Amy Robsart (1534–8 September 1560) also known as Amy, Lady Dudley was an English noblewoman, who is mainly known for her death under controversial and somewhat mysterious circumstances. 1534 (MDXXXIV) was a common year in the 16th century. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ...

Life

Robsart was born in Norfolk, and was the daughter of a wealthy landowner, Sir John Robsart and Elizabeth Scott. The Robsarts were the neighbours of the Dudley family, whose patriarch was John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and one of the regents during the reign of King Edward VI of England. Norfolk (IPA: //) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... For other senses, see Patriarch (disambiguation). ... John Dudley John Dudley (1501 – August 22/23, 1553) was a Tudor nobleman and politician, executed for high treason by Queen Mary I of England. ... For the insecticide Regent, see Regent (insecticide) A regent is an acting governor. ... Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) became King of England, King of France (in practice only the town and surrounding district of Calais) and Ireland on 28 January 1547, and crowned on 20 February, at just nine years of age. ...

When she was 17, Robsart married Robert Dudley, a younger son of Northumberland. (Robert's younger sibling, Guilford, married Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days). The betrothal between Robsart and Dudley appeared to be a love match, since both families were wealthy. Also, their marriage contract stated that they would be wed only if they did "condescend and agree" to the match. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester painted by Steven van der Meulen. ... Guilford Dudley (1536 - 12 February 1554) was a son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and Jane Guilford; and the younger brother of Robert Dudley, the future earl of Leicester. ... Lady Jane Grey, formally Jane of England (1537 – February 12, 1554), a grand-niece of Henry VIII of England, reigned as uncrowned queen regnant of the Kingdom of England for nine days in July 1553. ... The British monarch or Sovereign is the monarch and head of state of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and is the source of all executive, judicial and (as the Queen-in-Parliament) legislative power. ... Betrothal is a formal state of engagement to be married. ...

The wedding, held with Edward VI in attendance, soon proved to be the start of an unhappy marriage. Following the accession of Elizabeth I to the throne, Dudley spent most of his time at court with the new queen, nursing his own apparent ambitions to gain the throne. It has been widely speculated that he carried on an illicit love affair with the Queen during her early reign and indeed gained a highly favoured (and envied) place at her side. He did not allow Amy to come to court, as he did not wish to remind the Queen her favourite was indeed a married man. Early in 1560, Robsart was living in the manor house of Cumnor Place, near Abingdon in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). The house was owned by friends of Dudley, some of whom lived with Robsart. Although legend has it she was a sort of prisoner, it is more likely she had complete freedom of movement. Elizabeth I redirects here. ... Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... Abingdon Town Councils coat of arms. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ...

Death

Robsart is best known for her death, which occurred at Cumnor Place on Sunday, September 8, 1560, the day of the "Our Lady's Fair" at Abingdon. Robsart gave all her servants permission to go to the fair, and even insisted so when several refused, believing it was unfit to attend a fair on Sunday. However, Robsart's companion, Mrs. Oddingsell, refused to leave, believing it unfit for her to mingle with servants. Thus remaining at the house were Robsart and Mrs. Oddingsell, as well as Mrs Owens, the elderly mother of the house’s previous owner, and Mrs. Forster, the wife of the current owner of the house; additionally, Mrs. Oddingsell and Mrs. Forster would also both have had servants with them at the time. When the rest returned from the fair, they found Robsart lying dead at the foot of a shallow flight of stairs, leading from her room to the hall, her neck broken. The death was announced to Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth at the same time, who both seemed genuinely shocked at the news. Dudley sent a friend to the country estate to check on the circumstances and did not attend the funeral, choosing to remain at Elizabeth I's side. September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ...

Aftermath

Due to these suspicious circumstances, many believed Dudley had ordered the murder, which would rather conveniently open the way for him to marry the Queen. However, as he must have understood that the controversy created by her death could potentially ruin any chance he had of marrying Elizabeth, it is unlikely that he would have orchestrated her demise. Some alleged that Queen was privy to the plan, and perhaps even ordered it; it is known that she had mentioned to the Spanish ambassador de Quadra that Dudley's wife was near death. Yet another theory is that her death was ordered by William Cecil, the Queen's secretary. Cecil had fallen out of favour upon the rise of Robert Dudley, and it was possible that if Dudley became King Consort, he could undo all that Cecil had worked for in the past several years, thus Cecil had a strong motive to prevent the Queen and Dudley from marrying. Cecil was certainly perceptive enough to understand that the controversy of Robsart's death would disallow the Queen from ever marrying Dudley, which would, in turn, bring Cecil back into favour; indeed, this is what happened. Cecil had perhaps the strongest motive and the most to gain from Robsart's death, which makes him a likely suspect, though there is no strong evidence to prove this theory. In any event, the scandal surrounding Robsart's death was enough to discourage the Queen from marrying Dudley. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1521–4 August 1598), was an English politician, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign. ...

Another factor known prior to her death was that Amy suffered from an ailment in her chest, which may have been breast cancer or possibly an aortic aneurism. Relatively recent cancer research has proven consistent with the idea that she suffered from breast cancer, and she may have subsequently had porous bones. This could have caused her neck to break under only limited strain, such as a fall which might occur when coming down even a short flight of stairs, or even just coming down the stairs. It is also often mentioned, and perhaps quite feasible, that Amy committed suicide, either because of the pain in her chest or the strain of mental anguish of knowing her husband to be the favourite of the Queen. This may explain her strange behaviour in wishing to send her servants away on that day. Thus, she may have poetically died of a "broken heart." Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling (dilatation or aneurysm) of the aorta, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location. ...

Books about Amy Robsart

• Amy Robsart: A Drama in 5 Acts by Victor Hugo (published 2001) ISBN 1-58963-474-8
• Amy Robsart: Courtier's Wife by Susan Yaxley ISBN 0-948400-51-X
• The Robsart Affair by Jeanette Dowling Letton ISBN 0-89244-015-5
• Amy Robsart of Wymondham: The Story of Her Life and the Mystery of Her Death by Bartle Henry Temple Frere (1937)
• Amy Robsart: The Story of Her Married Life and Her Death by Josiah Marples
• Who Killed Amy Robsart?: Being Some Account of Her Life and Death, with Remarks on Sir Walter Scott's "Kenilworth" by Philip Sidney (1901)

Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced in French) (26 February 1802 — 22 May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights campaigner, and perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ...

Fictional Books about Amy Robsart

• Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott (1821), ISBN 0-14-043654-5. One of Scott's Waverley Novels.
• The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (2005)
• The Bright Day is Done: The Story of Amy Robsart by Judith Saxton

Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is a British novelist, mainly associated with the historical fiction genre. ...

External links

• Royal Berkshire History: Lady Dudley
• http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/external/cumnor/robsart/robsart.htm
• http://pedia.nodeworks.com/A/AM/AMY/Amy_Robsart
• http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0842121.html
• http://www.merouda.com/artsci/robsart.htm
• http://strangetales.netfirms.com/novel.html
• http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/detail.asp?calledFrom=oai&imageUID=56447