Death and the Virgin Queen : Elizabeth I and the Dark Scandal that Rocked the Throne

by Skidmore, Chris

• ISBN13: 9780312379001
• ISBN10: 0312379005
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-01-18
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

In the tradition of Alison Weir'sNew York TimesbestsellingMary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley,comes the most sensational crime story of Tudor EnglandOn the morning of September 8, 1560, at the isolated manor of Cunmor place, the body of a young woman was found at the bottom of a staircase, her neck broken. But this was no ordinary death. Amy Robsart was the wife of Elizabeth I's great favorite, Robert Dudley, the man who many believed she would marry, were he free. Immediately people suspected foul play and Elizabeth's own reputation was in danger of serious damage. Many felt she might even lose her throne. An inquest was begun, witnesses called, and ultimately a verdict of death by accident was reached. But the mystery refused to die and cast a long shadow over Elizabeth's reign.Using recently discovered forensic evidence from the original investigation, Skidmore is able to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of Robsart's death. This is the story of a treacherous period in Elizabeth's life: a tale of love, death, and tragedy, exploring the dramatic early life of England's Virgin Queen.

Author Biography

Chris Skidmore was born in Bristol, England in 1981. His first book was Edward VI: The Lost King of England. He taught history at Bristol University is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 2010 he was elected as a British Member of Parliament.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
A Note on Money	p. xiii
Prologue	p. 1
Introduction	p. 5
Beginnings
Rites of passage	p. 11
A meeting	p. 15
Carnal marriages	p. 18
My father's heart	p. 22
Shameful slanders	p. 26
God will revenge	p. 33
These beasts do well behold	p. 37
Common conditions	p. 41
Anatomies of hearts	p. 47
Not being altogether in quiet	p. 50
Rehabilitation	p. 55
Men dismayed	p. 62
God sent us our Elizabeth
A passing	p. 67
Marvellous in our eyes	p. 70
Master of the Horse	p. 76
My Ladye	p. 82
Young folks, heretics and traitors	p. 85
The court	p. 89
Becoming queen	p. 95
Coronation	p. 99
God send our mistress a husband	p. 105
A great resort of wooers
Many great difficulties	p. 115
God hath increased you with honour	p. 125
A visit	p. 133
She is well worth the trouble	p. 136
A journey	p. 145
Te stante virebo	p. 149
Veracious news	p. 162
Cumnor Place	p. 169
No reputation in the world	p. 174
Let the malicious report what they list	p. 180
A deep dungeon of sorrow	p. 186
With as much speed as you can	p. 192
I dare not write that I might speak	p. 196
Either chance or villainy
My wife is dead	p. 203
Well-chosen men	p. 208
It doth plainly appear	p. 213
So pitifully slain?	p. 216
An evil toy in her mind	p. 219
The coroner's report	p. 230
He is infamed by the death of his wife
Forget me not	p. 237
My ears glow to hear	p. 243
All the resort is to him	p. 245
Neither touching his honesty nor her honour	p. 250
If her Majesty so foully forget herself	p. 255
A proposal	p. 263
Many things handled of marriage	p. 268
Death possessed every part of me	p. 275
The inward, suspicious mind	p. 280
Sparks of dissention	p. 287
We all be flesh and blood
The murder of his sister	p. 299
Rather yet never had wife than lose them	p. 307
I may fall many ways	p. 313
No man can tell	p. 319
Your old patient	p. 328
Leicester's Commonwealth	p. 335
The scar remains	p. 342
The journal	p. 352
The queen's man	p. 367
Finis	p. 373
Appendices	p. 377
List of Abbreviations	p. 390
Notes	p. 392
Bibliography	p. 408
Index	p. 420
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