1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankie. Listener discretion advised Queen Elizabeth 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: the First had spent the summer traveling across the country, 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: visiting manors in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. Now at the 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: end of September she was making one more stop, Wanstead Hall, 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:32,160 Speaker 1: the home of Elizabeth's favorite Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Now, 7 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: if you know one thing about Queen Elizabeth the First, 8 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: it was probably that she was the Queen of England. 9 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: But if you know a second thing about Queen Elizabeth, 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: it's her reputation as a virgin queen. Much to the 11 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: chagrin of many of her advisers and nobles of the Kingdom. 12 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: Elizabeth never married and never gave birth to an heir 13 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: that would carry on the Tudor dynasty. Given the context, 14 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: I think her reasoning is pretty easy to understand. Her father, 15 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: King Henry the Eighth, didn't make the concept of marriage 16 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: very appealing for a woman. His first wife was cast aside, 17 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: his second, Elizabeth's mother, was beheaded, a third died in childbirth, 18 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: his fourth cast aside again. His fifth beheaded, and the 19 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: sixth managed to be okay, mostly because Henry died before 20 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: he could do anything terrible to her. Elizabeth knew that 21 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: marriage would fundamentally undermine her power, automatically making her subservience 22 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: to her husband in the eyes of the court and 23 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: the world, and a marriage would diminish the power she 24 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,039 Speaker 1: wielded by suggesting that she might be willing to marry 25 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: someone for diplomatic reasons and or might be willing to 26 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: make someone her air. And that's all to say nothing 27 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: of the physical danger she would have been in had 28 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 1: she carried and delivered a child. But just because Elizabeth 29 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: never got married didn't mean she didn't enjoy male attention 30 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: and romantic, if not physical, companionship. She did, particularly from 31 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: Robert Dudley, who, almost from the moment of Elizabeth's ascension 32 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: as queen was considered a royal favorite. Dudley would spend 33 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: years trying to get Elizabeth to marry him. If you 34 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: are a longtime listener of the show, you might remember 35 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: an earlier episode we did on the mysterious death of 36 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 1: a woman named Amy Robsart who fell down a staircase 37 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: and broke her neck. That was Dudley's first wife, and 38 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: so while in theory he was single again and eligible 39 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: to marry the Queen, his wife's death was so mysterious 40 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: and scandalous that it cast the type of pr paul 41 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: that would have made a match between Dudley and Elizabeth 42 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,679 Speaker 1: a non starter. But still well, he was highly esteemed 43 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,279 Speaker 1: in court, spending plenty of time with and flirting with Elizabeth. 44 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: When the Queen arrived that September day to Dudley's home, 45 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: she wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary, a feast, 46 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: of course, and time with her favorite who though she 47 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: wouldn't marry him, she was still jealously protective of The feast. 48 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: That night had another esteemed guest, Elizabeth's cousin Letise Knowles. 49 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: It wasn't out of the ordinary for another courtly lady 50 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: to be around, so I imagine at the time Elizabeth 51 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: didn't give it too much thought. She didn't know that 52 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: Dudley and Latisse had a secret that would upend both 53 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: of their lives. Just two days earlier, without the Queen's permission, 54 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: Dudley and Latisse had been secretly married, and so they 55 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: sat down with her to dinner, knowing that the moment 56 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: Elizabeth found out nothing would contain her wrath. I'm Danish 57 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: forts and this is noble blood. It always struck me 58 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: as a little hollow and anachronistic to call Elizabeth the 59 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: First a feminist. Absolutely, she was a powerful woman in 60 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: an incredibly patriarchal society who brilliantly played her hand and 61 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: held down to her power in a way that most 62 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: others would not have been able to, and so I 63 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: absolutely understand the compulsion to point to her as a 64 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: feminist symbol. But there's a distinction between a symbol and 65 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: an individual, just as there's a distinction between a woman 66 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: who gets to be powerful and a woman advocating for 67 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: the structural advancement of women. As an individual, Elizabeth was 68 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: really only the former, and when it came to family, 69 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: it's hard to call her a girl's girl. She famously 70 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: imprisoned and beheaded her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, and 71 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: imprisoned another cousin, Lady Katherine Gray, in the Tower of London, 72 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,799 Speaker 1: for daring to get married without her permission in Elizabeth's defense. 73 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: Both of those women had claims to the throne of England. 74 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's wrath in those cases, wasn't vindictive, maybe a little, 75 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: but it was mostly political. That is not the case 76 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: with Latis Knowles. Latis was no political threat to Elizabeth 77 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: at all, but still in the end Elizabeth would grant 78 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: her no mercy. Latis Knowles was also Elizabeth's cousin. Obviously 79 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: we know Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry the eighth 80 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: and Anne Boleyn. Latis was the granddaughter of Mary Bolin 81 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: aka the other Bolin girl. Latis's grandfather was Mary Boln's husband, 82 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: William Carey, But because Mary had had a physical relationship 83 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: with King Henry the eighth, some more gossipy histories suggest 84 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: the possibility that Latis was also descended from Henry, which 85 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: would make Latis and Elizabeth even more closely related. Although 86 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: I'm not quite sure what the name for that sort 87 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: of cousin would be. It might be about now when 88 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: you're wondering if it's just you or Latis's name sounds 89 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: suspiciously close to Lettuce. Was there a Rapunzel situation happening 90 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: with her parents, you might ask. The answer is no, 91 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,119 Speaker 1: it's far more ordinary. Latis was simply a shortened form 92 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: for the Latin word for happiness. Letitia Latis was born 93 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: on November sixth, fifteen forty three. It's a rare treat 94 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 1: to know the actual day, and we know it because 95 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: her father kept a Latin diary wrapped in calf binding, 96 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: and in it he recorded Latisa's birth and the birth 97 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: of his thirteen other children. Sometime likely in Latisa's late 98 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: teenage years, around fifteen sixty one or sixty two, she 99 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: married the nobleman Walter Devereaux, who would eventually become the 100 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: Earl of Essex. But even early on, the rumors about 101 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: Latis and Robert Dudley were circulating around court. A Spanish 102 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: ambassador observed in fifteen sixty five that Robert Dudley was 103 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: flirting with Latis at court to make Elizabeth jealous. If 104 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: you were trying to make the Queen jealous, Latis would 105 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: be a good choice to do that with. Not only 106 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: was she regarded as one of the best looking women 107 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: at court, but she also had red hair and didn't 108 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: look dissimilar from Elizabeth I, aside from, you know, being 109 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: a decade younger. But we also shouldn't give the ambassador's 110 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: gossip too much weight, given that at the time that 111 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: he was writing Latis was massively pregnant with her husband's child. Still, 112 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: even that probably didn't stop Dudley from flirting. The gossip 113 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: about a possible affair between Dudley and Latis only really 114 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: began in earnest, almost a decade later, when Latisa's husband 115 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: was over in Ireland after he put together a proposal 116 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: for a plantation in Ulster. He Devereaux wouldn't return for 117 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: a few years, and the rumors swirled in that time 118 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: he was away, rumors that Latis had two children with 119 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 1: her lover, Robert Dudley. There is no actual historical evidence 120 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: that these children ever existed, and now feels like a 121 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: good time to mention that a lot of anti Dudley's 122 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 1: sentiment comes from a pro Catholic book called Lester's Commonwealth 123 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: that was written in the fifteen eighties, which makes all 124 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: sorts of wild accusations against Dudley, a man who happened 125 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: to support Elizabeth the I's Protestant agenda. So it's possible 126 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: that Lettis found comfort in the arms of Robert Dudley, 127 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: Earl of Leicester while her husband Devereaux was away, but 128 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: it's equally likely, in my opinion that she was just 129 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: bopping around various castles in England, and later pro Catholic 130 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 1: sources were looking to come up with whatever dirts against 131 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: Dudley they could. Devereaux returned to England and then went 132 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:51,439 Speaker 1: back to Ireland, and on September twenty second, fifteen seventy six, 133 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: he died of dysentery during an epidemic in Dublin. Of course, 134 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: you can imagine what Lester's Commonwealth had to say about that. 135 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: In case you can't imagine, it's that Letis and Robert 136 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: Dudley murdered her husband, possibly because he was already planning 137 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: on taking furious revenge on Dudley for fathering a child 138 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: with his wife. And of course this murder would be 139 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: no big deal for Robert Dudley, who, if you'll recall 140 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: Amy Robsart and her tragic fall down the stairs, had 141 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: obviously already killed his own first spouse. It's the type 142 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: of story that's good if you're a Catholic who wants 143 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: to present a key Protestant figure as the embodiment of evil. 144 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: But there was an official investigation concluding that Devereaux died 145 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:48,079 Speaker 1: of natural causes. One piece of evidence, though, that Devereaux 146 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: and Latise might have been estranged by this point, is 147 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 1: that he barely referred to his wife in his will. 148 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,840 Speaker 1: In fact, Latisse would be forced to spend time writing 149 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,359 Speaker 1: letters to try try to get her meager jointure increased, 150 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 1: even threatening to sue out a writ of dower if 151 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: it wasn't increased, which thankfully it was. Latis observed the 152 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: customary two year morning period until September twenty first, fifteen 153 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,640 Speaker 1: seventy eight, almost two years to the day exactly when 154 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: her husband died. When the thirty four year old widow 155 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: married Robert Dudley at a private country house in Wanstead 156 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: before a notary, One witness noted that she wore a 157 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: loose gown, which some take as a hint that there 158 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: might have been a growing reason that the wedding needed 159 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 1: to take place sooner rather than later. That theory gets 160 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: a little more credence by the fact that there was 161 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: a larger second wedding later at another estate. At this point, 162 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,600 Speaker 1: for Dudley, it had been more than ten year years 163 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: since his first wife, Amy died, though he had tried 164 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: his best to get Elizabeth to marry him in the time, 165 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: since even he must have realized that it was just 166 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: never going to happen. It certainly seems like he and 167 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: Latis were genuinely in love, But if Dudley were still 168 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: holding a candle for the Queen, there's something to be 169 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: said for his choice of marrying her cousin who bore 170 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: her a famous resemblance. Obviously, both Latis and Dudley knew 171 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: that Elizabeth would not be happy about the marriage. There 172 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: was a reason they didn't ask her for her royal consent. 173 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: Elizabeth wasn't going to marry Dudley, but she definitely wouldn't 174 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: want Latis to marry him. For Latitsa's part, she kept 175 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:53,319 Speaker 1: a very low profile in the early days of their marriage. 176 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: She's very demure, very mindful, continuing to use the title 177 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: Countess of Essex from her first husband and still living 178 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,959 Speaker 1: with her father. That winter, for New Year's Elizabeth, Dudley 179 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: and Latis were still on good terms. Latis was received 180 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: at court and gave the Queen a chain of amber 181 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: with gold and pearl. Dudley gifted Elizabeth tons of jewels, 182 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: including buttons with his family crust and lover's nods, but 183 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: the couple would only be able to keep their secret 184 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: for so long, Robert Dudley's many enemies began spreading the 185 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: word of the secret wedding, and even Mary, Queen of Scott, 186 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: who was imprisoned but not yet executed at this point, 187 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: knew about the scandalous marriage. It was only a matter 188 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: of time before the couple would face Elizabeth's wrath. Elizabeth 189 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: at this time was doing her classic move of considering 190 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: that she might marry someone for diplomatic reasons, and in 191 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: the summer of fifteen seventy nine, the maybe would be 192 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: groom was the Duke of Anjou. The French ambassador was 193 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: facing an uphill battle trying to arrange the match. It 194 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 1: was extremely unpopular and the Queen's favorite, Dudley, opposed it. 195 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: The ambassador, in a peak of stubbornness, told the Queen 196 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: that Dudley had quote no right to prevent this marriage 197 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: or even try, given that he had married your kinswoman secretly. 198 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: That's all there was to it. Elizabeth was furious. Her 199 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: first instinct was to want to send Robert Dudley and 200 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: Latisan Knowles to the Tower of London. Thankfully, her courtiers 201 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: talked her out of that, but Elizabeth's anger wasn't going anywhere. 202 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: According to one story, Elizabeth smacked Latis on the ear 203 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: and shouted at her, as but one son lighted the earth, 204 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: there would be but one one queen in England. And 205 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: even more infuriating, Latis wouldn't back down or apologize. She 206 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: had made a love match, and she was proud of 207 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: her husband. However she might have felt about losing her 208 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 1: friendship with her cousin, outwardly, Latisse would never show remorse. 209 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: Her love for Dudley was worth whatever it had cost, 210 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: and she would keep her head held high. The Spanish 211 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: ambassador wrote of Latis, Yet still she is as proud 212 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: as ever, rides through cheapside, drawn by four milk white steeds, 213 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: with four footmen in black velvet jackets and silver bears, 214 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: the symbol of the Dudley family on their backs and breasts, 215 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: two knights and thirty gentlemen before her, and coaches of 216 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: gentle women, pages and servants behind it, so that it 217 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 1: might be supposed to be the queen or some foreign 218 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: prince or ambassador. In other words, Latisa's behavior was delightfully brazen, 219 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: and if there was ever a chance that Elizabeth might 220 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: have forgiven her Letisa's complete lack of remorse made that 221 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: chance disappear. It seemed she no longer cared whether she 222 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: incurred the Queen's displeasure. Dudley, on the other hand, very 223 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: much did care. He didn't really regret his marriage to Latise. 224 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: It seemed like they were in love. He wanted marriage 225 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: and an heir, and, as he wrote in a letter 226 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: to a colleague, quote, I have lost both youth and liberty, 227 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: and all my fortune reposed in Elizabeth. Elizabeth had taken 228 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: and taken, and she was never going to marry him. 229 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: What was Dudley supposed to do? Still? Latis left London 230 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: for the countryside, and though Dudley was originally vanished from 231 00:16:56,640 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: court to Elizabeth pretty quickly forgave him and enjoyed him 232 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,560 Speaker 1: back at court where she could pretend he wasn't married. 233 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 1: Although there were new spikes in Elizabeth's fury when Dudley 234 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 1: and Latis began actually living together a few years later, 235 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's anger at Letisse never abated. When Dudley tried to 236 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: get one of Latis's daughters from her first marriage wed 237 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: to James the first Elizabeth shot the suggestion down and 238 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 1: said she would never allow James to marry quote the 239 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: daughter of such a she wolf. But soon Elizabeth's displeasure 240 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: would be eclipsed by an even greater challenge in the 241 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 1: lives of Latis and Dudley. In fifteen eighty four, their 242 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: three year old son died. To say it was a 243 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: tragic loss would be an understatement. At this point, Latis 244 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,919 Speaker 1: was forty four years old, and so the death of 245 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,640 Speaker 1: their son marked the end of dudley hopes for continuing 246 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,879 Speaker 1: his family line. Even still, Elizabeth was said to be 247 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,959 Speaker 1: upset when Dudley went to comfort his wife in their grief, 248 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: and Elizabeth was made even more upset by the fact 249 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: that Latis accompanied her husband on vacation the following year, 250 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,199 Speaker 1: and there were rumors that Latis was going to accompany 251 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 1: Dudley to the Netherlands, where he was Governor General, with 252 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: quote such a train of ladies as her majesty had none. 253 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:35,360 Speaker 1: I mean, who did she think she was? Robert Dudley 254 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: died in fifteen eighty eight. Just a few years later, 255 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: possibly of malaria. He provided for Latis generously three thousand 256 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,920 Speaker 1: pounds a year and six thousand pounds of additional furniture 257 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,479 Speaker 1: and valuable home goods, which should have made her a 258 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:57,440 Speaker 1: very wealthy widow, except Dudley also left her the burden 259 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,880 Speaker 1: of massive debts, and he had an illegitimate child from 260 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: before their marriage that was trying to weasel his way 261 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: into claiming legitimacy and the inheritance. In order to settle 262 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: Dudley's estates, Latis sold off Lesterhouse actually sold it to 263 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: her son from her first marriage, Robert Devereaux. Incidentally, it 264 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: was around this time that Latis's son, Robert, who was 265 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,159 Speaker 1: now the Earl of Essex, was becoming a court favorite 266 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: with Elizabeth. I'm going to call him Essex because that's 267 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: usually how he's referred to, and there are a lot 268 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: of Roberts in this story. He Essex actually took Dudley's 269 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:46,359 Speaker 1: position as Master of the Horse, and after Dudley's death, 270 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: he got control of Dudley's royal monopoly on sweet wines, 271 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: which provided him a nice income. It seemed that Elizabeth 272 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: did not hold a grudge against Latis's son, even while 273 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: he's herself was never forgiven for the crime of marrying 274 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's favorite. This could be the end of Latis's story 275 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:14,879 Speaker 1: with her husband. The Queen's favorite dead, but her still 276 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:19,159 Speaker 1: banished from court and never to be forgiven. But Letis 277 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,960 Speaker 1: has such a strange and tragic third act that if 278 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: you'll indulge me, the story just must continue fairly Quickly 279 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: after Dudley's death, Latise married for a third time, this 280 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: time to a man twelve years younger, a soldier named 281 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: Sir Christopher Blunt. Throughout all of this, Elizabeth's grudge against 282 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: Latise continued. As I mentioned, Latis's oldest son from her 283 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 1: first marriage had actually established himself quite well in court, 284 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: and he tried to get his mother and Elizabeth back 285 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: on good terms. He arranged a meeting, and though Elizabeth 286 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: largely ignored Latise, she did allow her to kiss her hand, 287 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:12,239 Speaker 1: which wasn't nothing, although it wasn't all uphill progress. In 288 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:17,200 Speaker 1: fifteen ninety nine, Latisa's son, Essex, would be briefly imprisoned 289 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:22,159 Speaker 1: in house arrest after a disastrous stint in London, and 290 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 1: Latis tried to advocate for her son's release by sending 291 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:31,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth a gown that cost one hundred pounds. Elizabeth rejected 292 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: the gown and this time would not even permit Latis 293 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: to kiss her hand. If you're wondering why Essex was imprisoned. 294 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:44,400 Speaker 1: The short version is Essex was Lord Lieutenant in Ireland 295 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:49,639 Speaker 1: and without the Crown's permission, made a humiliatingly bad truce 296 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: with the leader of the Irish chieftains and came back 297 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:57,440 Speaker 1: home in a move that was pretty universally characterized as desertion. 298 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: The house arrest was eventually lifted, but Essex didn't get 299 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: back the sweet wine monopoly that he held previously. All 300 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: of this set off a chain of events in which 301 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: Essex was left bitter and angry at Elizabeth I and 302 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: her government, and in a desperate fit of self aggrandizement, 303 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:24,119 Speaker 1: he made a truly terrible decision. Essex and a group 304 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:29,480 Speaker 1: of followers, including Lettis's new husband, Christopher Blunt, decided that 305 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: they were going to march through the city and force 306 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,760 Speaker 1: an audience with the Queen and demand that she changed 307 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 1: her government. Essex thought he could rally the people behind him. 308 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: In short he could not, and fairly quickly the group 309 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: were treated back to essex House, where they surrendered. Two 310 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: weeks later, Essex was convicted of treason. Both he and 311 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 1: Sir Christopher Blunt, Latis's son and her husband would be 312 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 1: beheaded at the Tower of Life, London. Ironically, it had 313 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,960 Speaker 1: been Essex who had appointed the very executioner who would 314 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: take his head. The executioner had been convicted of rape, 315 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: but Essex had kept him from the death penalty on 316 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: the condition he become an executioner. Unfortunately, it did not 317 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: seem like he was very good at the job, given 318 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: that it took thirty strokes to remove Essex's head. Latisse 319 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: was left in a terrible and precarious position. Not only 320 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: were her son and husband just convicted of treason and executed, 321 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: but that husband had also left her pretty much broke 322 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: before that by spending all of her money. Thankfully, Latisse 323 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 1: would have one major stroke of luck a new regime. 324 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: Elizabeth the First died and the new king, James the sixth, 325 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: did not hold the same grudges as his kinswoman did 326 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: helpfully to one of Latis's daughters from her first marriage, 327 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: was in favor with James's wife, Anne of Denmark. James 328 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,159 Speaker 1: wiped out the remains of Dudley's debts and restored the 329 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 1: Essex lands to Latise, and though she would still have 330 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 1: to fight against Dudley's illegitimate son, she was able to 331 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: do so successfully, and eventually there was a formal ruling 332 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: in her favor. Latise Knowles lived fifteen more years, dying 333 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: at the age of ninety one on Christmas Day, the 334 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 1: quote last survivor of the Great Elizabethans. She requested that 335 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: she be buried with her second husband, Robert Dudley, the 336 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: Queen's favorite and hers. That's the story of Latis Knowles. 337 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear 338 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 1: about some more of the insane rumors that swirled around 339 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 1: her love life. Plenty of scandalous rumors surrounded Ltisnoles and 340 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:21,120 Speaker 1: Robert Dudley, and plenty of them, especially with regards to Dudley, 341 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:26,440 Speaker 1: were politically motivated, whether by his Catholic enemies or by 342 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:31,200 Speaker 1: people who were jealous of his power over Elizabeth in court. Obviously, 343 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: we've already talked about the suspicious death of Dudley's first wife, 344 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 1: Amy Robsart, and then the death of Latis's first husband, 345 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,040 Speaker 1: which caused a downe slew of rumors that Latis and 346 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:46,880 Speaker 1: Dudley had conspired to murder him so that they could 347 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: be together. But there were even accusations Latis killed her 348 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:55,159 Speaker 1: second husband too. During the restoration, there would be a 349 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: horror story written about how Dudley planned on killing Latise 350 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 1: because she was having an affair, but she managed to 351 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: kill him first. But the story of Dudley and Latis 352 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: working together to kill Latice's first husband, Devereaux, is the 353 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 1: most famous of the would be scandals involving Latise. The 354 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 1: rumors were so well known at the time and in 355 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: the decades following that some have speculated that William Shakespeare 356 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:28,120 Speaker 1: was actually inspired by them. That he heard a story 357 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,400 Speaker 1: about a man killing a woman's husband and then marrying her, 358 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,719 Speaker 1: and then the adult son from that first marriage making 359 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:40,399 Speaker 1: his way at court while dealing with that, and decided 360 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:57,959 Speaker 1: to write a play called Hamlet. Noble Blood is a 361 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. 362 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is hosted by me Danish Forts, with additional 363 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zewick, Courtney Sender, 364 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,239 Speaker 1: Julia Melani, and Armand Cassam. The show is edited and 365 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 1: produced by Noehmy Griffin and rima il Kaali, with supervising 366 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: producer Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, 367 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio. Visit the 368 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 369 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: favorite shows.