1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 2: Listener discretion advised. Hi, this is Danish Schwartz. Just a 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 2: quick bit of housekeeping before we get started with the episode. 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 2: There is a Noble Blood Patreon if you want to 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 2: support the show. We have episode scripts, there are exclusive stickers, 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: and my friend Carama Donqua and I do a full 8 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 2: rewatch podcast of the television show Rain about Mary, Queen 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 2: of Scott's. So all of that is available on the Patreon. 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: The link is in the bio. We also have merch 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 2: there's a link for that. And also very exciting, I'm 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,480 Speaker 2: teaching a writing class this fall that I'm so thrilled about. 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 2: It's going to be a course on horror writing. There's 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: a link in the episode description. What's really exciting is 15 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 2: it's a virtual class, so you can be absolutely anywhere. 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 2: It's completely remote and over zoom. I just I love 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 2: teaching writing. I love talking about writing. Any programs that 18 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 2: I've done with this course have just been so so 19 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 2: much fun. And so if you're interested in this podcast 20 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: and you're a writer at any stage of your career, 21 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 2: let's work together. Let's have some fun. So I think 22 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 2: that's it for housekeeping. Let's get on with the episode. 23 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 2: The British painter William Frederick James returned to London in 24 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: eighteen fifty nine after a few years spent studying and 25 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: adventuring around Italy. Once he was home, Emes set up 26 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 2: a studio, and, like many other artists of his day, 27 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: he sought a group of like minded friends that he 28 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: could paint with. Before long he succeeded, and the Saint 29 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 2: John's Would Click was born, an association consisting of Yemes 30 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 2: and seven other painters who all lived around you guessed it, 31 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: the Saint John's Wood area of London. The members of 32 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 2: the Saint John's Would Clique all shared an interest in 33 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 2: historical subjects as well as narrative paintings, resulting in a 34 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 2: body of work that recreated or reimagined moments from history 35 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 2: with a flare for the dramatic. James in particular was 36 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 2: drawn to the popular genre of the quote problem picture, 37 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 2: in which the painting depicts a scene in immediate tension 38 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 2: and the viewer has to speculate what happens for the 39 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 2: rest of the story. One of the most famous problem 40 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 2: pictures was a painting by Emes in which a young 41 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 2: boy in a Royalist household during the English Civil War 42 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 2: is being interrogated by roundheads. The painting is called and 43 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,399 Speaker 2: when did you last see your father? The audience has 44 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 2: to fill in the rest of the story. Does the 45 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 2: young boy, no doubt, taught to be honest, inadvertently betray 46 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 2: his father? There's no way of knowing. That's the fun 47 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 2: of a problem picture. What better subject for a problem 48 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: picture Eames must have thought than Amy Robesart. On September eighth, 49 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 2: fifteen sixty, Amy was found dead at the bottom of 50 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: a staircase at her home. She was only twenty eight 51 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: years old. Eames imagined her lying on her back at 52 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 2: the very bottom of the staircase, her red hair trailing 53 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 2: gently down across her extended on. She wears a light 54 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: pink gown, silken and nearly matching the pallid color of 55 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 2: her skin. The fabric is draped almost gracefully across the 56 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,799 Speaker 2: stairs she had just fallen from. In reality, when Amy 57 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:22,799 Speaker 2: Robsart fell, she sustained two head injuries and a broken neck. 58 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 2: In the painting, however, there is no clear injury to 59 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 2: indicate a cause of death at all, she looks as 60 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 2: though she is simply gracefully sleeping at the bottom of 61 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 2: a staircase. Eames chose to depict the moment of the 62 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: discovery of Amy's body. Approaching her In the painting are 63 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 2: two men, perhaps servants, one older and one younger. Their eyes, 64 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 2: no doubt, like the viewers of the painting, are drawn 65 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 2: in shock and awe to the beautiful young woman at 66 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 2: the bottom of the staircase. They are faced with the 67 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 2: same question that we are, what happened to Amy Robesart. 68 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 2: As intriguing as Amy Robsart's death at the bottom of 69 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 2: the stairs may be, it's not the murder mystery that 70 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 2: constitutes the only problem in her problem picture life, because 71 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: Amy Robsart was not just any young woman dying under 72 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 2: suspicious circumstances. She was the long neglected and now dead 73 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: wife of Robert Dudley, the favorite and rumored lover of 74 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,239 Speaker 2: none other than her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the First of England. 75 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 2: Problem for Amy, Indeed, I'm Danish Schwartz and this is 76 00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 2: noble blood. As is too often the case with women 77 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 2: in this period, we know precious little of Amy Robesart's 78 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: early life. She was born in fifteen thirty two into 79 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 2: wealth and influence, but not nobility. She was the daughter 80 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 2: of a gentleman farmer whose success had manifested itself in 81 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 2: several estates, the opportunity to serve as Norfolk's justice of 82 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 2: the peace, and according to records over three thousand sheep. 83 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 2: Amy was her parents only legitimate child together, but she 84 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 2: was far from lonely. Her mother had four children from 85 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 2: a previous marriage, and her father had a son born 86 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 2: out of wedlock. We have basic details that indicate a 87 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 2: relatively good young life for Amy. Her family was low 88 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 2: charge with a good reputation, and Amy received a good education. 89 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: Her father, Sir John Robesart, had recorded her birth in 90 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 2: his personal prayer book, describing her as his beloved daughter. 91 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: Amy seems to have been slated for a pleasant and respectable, 92 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 2: if relatively unremarkable life in the country, and then fate 93 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 2: stepped in. In the early summer of fifteen forty nine, 94 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 2: when Amy was just seventeen, a peasant uprising was bubbling 95 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 2: in Norfolk. 96 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 1: A man named. 97 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 2: Robert Kett, who happened to be forgive me for this, 98 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 2: Amy's Mother's former brother in law. Through her previous marriage. 99 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 2: Began the rebellion in July, following a dispute with again 100 00:07:55,360 --> 00:08:00,679 Speaker 2: forgive me, Amy's half sister's father in law, Sir John 101 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 2: Flowerdew over the latter's enclosure of some common land. By August, 102 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 2: the rebels held the town of Norwich, then England's second 103 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 2: largest city. After a failed first attempt to quash the rebellion, 104 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 2: the Duke of Somerset, who was Lord Protector of England, 105 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 2: sent a large army under John Dudley, the Earl of Warwick. 106 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 2: Kett's rebellion had important consequences at English Court, but for 107 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 2: our current purposes, the important thing to note is that Dudley, 108 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 2: the Earl brought in to quash the rebellion, and his 109 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 2: officers were quartered at Sir John Ropesart's home at Wyndham. 110 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 2: Also in tow were two of the Earl's sons, Ambrose 111 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 2: and Robert Dudley, both going to the wars for the 112 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 2: first time. Robert was seven, in fact, just a few 113 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 2: weeks younger than Amy. Although Kett's rebellion would be finished 114 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 2: within just a few days of the army's arrival, clearly 115 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 2: young Robert and Amy had made a lasting impression on 116 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 2: one another. Less than a year later, the two would 117 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 2: be married. They tied the knot on June fourth, fifteen fifty, 118 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 2: just days before Amy turned eighteen and weeks before Robert did. 119 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 2: The then twelve year old King Edward the sixth noted 120 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 2: their wedding in his famously boring child king diary, which 121 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 2: we covered recently in the episode Edward the Sixth. Among 122 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 2: the women, he seemed to have had fun at the festivities, 123 00:09:55,440 --> 00:10:00,359 Speaker 2: noting in particular some sort of goose killing contest he observed, 124 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 2: But he didn't enjoy Robert and Amy's wedding as much 125 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 2: as he did a wedding he went to the day before, 126 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 2: between Robert's older brother John and Anne, daughter of the 127 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 2: Duke of Somerset. Praises abounded in Edward's diary for that 128 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:22,719 Speaker 2: Dudley Somerset wedding, which boasted mock battles, a masquerade, and 129 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 2: a delicious banquet. Edward's tween delight aside, John, Dudley and 130 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:34,079 Speaker 2: Anne's wedding had been strictly political, meant as a show 131 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,719 Speaker 2: of renewed friendship after the Earl of Warwick had led 132 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 2: a coup against imprisoned and then released Somerset events for 133 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 2: another episode. But Amy's and Robert's marriage, on the other hand, 134 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 2: would later be described as a quote carnal marriage, a 135 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:59,319 Speaker 2: somewhat alarming term meant to suggest impropriety given that it 136 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 2: was a love match. Although Amy's family was plenty respectable 137 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 2: and decently wealthy, she would have otherwise been an odd 138 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 2: choice of bride for the son of one of the 139 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 2: most powerful men in England. But something drew the two 140 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 2: of them together, and for the first few years of 141 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 2: their marriage they seemed to live a happy, comfortable in 142 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 2: love life. By the time that King Edward the sixth 143 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 2: died at fifteen years old on July sixth, fifteen fifty three, 144 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 2: things had been going well for Amy and Robert. Despite 145 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 2: the political turmoil of the time, they had seemingly lucked 146 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 2: their way into comfort and influence. Robert's father became a 147 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 2: duke and then the head of Edward's Privy Council, and 148 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: for several years he was the de facto ruler of England. 149 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,960 Speaker 2: Robert himself had joined the King's privy Chamber and held 150 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,440 Speaker 2: several offices at court. Less than a year after the 151 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,679 Speaker 2: Duke of Somerset was executed in fifteen fifty two on 152 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 2: trumped up treason charges that Dudley's Somerset wedding did not 153 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 2: in fact renew much friendship or goodwill. It turns out 154 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 2: Robert was made the keeper of Somerset House, which meant 155 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 2: that he and Amy now had a lavish London estate 156 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 2: of their own. Everything was simply put coming up Dudley. 157 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 2: But as crises of succession tend to do, the death 158 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 2: of the King changed everything for the Deadley's and would 159 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 2: in turn put Amy's previously blissful life upside down. As 160 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 2: had been the case for much of her life, it 161 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 2: was one of Amy Dudley's many confusing in laws who 162 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 2: would cause the trouble that would begin to offend her 163 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 2: peaceful existence. In May fifteen fifty three, just a few 164 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 2: months before King Edward died, Robert's younger brother Guildford, Dudley 165 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:24,520 Speaker 2: married Lady Jane Gray. If that name sounds familiar, it's 166 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,920 Speaker 2: perhaps because she's best known as the Nine Days Queen 167 00:13:29,559 --> 00:13:34,439 Speaker 2: for her brief disputed stint as Queen of England between 168 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:39,079 Speaker 2: the young Edward and his Catholic half sister Mary Tudor. 169 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 2: We've covered that crisis of succession before on this podcast, 170 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 2: so I won't bore you with the details again, but 171 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 2: just know that when Jane was deposed on the nineteenth 172 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:56,320 Speaker 2: of July fifteen fifty three, Mary Tudor and her supporters 173 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 2: saw the Dudley family as a threat to her session. Robert, 174 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 2: his father, and four of his brothers were all imprisoned 175 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 2: in the Tower of London and condemned to death. Amy 176 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 2: was allowed to visit her husband in the tower beginning 177 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 2: that September, but he remained imprisoned for over a year, 178 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 2: and both his father and his brother Guildford were executed. 179 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 2: His other brother, John, the one who had gotten married 180 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 2: a day before him in a more fun wedding, died 181 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:38,040 Speaker 2: of an illness shortly following his release from prison. Robert 182 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 2: Dudley's mother worked tirelessly for her remaining son's release, and 183 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 2: she managed to secure it after befriending the nobles who 184 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 2: arrived with Queen Mary's new husband, Philip the second of Spain. 185 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 2: Robert would finally be freed from the tower in October 186 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 2: fifteen fifty four. Robert dudley imprisonment was certainly a turning 187 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 2: point in Amy's life. After an unimaginably terrifying year spent 188 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 2: worrying that her husband might be sent to the scaffold 189 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 2: at any moment. Amy also had to contend with newfound 190 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 2: financial precarity. In June fifteen fifty four, Amy's dad, Sir 191 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 2: John Robsart, had died, and under different circumstances, his estate 192 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 2: would have passed to his only legitimate child. However, Robert 193 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 2: and Amy's marriage contract had stipulated that she would not 194 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 2: receive anything from her father's estate until both of her 195 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 2: parents had passed. This would have been all well and 196 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 2: good had Robert Dudley not been attained following his release, 197 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 2: meaning he was stripped of any property and hereditary titles. 198 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 2: The Dudleys were left with almost nothing to call their own, 199 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 2: rocked by scandal and relying on the goodwill of friends 200 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 2: and family just to survive. But something else, something quieter, 201 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 2: had begun brewing during that faithful year Robert spent in 202 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: the Tower of London. A few months into his imprisonment, 203 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 2: Robert was reunited with an old childhood friend who was 204 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 2: jailed for a suspected role in a recent Protestant rebellion. 205 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 2: That friend just happened to be the younger half sister 206 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 2: of the Queen, who in just a few short years 207 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 2: would ascend to the throne herself as Queen Elizabeth the First. 208 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 2: Over the years following Robert Dudley's release from the Tower 209 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 2: of London, things slowly began to look up for Robert 210 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,400 Speaker 2: and Amy, although they were not quite restored to their 211 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 2: former financial glory. When Amy's mother passed in fifteen fifty seven, 212 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 2: Amy and Robert were able to claim her father's estate, 213 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 2: which allowed them to begin paying off debts. In early 214 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 2: fifteen fifty eight, Parliament had lifted the attainder against the 215 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 2: Dudly brothers, which restored their hereditary titles, though they could 216 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 2: still not claim their late father's possessions. And throughout all 217 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 2: the ups and downs, Amy and Robert seem to have 218 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 2: maintained a caring relationship. We can't know what either of 219 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 2: them truly felt about the other, but we know Robert 220 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 2: entrusted Amy with the care of their affairs when he 221 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 2: went to war in fifteen fifty seven. And what's more, 222 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 2: although he was entitled by law to control his wife's 223 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 2: inheritance himself, he allowed her to have her own income. 224 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 2: Despite their troubles, they were making things work, and seemed 225 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 2: to care for one another. But then, on November seventeenth, 226 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 2: fifteen fifty eight, Queen Elizabeth the First succeeded to the throne. 227 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,199 Speaker 2: We have no reason to believe that anything untoward was 228 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,120 Speaker 2: happening between Elizabeth and Robert in the years leading up 229 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 2: to her ascension. Many have imagined, for example, some sort 230 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 2: of furtive prison romance while they were both in the 231 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 2: Tower of London. This is unlikely, but they did certainly 232 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 2: know each other. Dudley would later remark to a French 233 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 2: ambassador that they had been friends since the Queen was 234 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 2: eight years old. Elizabeth may have been among the guests 235 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 2: at Robert's wedding to Amy, and so Although oh we 236 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 2: have no specific record of any interaction between Robert and 237 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 2: Elizabeth while they were both imprisoned in the tower, let 238 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 2: alone romantic or sexual interaction, it is believed that their 239 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 2: shared experience became a point of connection for them. From 240 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 2: the moment of Elizabeth's ascension, Dudley was rarely away from 241 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 2: her side. He was declared Master of the Horses within 242 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 2: a day of her taking the throne, which sounds like 243 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 2: a made up job, but was in fact not only important, 244 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 2: but also guaranteed close personal access to the queen. Rumors 245 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 2: began to swirl almost immediately of a brewing romance between 246 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:51,200 Speaker 2: the queen and her favorite. The favorite's wife was not 247 00:19:51,440 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 2: invited to court. Amy remained in residents at Throcking at Hertfordshire, 248 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 2: north of London. We know almost nothing of how she 249 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 2: filled her days while her once beloved husband was busy 250 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 2: planning his new queen's coronation, rising to stardom at court, 251 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:21,679 Speaker 2: and receiving favor after favor along the way. It's likely 252 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 2: she visited relatives, given that she spent the Christmas season 253 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:31,080 Speaker 2: in Lincolnshire. Of course, it's entirely possible that Amy was 254 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 2: content or even happy with this existence. After marrying so 255 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 2: young and going through so much, maybe she and Robert 256 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 2: simply grew apart. This kind of de facto separation was 257 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 2: also quite normal in this time for a couple of 258 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 2: Amy and Robert's social class, and after their financial troubles, 259 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 2: Robert could not afford to abandon court simply to spend 260 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: time with his wife in the country. It's entirely possible 261 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 2: that Amy wasn't suspicious of the amount of time her 262 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 2: husband spent at court without her, although her own lack 263 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:16,439 Speaker 2: of an invitation might have given her pause. We know 264 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,120 Speaker 2: that wherever they were, Amy and Robert sent messengers back 265 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:25,399 Speaker 2: and forth with letters, money, and other goods, although the 266 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 2: letters have since been lost, along with the rest of 267 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 2: the deadly family correspondence. Given how much we can't know 268 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 2: for sure, I think it's important for us not to 269 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 2: instinctually turn Amy into a trope, the bitter jilted wife 270 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 2: suffering in silence while her husband flaunt his affair. But 271 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 2: then again, it's hard to believe that the woman who 272 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 2: had once had a cardinal match with the handsome teenage 273 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 2: son of an earl staying in her home, who fell 274 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 2: in love and got married, and had been through so 275 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 2: much with him to come out the other side, would 276 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 2: just be fully chill about him, visibly closing up to 277 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:15,160 Speaker 2: the Queen of England. Robert managed to make it home 278 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 2: for a few days during Parliament's Easter recess in April 279 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 2: fifteen fifty nine, although his visit seemed to have been 280 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 2: primarily focused on work. By this time, just five months 281 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 2: into Elizabeth's reign, it seemed to be public knowledge at 282 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 2: court that the Queen and Robert were a little too close. 283 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 2: Shortly after Robert's return to court in April, a Spanish 284 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 2: diploma at the Count Afaria noted in a report that 285 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 2: Amy had been very ill quote in her breast, which 286 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 2: scholars have guessed could refer to some sort of cancer, 287 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 2: and that Elizabeth seemed primed to marry Robert should Amy's 288 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:05,919 Speaker 2: illness claim her life. In the same report, he observed 289 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 2: Robert's immense power at court, as well as the fact 290 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 2: that quote her Majesty visited him in his chamber day 291 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 2: and night. The last time it's believed Robert Dudley ever 292 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 2: saw his wife was a month or so later. When 293 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 2: Amy came to London for a month beginning in May 294 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 2: fifteen fifty nine, she seemed in better health. It's likely 295 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 2: that this visit was in celebration of Robert's election as 296 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 2: a Knight of the Garter, which cemented his place as 297 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:46,439 Speaker 2: one of the most important men in England. In June, 298 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 2: Robert moved to Greenwich with the rest of the court. 299 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 2: Amy went back to Suffolk. By the fall of fifteen 300 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:03,120 Speaker 2: fifty nine, rumors regarding Elizaeabeth and Robert's relationship were reaching 301 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:07,680 Speaker 2: a fever pitch. Elizabeth was dragging her feet with a 302 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 2: bevy of foreign suitors, while many diplomats at court lamented 303 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:17,719 Speaker 2: that Robert never seemed to leave her side. It was 304 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 2: known that Robert was married, although few at court seemed 305 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 2: to have ever laid eyes on his wife. Eventually, people 306 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:32,840 Speaker 2: began to assert in diplomatic correspondence no less that Elizabeth 307 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 2: never had any real intentions for her suitors, and was 308 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 2: in fact conspiring with her favorite Robert, to poison Amy 309 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 2: Dudley that they could marry, or maybe Elizabeth was pregnant 310 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 2: with Robert's child, a story that would follow Elizabeth for 311 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 2: the rest of her reign. One anonymous source claimed that 312 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,119 Speaker 2: Elizabeth actively tried to keep Robert away from his wife, 313 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 2: going so far as to make him swear that he 314 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 2: quote did nothing with her on the very rare occasions 315 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 2: that he did see his wife. Of course, many of 316 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 2: these gossipy diplomats and courtiers had a vested interest in 317 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:24,440 Speaker 2: Elizabeth marrying one of their foreign suitors or in depriving Robert, 318 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 2: the favorite of power at court, So we have to 319 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 2: take all of these assertions with a huge grain of salt. Nevertheless, 320 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 2: one thing was clear. Amy Dudley was an obstacle to 321 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 2: whatever it was Robert was trying to do at court. 322 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,919 Speaker 2: Toward the end of fifteen fifty nine, away from the 323 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 2: churning gossip mill that was the English Court, Amy moved 324 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,440 Speaker 2: to cunn Palace, a beautiful estate not far from Oxford 325 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 2: in what was then part of Burke County. She was 326 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 2: a guest there of Anthony Forster and his family, who 327 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 2: had been close in the Dudley's orbit for many years. 328 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 2: Her chambers were on the south end of the complex, 329 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 2: accessible from the outside and at the top of a 330 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:22,200 Speaker 2: set of stairs. Amy brought a small entourage of servants. 331 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:27,920 Speaker 2: She was almost certainly the highest ranking person in Cumnor, 332 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 2: but she was likely well integrated into the community, socializing 333 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:36,439 Speaker 2: with the other women and spending a great deal of 334 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 2: her time at church. The following several months seemed to 335 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 2: have passed without much change. Robert attempted a plan to 336 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 2: visit his wife in the summer of fifteen sixty, but 337 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 2: it didn't pan out. Rumors continued about his unusually close 338 00:26:55,160 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 2: relationship with the Queen. He became so widely hated as 339 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 2: court that he took to wearing a light coat of 340 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 2: mail to protect himself from potential assassins. Amy's life continued, 341 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:15,800 Speaker 2: it seems a pace At Cumnor. On Sunday, September eighth, 342 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 2: fifteen sixty, Amy woke up early for some reason. That 343 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 2: day she insisted on sending all of her servants and 344 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 2: anyone else in the household she could out for the 345 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 2: day to a fair at Abington. Go go to the fair, 346 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 2: she insisted. Witnesses later stated that she seemed angry with 347 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,160 Speaker 2: those who questioned her wish to be alone or who 348 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 2: refused to go to the fair that day. When everyone 349 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 2: returned a few hours later from the fair, there she 350 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,679 Speaker 2: was lying at the bottom of the stairs leading up 351 00:27:55,720 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 2: to her chamber. Amy Dudley was dead. There is perhaps 352 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,640 Speaker 2: no better feeling for a historian or an archivist than 353 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 2: discovering a piece of evidence that helps to answer a 354 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 2: long burning historical question. It can be a historic moment 355 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 2: in and of itself, finding something that had been lost 356 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 2: or that we never knew existed, something that changes how 357 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,360 Speaker 2: we see the past. That must have been the feeling 358 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 2: for the person who found the coroner's report on Amy's death, 359 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 2: which was believed to have been lost in the UK 360 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:45,840 Speaker 2: National Archives until two thousand and eight. Before this, there 361 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 2: were a few primary theories as to what happened. First, 362 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 2: there was the worst case scenario and also the most intriguing, 363 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 2: that Amy Robesart was murdered. This is an old suspicion, 364 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 2: dating back practically to the moment Amy died. In his 365 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 2: letters written to his steward during the immediate aftermath, Robert 366 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 2: Dudley seemed keenly aware that suspicion could fall on him. 367 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 2: For what it's worth, it seems unlikely that Robert did 368 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 2: orchestrate his wife's death. In fact, her death proved disastrous 369 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,520 Speaker 2: for Dudley. Although he remained a prospect for marriage for 370 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 2: Elizabeth to some extent for several more years, the scandal 371 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:40,080 Speaker 2: that ensued from Amy's death all but confirmed that he 372 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 2: and Elizabeth would never marry. People whose spouses die under 373 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 2: mysterious circumstances usually don't marry Queens of England. Historians have 374 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 2: also noted Dudley's apparent distress in his correspondence following Amy's death, 375 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:03,720 Speaker 2: which seems to indicate that he didn't expect it. Nevertheless, many, 376 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 2: especially Robert's enemies at court, suspected or pretended to suspect 377 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 2: him of following through on a plot to kill his 378 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:17,400 Speaker 2: wife so that he could marry Elizabeth and become King. 379 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:23,960 Speaker 2: John Appleyard, Amy's half brother, suspected foul play, although he 380 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 2: did not believe Robert Dudley to be responsible. Several years later, 381 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 2: in fifteen sixty seven, John was approached, apparently on behalf 382 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 2: of the Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Sussex, 383 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 2: whose representatives offered a cash reward in exchange for John 384 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 2: publicly accusing Robert Dudley of having murdered Amy. By this point, 385 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 2: Dudley was the Earl of Lester, and the accusations certainly 386 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 2: would have helped jealous rivals take his reputation down a peg, 387 00:30:57,080 --> 00:31:01,239 Speaker 2: but Appleyard reportedly refused, and he went to Robert with 388 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 2: his concerns. Robert was apparently furious both at the plot 389 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:11,120 Speaker 2: against him and that his wife's death remained a matter 390 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 2: of speculation despite the case having been closed for several years. 391 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 2: The Privy Council investigated the plot and imprisoned Appleyard to 392 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 2: interrogate his claims regarding these high level officials. John was 393 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 2: questioned by members of the Privy Council but recanted his 394 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 2: story In the end, and he requested to see the 395 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 2: coroner's report, which he said alleviated his concerns. Given Amy's 396 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,640 Speaker 2: strange behavior on the mourning of her death, not to 397 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 2: mention her marital woes, Rumors of suicide also abounded. This 398 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 2: theory seems to have been first put forward by Amy's 399 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:05,320 Speaker 2: d devoted Maide Missus Picto, who, despite saying she believed 400 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 2: the death was an accident, admitted that Amy could have 401 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 2: had thoughts of suicide. For those of you who love 402 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:18,040 Speaker 2: the CW show Rain like I do, you know that 403 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:23,240 Speaker 2: this theory has had some cultural sticking power. Spoiler alert 404 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 2: for future seasons of Rain. The fictionalized Amy Robesart in 405 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 2: the show ended her own life in order to create 406 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 2: a scandal that would prevent her husband from marrying Elizabeth. 407 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 2: That's almost certainly an intriguing, dramatic twist on an already 408 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,920 Speaker 2: unlikely theory, but the folks at Rain were not the 409 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 2: first to think of it. The coroner's report reflects the 410 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:58,280 Speaker 2: third alternative, a simple tragic accident. It was previously believed 411 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 2: that Amy's injuries could not have been sustained accidentally from 412 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 2: a fall. In fact, this belief was grounded in a 413 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 2: detail that stems from a satirical pamphlet published after her death, 414 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 2: which stated that her head dress or her hood remained 415 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 2: upright on her head following the supposed quote unquote fall. 416 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 2: But that was just a bit of gossip. There was 417 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 2: no factual truth to that story. In the twentieth century, 418 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 2: professor of medicine, Ian Aird put forth what became a 419 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 2: prevailing theory, which was that Amy indeed suffered from breast 420 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 2: cancer which metastasized to her spine and weakened it, which 421 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 2: could have made a relatively short fall fatal. In fact, 422 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 2: because we know that the head dress detail was fabricated, 423 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 2: it's entirely possible that Amy did have an unfortunate, deadly fall, 424 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 2: unaided by illness or outside forces. Although the discovery of 425 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,800 Speaker 2: the report provided answers in some ways and perhaps helps 426 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:25,400 Speaker 2: us narrow down the potentialities, the intrigue surrounding Amy's death 427 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,720 Speaker 2: is too big to be tamped down by a single 428 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 2: piece of paper. The discovery in two thousand and eight 429 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 2: brought speculation to a new level not seen in many years, 430 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 2: but it just continued the mystery because, according to the 431 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:46,280 Speaker 2: coroner's report, the head injuries listed could reasonably have resulted 432 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 2: from accident, suicide, or foul play. She fell down the 433 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 2: stairs and hit her head. We don't know how or 434 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:00,880 Speaker 2: why she fell down the stairs. In a confused using twist, 435 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 2: the report opened up the possibility of an accident, but 436 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:09,640 Speaker 2: aside from offering us the official opinion of a jury, 437 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 2: it doesn't rule out the alternatives. While most modern historians 438 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 2: have absolved Robert Dudley of responsibility for his wife's death, 439 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 2: and many have issued the idea of foul play altogether, 440 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 2: the idea of a murderous plot has remained enticing. Some 441 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:33,880 Speaker 2: have ventured that someone at court with reason to smear 442 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:38,919 Speaker 2: Robert Dudley, that is, just about anyone, could have orchestrated 443 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 2: the murder to frame him. Some scholars and enthusiasts have 444 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 2: put forth Elizabeth's chief adviser, William Cecil, although it seems 445 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:53,239 Speaker 2: unlikely he would have risked either the Queen's or his 446 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 2: own reputation just to ruin Roberts. Several scholars have suggested 447 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,719 Speaker 2: that though the jury in the end did decide the 448 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 2: official cause of death was an accident, someone, maybe even 449 00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 2: Robert Dudley, could have influenced the jury, but that raises 450 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 2: even more questions. He could have influenced them to say 451 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 2: it was an accident to cover up a murder, but 452 00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 2: it also could have been to cover up a suicide, 453 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 2: because an accident would have been considered less shameful. Amy's 454 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,560 Speaker 2: grave has been lost, although a floor slab remains dedicated 455 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:37,800 Speaker 2: to her at Saint Mary's Church in Oxford. Without a body, 456 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:40,719 Speaker 2: we may never know for sure what happened to her, 457 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:45,120 Speaker 2: and it's likely that speculation will continue as it has 458 00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:51,239 Speaker 2: in waves, possibly forever. For his part, Robert Dudley went 459 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:54,600 Speaker 2: on to remain at the center of Elizabeth's court for 460 00:36:54,680 --> 00:36:58,839 Speaker 2: the rest of her life. Although he and perhaps Elizabeth 461 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,280 Speaker 2: also entertained hopes that they might someday be able to wed, 462 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 2: Eventually Robert accepted the fact that it would never happen. 463 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:12,799 Speaker 2: He married Latise Knowles, a cousin and, if portraits are 464 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:17,319 Speaker 2: to be believed, a look alike of Queen elizabeths in 465 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 2: secret in fifteen seventy eight. When Elizabeth found out about 466 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:27,400 Speaker 2: the nuptials, she permanently banned Latis from court and refused 467 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 2: to even acknowledge the marriage. But no scandal would ever 468 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 2: stick to Robert, quite like his first wife, Amy Robsart. 469 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:41,880 Speaker 2: The satirical pamphlet that first put forth the Headdress Story, 470 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 2: a story that furthered the murder theory for literally hundreds 471 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:50,320 Speaker 2: of years, and which was the first appearance of Amy's 472 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:55,920 Speaker 2: death in print, was published in fifteen eighty four, almost 473 00:37:56,120 --> 00:38:01,720 Speaker 2: twenty five years after Amy's death and six years into 474 00:38:01,880 --> 00:38:07,080 Speaker 2: Robert's new marriage. When it comes to gossip and scandal 475 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:19,000 Speaker 2: at court, you never forget your first That's the story 476 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:22,440 Speaker 2: of Amy Robesart. But stick around after a brief sponsor 477 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 2: break to hear a bit more about the longer legacy 478 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:37,960 Speaker 2: of her tragic death. William Frederick Eames was not the 479 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 2: only painter to find a perfect elusive subject in Amy Robsart. 480 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:49,280 Speaker 2: Earlier in the nineteenth century, the romantic artist Richard Parkes 481 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:55,839 Speaker 2: Bonington depicted her alive with Robert Dudley. Although the term 482 00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 2: romantic in the artistic sense referred to a painting style 483 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 2: rather than literal romance in the subject, Bonnington's painting was romantic. Robert, 484 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:13,760 Speaker 2: who in reality had ignored Amy for much of their marriage, 485 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 2: is depicted looking lovingly at his wife, who faces him, 486 00:39:18,560 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 2: hand on his chest, looking demurely and perhaps even flirtatiously downward. 487 00:39:25,239 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 2: The painting is saturated with warm hues, with Amy's vibrant 488 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:35,120 Speaker 2: orange dress drawing the eye to her and her beloved. 489 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:39,799 Speaker 2: A pet dog looks up at its owners, completing the 490 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:45,040 Speaker 2: scene of domestic bliss. It is certainly a different story 491 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:49,440 Speaker 2: from the one we remember best. The nineteenth century saw 492 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:54,640 Speaker 2: the first quote revival of interest in Amy's death following 493 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:58,880 Speaker 2: the eighteen twenty one publication of Sir Walter Scott's novel 494 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:05,719 Speaker 2: Kenilworth dramatizing the topic. Speculation about Amy's death roared back 495 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 2: to life, and artists were enthralled by the figure of 496 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:15,840 Speaker 2: Amy as the tragically beautiful victim of adultery, murder, or 497 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:21,360 Speaker 2: possibly both. Painters took the opportunity to imagine her likeness, 498 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:27,600 Speaker 2: and fantasy portraits, usually sad and contemplative, she pines for 499 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:32,240 Speaker 2: her husband or looks off into the distance. One painting 500 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,320 Speaker 2: has her at the top of those fateful stairs, also 501 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 2: gazing wistfully off in the distance as she begins her 502 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:45,840 Speaker 2: final descent. Then there's EM's painting, which gets right to 503 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:50,520 Speaker 2: the point in showing us that interest in Amy's life 504 00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:57,920 Speaker 2: is really almost always interest about her death. Bonnington's painting, however, 505 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:03,720 Speaker 2: offers us a rare glimpse into something else, the life 506 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 2: Amy and Robert had early on in their marriage, or 507 00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:11,040 Speaker 2: perhaps the life they could have had if things turned 508 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:15,960 Speaker 2: out differently. Amy's gaze is not out into the great beyond, 509 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:20,880 Speaker 2: but centered within the painting, toward her husband and her pet. 510 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,280 Speaker 2: A hint of a smile plays at her lips. Here. 511 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:30,680 Speaker 2: Amy Robesart is not Elizabeth's foil, the jilted other woman, 512 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 2: or an obstacle to Robert's social climbing. She's a person, 513 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:41,160 Speaker 2: loving and beloved with her own hopes and dreams for 514 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 2: how her life would turn out, and not just what 515 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:46,880 Speaker 2: would happen at the end of it. 516 00:41:56,080 --> 00:42:00,440 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and 517 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:04,840 Speaker 1: Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is created and hosted 518 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: by me Dana Shwarts, with additional writing and researching by 519 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:15,160 Speaker 1: Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Mira Hayward, Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. 520 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:19,440 Speaker 1: The show is edited and produced by Noemi Griffin and 521 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:25,360 Speaker 1: rima Il Kahali, with supervising producer Josh Thain and executive 522 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more 523 00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 524 00:42:36,080 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.