What do you think happened to Amy Robsart Dudley?

[stacey]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it thought that she died of a broken neck?? I think the question was, what (or who!) CAUSED the broken neck. Hmmm, this is getting extremely interesting, I'll have to go get my books out and see what I can find about poor Amy Dudley. I do feel really sorry for the poor soul. Apparently her husband cared nothing for her (he was too busy chasing after Elizabeth!!), he stuck her out in the country with just the servants to look after her, and as far as I can tell he pretty much tried to pretend she didn't exist. I wonder why he ever married her to begin with?? Oh wait, wasn't she some kind of heiress? Well, that would explain the marriage. (Yes, I think Robert Dudley was handsome and dashing and probably a lot of fun at a party, but IMHO his character was a bit--er--dubious)

Anyway, back to Amy. Yes, I might be wrong but I thought it was said she died of a broken neck. (I don't know if there was an autopsy or not--need to check that out too!!) Of course that wouldn't settle the question of accident, homicide, or suicide.

I think it would have been easy for someone to have broken poor Amy's neck and THEN shoved her down the stairs--to make it look like an accident.

Or how about this--someone poisoned her, she became disoriented, and while disoriented Amy lost her balance, fell down the stairs, landed on her head and her neck snapped??!

Okay--yes, I need to take some Klonopin and calm down. My imagination is, as they say, running riot tonight.

[bell_the_cat]

They could have suffocated her with a pillow and then thrown her down the stairs!

[stacey]

Good point, Bell! Yes, suffocation is a good way to kill someone without leaving a lot of inconvenient evidence lying around. And not a lot of mess to have to clean up after. Hmmm.....

[Kimberly]

Gawd, aren't we a bunch of old gossips

[ilyala]

i ask again: are we sure of amy's illness? are the sources 100% reliable?

[Kimberly]

Ilyala,
Mrs. Pinto (Amy's maid) said that she had heard her mistress "pray to God to deliver her from desperation"....sounds to me like she was a very depressed lady.
Dr. Francis Babington (one of Dudley's chaplains) preached the sermon at her funeral and described Amy as "pitifully slain"
The Spanish Ambassador reported court gossip,saying Dudley talked of divorcing or poisening his wife,many months before her death. Was he mischief making?
When the news of her death reached London, De Quadra wrote that.."They( Elizabeth and Dudley) were thinking of destroying Lord Robert's wife. They had given out that she was very ill, but she was not ill at all; she was very well and taking care not to be poisened"
The "breast cancer" story also came from the Spanish Ambassador.

[bell_the_cat]

Amy was buried in the University church of St. Mary the Virgin in the High Street, Oxford.

Would it be possible to dig her up? Has this been done?

[stacey]

As far as Amy's remains being exhumed--they haven't that I know of. A modern autopsy might prove very enlightening--at least it should show if she had a broken neck! I don't know how helpful it would be overall tho--I mean she died over 400 years ago, I don't know how much anyone could tell about cause or manner of death after so long.

And then too--good luck getting permission getting her grave opened and an autopsy performed! I don't even know who would have the authority to permit that. Would it be her closest living relatives--if there are any?? Would it be the Bishop of the church where she's buried--well, I guess I should just say "ecclesiatical authorities" in general? Would it even go as far as getting the Queen's permission?? (Not being British I don't really know who would be in charge here--oh well let's face it, I'm not sure who would be in charge here in the US!! Except I believe here that you do need a court order to open a grave--and I think you have to convince a judge that there is a genuine and compelling reason to grant the court order).

Still, it HAS been done. I know it was done in the case of at least one US President, due to rumors that he had been assassinated. (Turns out he wasn't!) And the body of Napoleon Bonaparte was tested a few years ago to see whether he died of poison--again I believe the conclusion was "no". So--maybe having Amy exhumed IS a possibility. Who knows?

[bell_the_cat]

Here's the spot:

http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/detail.asp?calledFrom=oai&imageUID=46625

[stacey]

Thanks for showing that! It's so sad tho--poor Amy! I doubt if she had many people to mourn her death--certainly her husband wasn't one of them!!

[bell_the_cat]

Actually it sounds as if the funeral was quite grand. Not only did Francis Babington do a funeral oration, but also Edmund Campion (later Saint!).  I'll bet a lot of crocodile tears were shed.

[ilyala]

elizabeth must have encouraged that for appearances' sake

[Prince_Lieven]

Elizabeth distanced herself from Robert after Amy's death, right? Doesn't this indicate that she believed that he had killed Amy? And Elizabeth was a shrewd woman who knew Robert well . . .

[ilyala]

no i don't think so. i think she believed him innocent but knew that many people wouldn't and didn't want him to take her down with him. she could have had mary stuart's fate had she done otherwise.

it didn't matter how guilty he was but how guilty he looked... and a queen should not associate herself with someone who looks even remotely guilty

[nelly]

Alison W. states that Amy was exhumed, but the coffin only contained dust--I vote for Cecil being the instigator of the events here.  He benefited the most from Amy's departure from the scene.  Dudley was removed from the position of serious contender for Elizabeth's hand and was slotted into the position of boytoy and out one of being a threat to Cecil's own position in government.  Amy may have already been ill and a good push down the stairs was enough to break her neck & finish her off. . . Who knows???  Isn't the speculation fun???