeth I’s court wrote that Robert Dudley, Elizabeth’s great favourite, was “married to a beautiful wife” (but of course the ambassador had never seen her). We know for certain, on the other hand, that Amy Robsart was born on 7 June 1532 in Norfolk. Like her future husband, who was almost exactly the same age, she grew up in an “evangelical” (or Protestant) family. It is possible, even likely, that the marriage of Amy and Robert was a love match. They were married on 4 June 1550 in the presence of King Edward VI.
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Expert Talk – Robin Maxwell and Christopher Gortner on Elizabeth and Dudley
This month’s expert speakers (two!) are Robin Maxwell and Christopher Gortner, who I interviewed about relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley. These two amazing historians and authors have quite different views about this fascinating relationship, and their knowledge is really worth sharing.
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8 September 1560 – The Death of Amy Dudley
On 8th September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, died at her rented home, Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire.
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4 June 1550 – The marriage of Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart
On 4th June 1550 (some sources say the 5th), Robert Dudley married Amy Robsart at the royal palace of Sheen at Richmond, near London. The marriage was attended by the then king, Edward VI.
Both Amy and Dudley were a few days short of their 18th birthdays when they got married, and the marriage was a love-match, or a “carnal marriage” as William Cecil described it, rather than an arranged union. The couple were sweethearts and very much in love, but it was not to be a happy marriage and events conspired against them.
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