On 16 February 1587, Elizabethan courtier, soldier and poet Sir Philip Sidney was interred at 'Old' St Paul's Cathedral, four months after his death from gangrene: a complication from a gunshot wound to the thigh, sustained whilst fighting at the Battle of Zutphen, aged 31 years old.
Dutch Protestants had started to rebel against Spanish Catholic rule in the Netherlands since 1572, leading to a series of conflicts between the two sides. Whilst Elizabeth I supported the Dutch cause, England did not immediately became involved in the conflict. It was only on the assassination of their leader William of Orange in 1584, in addition to ongoing plots involving the imprisoned Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, that Elizabeth decided to act (Weir, 1999).
!['Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester [in the Low Countries]' English School, 1585 © Parham House & Gardens](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ed9b82_b2be2176a73a414091211ed341d9a418~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_811,h_1260,al_c,q_85,enc_avif,quality_auto/ed9b82_b2be2176a73a414091211ed341d9a418~mv2.jpg)
In 1585, Philip's maternal uncle, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, was appointed the Governor-General of the Netherlands; Elizabeth herself had declined the offer of becoming queen, and the Dutch Protestant rebels were in need of leadership in their ongoing rebellion against the ruling Spanish Catholics (Weir, 1999). Leicester set off from England in late December 1584; that year had been a sad year for him, having lost his youngest son, Robert, Lord Denbigh earlier that July, His wife, Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester, had made requests to travel to the Netherlands along with her husband; however, as she still remained out of favour with the queen, given the couple's perceived betrayal at their secret marriage back in 1578, permission. was not granted, and the grieving countess remained in England (Tallis, 2017). Leicester arrived in the Netherlands in early January 1586, accompanied by his stepson Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and nephew Thomas Sidney; they were soon joined by Philip and Robert Sidney, sons of his sister Mary Dudley and her husband Sir Henry Sidney, both of whom would die later that year (Paul, 2022).
The English campaign in the Netherlands was overall seen as a political and financial disaster, with territories being consistently lost to the Spanish. Philip was a young and enthusiastic soldier, determined to fight for the Protestant cause, and keen to prove his worth and reputation on the battle field. A favoured nephew of Leicester's, he had been appointed as the Governor of Flushing ('Vlissingen'), an important harbour port nearby the small town of Zutphen. It was at Zutphen that by September 1586, Leicester and his army had encamped, having been joined by multiple notable aristocratic men including the Earl of Essex, Peregrine Bertie, Lord Willoughby (son of Katherine Willoughby), Sir William Russell (brother of Anne Russell, Countess of Warwick), Sir Thomas Perrott (husband of Leicester's stepdaughter Dorothy Devereux), Henry Unton (son of Anne Seymour) and Philip (Stewart, 2000; Paul, 2022).
Fighting commenced on the evening of the 22 September, during which Philip was shot in his left leg, just above his knee, shattering his thigh bone; he reportedly had not been wearing any leg armour, having lent it to a friend who did not have any (Weir, 1999; Paul, 2022). Following his injury, he was taken down river to the village of Arnhem, where he was put to bed the house of a local judge's wife. Philip continued to be visited by physicians, as well as his uncle Leicester, who continued to be encamped with his troops at Zutphen. Philip appeared to be recovering, as he was reported to be eating, drinking and sleeping, with his wound appearing to heal (Stewart, 2000; Paul, 2022). At the same time, Leicester was writing to William Cecil, Lord Burghley (Elizabeth's Lord High Treasurer) and Sir Francis Walsingham (Secretary of State, and Philip's Father-in-Law), updating them on Philip's progress, speaking of their "very good hope for recovery" [27 Sep 1586] and "all the worst days be past" [02 Oct 1586] (Bruce, 1844).
Despite there being no apparent immediate risk to life, Philip rewrote his will, recognising his pregnant wife Frances Walsingham, and their young daughter Elizabeth, who had been born following his initial deployment to the Netherlands. Philip also made bequeathments to his sister Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke, as well as his maternal uncles Leicester, and Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, in addition to other family members and associates; he famously bequeathed Robert Devereux his "best sword", which later appealed to Essex's sense of ambition, nearing grandiosity (Weir, 1999; Paul, 2022).
Weeks of resting in bed left Philip vulnerable to developing bedsores, which needed to be treated appropriately to avoid infection. However, by mid-October, his health began to deteriorate, becoming weak, sweaty and feverish, with oozing, malodorous, pus-filled sores confirming signs of developed gangrene. Physicians attempted to bleed the infection from his body, with discussions taking place regarding amputating the infected leg, but it was too late. Accompanied by his brother Thomas and Robert, Philip died on 17 October 1586 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon (Stewart, 2000, Paul, 2022). It is also likely that his wife Frances was also present in some capacity, as a letter sent by Leicester to her father following Philip's death on 25 October, notes that "Your sorrowfull daughter and mine is here with me at Vtrickt [Utrecht], till she may recouer some strength, for she is wonderfully overthrowen thorow hir longe care since the beginning of her husbandes hurt, and I am the more carefull that she should be in some strength or she take her iourney into England, for that she is with child..." (Bruce, 1844). However, despite the delay in Frances returning to England, she either miscarried, or the couple's second child was stillborn (Varlow, 2009). Following his death, it was reported that Dutch authorities requested the honour of burying Philip and erecting a monument in his memory; however, Philip's corpse was returned to Flushing, where it lay in state until 01 November, when it was returned to England with great pomp and ceremony, said to have been accompanied by Leicester, who had been ordered by Elizabeth to return to England. On 05 November, Philip's body had arrived in London, arriving at the wharf at Tower Hill, having travelled down the Thames from the channel opening; after disembarking, the body was moved to the church of Holy Trinity, Minories, outside the walls of the City of London, to the sound of soft drumming and piping, where it continued to lie in state for a further three months (Paul, 2022; Folgerpedia, 2025).
A procession totalling 700 mourners accompanied Philip's coffin from Holy Trinity, Minories, to 'old' St Paul's Cathedral, with thousands lining the streets to pay their respects. His brother Sir Robert Sidney acted as the chief mourner, with their younger brother Thomas also being part of the mourning party. Others who joined the procession included male Dudley family members and allies, friends and those who had fought alongside him at Zutphen; these included the Earls of Leicester, Essex and Huntingdon, as well as Essex's brothers-in-law Thomas Perrot and Robert, Lord Rich, the husband of Penelope Devereux, the likely inspiration for Philip's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella. The procession was also watched by thousands who gathered on the streets to pay their respects (Varlow, 2009; Paul, 2022).
The procession and service was paid for by Sir Francis Walsingham who spent a significant amount of money on this, having only just been paying off posthumous debts on behalf of his son-in-law. Despite almost bankrupting him, Walsingham was deterimined to give Philip a hero's farewell; his state funeral was the largest funeral held at the time for someone outside the royal family. As it was only eight days after the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, it was perceived by some as an intended distraction from the controversial death of an anointed monarch.. Following the elaborate service, Philip was buried in the northern end of the choir; despite the pomp and ceremony of his funeral, no tomb or effigy was erected (Varlow, 2009; Targoff, 2024).
Writer and poet John Philip (1587) afterwards published The Lyfe, Death and Funerals of Sir Phllip Sidney knight, which he dedicated to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. In this, he reflected on the great funeral procession, including Philip's kinsmen, including Robert Dudley ("the noble Earle of Lester...Mine vnkles hart was wrapt with heapes of woe"), Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, and his wife Anne Russell ("O Warwike noble peere...God blesse my Lord and Countesse his most true").
During the English Civil War, historian and antiquarian William Dugdale was commissioned to complete illustrated histories and surveys on principle churches throughout the country, in the anticipation of possible destruction of religious sites. Dugdale's The History of St Paul's Cathedral in London was subsequently published in 1658, fortunately being 8 years before the destruction of the cathedral in September 1666. In his history, Dugdale (1658) notes the location of a wooden tablet that had been erected in memory of Philip, that being "more towards the east" of the tomb belonging to Thomas Henage (d.1595) that had been built in the northern end of the choir. He also noted the inscription of the tablet, which recognised Philip's multiple accomplishments and sacrifice for the Protestant cause :
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