ON THIS DAY - 11 November 1565

On This Day (11 Nov) in 1565, 16 year old Anne Russell married 35 year old, twice-widowed Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, in a wedding ceremony held in the Chapel Royal at Whitehall Palace, in the presence of Elizabeth I.

(L-R) 'Called Lord Ambrose Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick' Artist: English School c.1565 © National Trust Images 'Anne Countess of Warwick' Artist - Master of the Countess of Warwick Year: c.1569 © Woburn Abbey

Anne was the eldest child of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, who at the time of the marriage was employed as the Governor of Berwick, in which he played an important role in the negotiations between Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots; he was unable to attend the wedding ceremony due to these commitments. Anne's mother, Margaret St John, Countess of Bedford, had died prematurely in Aug 1562 from smallpox, months before the queen herself had contracted the illness.

Ambrose was the eldest surviving child of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, who had been executed in Aug 1553 for his role in attempting to place Lady Jane Grey on the English throne. Ambrose had been married twice previously; firstly to Anne Whorwood, and secondly to Elizabeth Tailboys (the daughter of Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blount), being widowed since 1563. His younger brother Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, with whom he remained close throughout his life, had negotiated the marriage with the bride's father, and stood alongside him on his wedding day.

Following the ceremony, guests were taken outside to the tiltyard to watch the joust; three days of jousting and feasts were held in celebration of their marriage, with Robert and Ambrose participating on the first and third days respectively, culminating with a feast being hosted at Durham House by Robert.

'Coat of Arms of Ambrose Dudley (c. 1528 - 1590) and His Wife, Lady Anne Russell (1548 - 1603), Earl and Countess of Warwick' Stained Glass Window, 1578 © Philadelphia Museum of Art

Whilst there were no children from this union, the marriage between Anne and Ambrose was a successful and happy one; it also appears to have been a monogamous marriage, as Ambrose had no known mistresses.