Amy Robsart, born in Jun 1532, was the only daughter and heir of Sir John Robsart, a Norfolk gentleman and landowner.
In May 1550, shortly before her 18th birthday, she married Robert Dudley, in an apparent love match, which was described by William Cecil, then John Dudley's private secretary as a "carnal marriage". She supported Robert during these early years of marriage, including his imprisonment at the Tower of London, and conviction for high treason in 1553-54.
However, following the accession of Elizabeth I, and the promotion of Robert to 'Master of the Horse', Amy found herself increasingly separated from her husband and the Royal Court.
On 08 Sep 1560, Amy was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs at the home that she had been living in separately from her husband at Cumnor, Oxfordshire. Whilst the subsequent coroner's inquest found her death to be accidental, there have been speculation (both contemporary and by modern day historians) that Amy may have taken her own life. Suspicion also fell on her widower, and the scandal of her death followed him, including affecting his eligibility as a possible consort for Elizabeth I.
Below are some recommended books which discuss Amy's life, her relationship with Robert Dudley, and her untimely death.
Elizabeth & Leicester: Power, Passion, Politics Author: Sarah Gristwood Year: 2007 Publisher: Viking Press Place of Publication: London Formats Available: Hardcover (used) Paperback [Amazon] Few relationships fire our imagination like that of Elizabeth I and her 'bonnie sweet Robin' - the Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley.
Almost immediately after she became queen, Elizabeth's infatuation with the married Earl became the subject of letters from scandalised ambassadors. And when Dudley's wife, Amy, died a mere two years later under suspicious circumstances many speculated that Elizabeth and Robert would marry.
They never did, although by the time Robert died he had been Elizabeth's councillor and commander of her army, had sat by her bed in sickness and represented her on state occasions. But she had also humiliated him, made him dance attendance on her other suitors, and tried to have him clapped in prison when he finally broke loose and married again.
Elizabeth and Leicester is a portrait - at times a startlingly intimate one - of the tie between two of the people who forced their age; of a relationship where, unusually, a woman held all the power; of an edgy yet enduring love that still speaks to us today.
Amy Robsart: A Life and Its End Author: Christine Hartweg Year: 2017 Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform Website Link:
https://allthingsrobertdudley.wordpress.com Formats Available: Paperback [Amazon] Kindle [Link] Amy Robsart, the wife of Queen Elizabeth's favourite Robert Dudley, was found dead at the foot of some stairs at Cumnor, Oxfordshire, on 8 September 1560. Did she fall and break her neck, as the coroner's jury concluded? Was she ill? Did she jump? Was she pushed? Was she murdered, as many people suspected – at the time and since – and who were the killers? This vivid biography recounts her life and death in the shadow of the Tudor court, using all available documents, some for the first time. There will also for the first time be an in-depth look at the people around her, like her half-brothers, her host, or her supposed killer. The possible causes of her death, accident, suicide, murder, even illness, are discussed in context of the surviving evidence, modern statistics, and Renaissance culture. While there will never be a definite answer to the mystery of Amy's death, her life can be rescued from the myths that have grown around her over the centuries.
The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England
Author: Joanne Paul
Year: 2022
Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph
Place of Publication: London
Formats Available:
Hardcover [Amazon]
Paperback [Bookshop.org]
Kindle [Link]
Audiobook - Narrator: Kristin Atherton [Audible]
Was the house of Dudley out to steal the throne?This was the question on the mind of Elizabeth I's courtiers when a forbidden book accused generations of the Dudley family of poisonings, plottings, murders, treason, incitement and other 'evil stratagems'. For decades, the Dudleys had been close to the throne, rising from nobodies to the land's highest offices. Under Henrys VII and VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and, finally, Elizabeth, they risked execution and imprisonment as they audaciously stole, murdered and swindled in the name of the monarch. But were they loyally protecting the crown, or did they secretly covet it for themselves?
Death and the Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart Author: Chris Skidmore Year: 2010 Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Place of Publication: London Formats Available: Hardcover (used) Paperback [Bookshop.org] Kindle [Link] Audiobook - Narrator: Richard Burnip [Audible] The dramatic story of Elizabeth's first ten years on the throne and the unexplained death that scandalised her court.
Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 a 25-year-old virgin - the most prized catch in Christendom. For the first ten years of her reign, one matter dominated above all others: the question of who the queen was to marry and when she would produce an heir.
Elizabeth's life as England's Virgin Queen is one of the most celebrated in history. Christopher Skidmore takes a fresh look at the familiar story of a queen with the stomach of a man, steadfastly refusing to marry for the sake of her realm, and reveals a very different picture: of a vulnerable young woman, in love with her suitor, Robert Dudley. Had it not been for the mysterious and untimely death of his wife, Amy Robsart, Elizabeth might have one day been able to marry Dudley, since Amy was believed to be dying of breast cancer.
Instead, the suspicious circumstances surrounding Amy Robsart's death would cast a long shadow over Elizabeth's life, preventing any hope of a union with Dudley and ultimately shaping the course of Tudor history. Using newly discovered evidence from the archives, Christopher Skidmore is able to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of her death.
Elizabeth I's Secret Lover: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Author: Robert Stedall
Year: 2020
Publisher: Pen & Sword History
Place of Publication: Barnsley
Formats Available:
Hardcover [Amazon]
Kindle [Link]
In many respects Dudley was the most significant figure of his age. As a great impresario, he showed Elizabeth off to her people to glittering effect and became the forerunner of Shakespearian theatre, combining classicism with ribaldry. He attracted the financing of Drake's circumnavigation. He was the supporter of academic endeavour, of poetry, and of Puritan scholarship. By employing a network of his own agents, he provided information of crucial importance to Government. He built some of the finest houses and gardens of the age. As Master of the Horse, he developed English bloodstock to provide horses for Royal and military requirements. He saw to it that England's navy and army was properly prepared to meet Continental aggression when needed. Lord Robert Dudley has faced criticism from historians by competing with William Cecil to gain the ear of Elizabeth I and thwarting his efforts to arrange a political marriage for her to protect against Continental Catholic aggression. There can be no doubt that Elizabeth wanted to marry him. He was devastatingly attractive, athletic and loyal. The text provides compelling evidence that the virgin queen' spent time in bed with him. An influential and important character of the Elizabethan age, this biography places Robert Dudley within the context of the time and how he navigated court as the favourite of the infamous Elizabeth I.
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