"Elizabeth and Leicester miniatures by Hilliard"
Elizabeth and Robert
"Robert Dudley"
Recommended on Amazon:
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
, Robin MaxwellThe Queen's Bastard: A Novel
, Robin MaxwellThe Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles)
, C.W. GortnerThe Queen's Fool: A Novel (Boleyn)
, Philippa Gregory~Lizzy~
Happy Birthday Robert!
ReplyDelete24th June. Or was it? Dudley's contemporaries in the 16th century believed he 'shared the same nativity' as the Queen - which means he would have been born on the same day and perhaps even the same year as Elizabeth (7th Sep. 1533). The word 'nativity' at the time would have been understood as an astrological reference - that they would have shared the same placements of Sun and Moon etc. A wonderfully romantic notion. It seems as though scholarly opinion altered with the discovery of a letter written by Dudley to William Cecil in which he, Dudley, refers to 24th June as his birthday.
ReplyDeleteStill, I must say I rather like the legend better - of them sharing their nativity - almost like twins. Also at the time of Elizabeth's courtship with the French prince Alencon, which caused Dudley so much jealousy, Elizabeth in 1581 wrote a poem ON MONSIEUR'S DEPARTURE which includes the line 'Since from myself another self I turned.' That is generally thought to refer to Alencon. But, who knows!
I have just recently read The Tudor Secret and have regained my interest in this period in time
ReplyDeletecarol
Happy birthday you lady's man you. ^.^
ReplyDeleteYes Amy I second that Happy Birthday Robert!!!
ReplyDeleteRobert I read numerous places he was for sure born in the same year as Elizabeth. Humm that is very very interesting to see where the 24th comes from. They were like twins or like mirrored souls, truly their story is like one of the greatest Tudor love stories. He loved her so much but she had to rule and she never budged on her responsibilities as a "wife to England". Ha I am not surprised on the poem because she could only hold back so much. Thank you for sharing Robert he was by far one of my favorite historical men.
Dizzy, that is a good one and and....there is going to be two more in the Tudor Secret series. I am not sure when but sometime in the near future. I am glad you enjoyed it.
I am reading the Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory. Good stuff. Happy Birthday, Robert!
ReplyDeleteCarole, so so true he was so bad that you had to love him. He is like the bad boy no can resist, the Tudor version of Edward.
ReplyDeleteSo sad for Elizabeth. He had the best of everything.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I read that one too but found it dragged a bit. I more enjoyed Robert in "The Queens Fool". I hope you enjoy it, you should check out Robin Maxwell's novels on Elizabeth they are super good.
ReplyDeleteMystica, true and he truly truly loved her. He would have died for her and he basically gave his whole life to her.