Author Topic: Lettice Knollys  (Read 14262 times)

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Offline Prince_Lieven

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Lettice Knollys
« on: January 29, 2006, 05:16:28 PM »
I thought this woman deserved her own thread. Cousin to Elizabeth, wife to one of her favourites and mother to another, and she also lived to be 95!!  :o

Lettice must have been either extremely stupid or just determined to get her way when she married Robert Dudley (Her second husband) in 1578, Dudley being the Queen's acknowleged favourite.

What do you guys think?

I'm always struck by her resemblance to Elizabeth.

« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Prince_Lieven »
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

nelly

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2006, 06:19:17 PM »
Determined is what I think it was--Elizabeth refused to let her back to court after she married Leicester.  I bet she felt the trade off was worth it.

Essex managed to get her received once, but it hardly was a success!!! ;D

elena_maria_vidal

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2006, 06:57:12 PM »
You just know that Leicester must have spent a great deal of time at the court in attendance of the queen, away from Lettice. There were no winners in that situation!!

elena_maria_vidal

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2006, 07:00:08 PM »
Quote
I thought this woman deserved her own thread. Cousin to Elizabeth, wife to one of her favourites and mother to another, and she also lived to be 95!!  :o

Lettice must have been either extremely stupid or just determined to get her way when she married Robert Dudley (Her second husband) in 1578, Dudley being the Queen's acknowleged favourite.

What do you guys think?

I'm always struck by her resemblance to Elizabeth.



She was lovely and yes, she did look like Elizabeth - especially the red hair. I  actually do think Lettice was prettier, although probably not as clever and witty as Elizabeth, but then who was?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by elena_maria_vidal »

helenazar

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2006, 07:03:23 PM »
I think Lettice was always sort of in competition with Elizabeth, so her marrying Dudley may have been part of that... Also, if you look at her real close, she doesn't look that much like Elizabeth, mainly her hair color /style and of course the clothing style. But any resemblence there was wouldn't be that surprising since she was the granddaughter of Mary Boleyn, wasn't she? I wonder if Dudley was attracted to her because of this resemblence...

nelly

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2006, 07:07:03 PM »
I agree that she was pretty--even to our modern eyes!!

Even with Leicester being away at court often, I still think Lettice felt the trade off was worth it.  She'd snatched her cousin's favorite away from her!! ;)

elena_maria_vidal

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2006, 08:01:29 PM »
Quote
I think Lettice was always sort of in competition with Elizabeth, so her marrying Dudley may have been part of that... Also, if you look at her real close, she doesn't look that much like Elizabeth, mainly her hair color /style and of course the clothing style. But any resemblence there was wouldn't be that surprising since she was the granddaughter of Mary Boleyn, wasn't she? I wonder if Dudley was attracted to her because of this resemblence...


Oh, I am sure that that is why he was attracted to her. I wish we could get a picture of Elizabeth to put next to hers, not that old portraits are always reliable! But look at the nose, and even the mouth - very similar to Elizabeth, IMHO!

elena_maria_vidal

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2006, 08:04:07 PM »
Quote
I agree that she was pretty--even to our modern eyes!!

Even with Leicester being away at court often, I still think Lettice felt the trade off was worth it.  She'd snatched her cousin's favorite away from her!! ;)


For Lettice's sake, I hope you are right, nelly! There was a book about Lettice in the 70's, a romance novel by Victoria Holt called "My Enemy the Queen." It was from Lettice's point of view and very interesting, although it was strictly fiction.

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2006, 06:58:13 AM »
Strange that Lettice resembles Elizabeth in some of Elizabeth's more 'Tudorish' features like the hair etc, when they were in fact related through the Boleyn's - unless Lettice's mother Catherine Carey was in fact a daughter of Henry VIII, but that's another story!  ;D

BTW, does anyone know how Lettice spent her later years? She married three times, the last time to Sir Christopher Blount. She had four children by her first husband, Walter Devreux - Walter, Penelope, Dorothy and of course Robert. How were Lettice's later years? Comfortable?
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

helenazar

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2006, 08:05:34 AM »
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How were Lettice's later years? Comfortable?


After Leicester's death, Lettice married a man years her junior, Sir Christopher Blount. This was another unpopular move with the Queen, and Lettice lived a life of the disgraced, mostly at Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire. She remained on friendly terms with her son Robert, Earl of Essex, and took some part in the education of her grandson, Robert (later 3rd Earl of Essex). In 1597, the Earl made a number of attempts to reconcile the two ladies. The Queen avoided two meetings before the two eventually came face to face, and Lettice was able to present her cousin with a jewel. A subsequent request for permission to return to Court was, however, refused and the Countess was, once more, forbidden access to the monarch. Later, Lettice was forbidden to see her son during his imprisonment at York House but, upon his move to Essex House where she had been living, she was permitted a single interview. After Essex  was executed, Lettice retired to Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire and died there, vigorous to the last, on 25th December 1634, aged 94. She was buried beside the Earl of Leicester at Warwick and some verses by her great grandson, Gervase Clifton, concerning her life, were painted on a tablet hung hear her tomb: "she was in her younger years matched with two great English peers; she that did supply the wars with thunder, and the court with stars".

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2006, 08:12:30 AM »
Thank you Helen, some of that I didn't know. I find Lettice quite an interesting woman, to have set herself against Elizabeth. I wonder if she derived any satisfaction in outliving her rival . . .
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

nelly

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2006, 09:28:54 AM »
I second the thank you to Helen--I knew about the third marriage, etc. . .but had no idea how she ended her days after the execution of Essex.  I agree with the Prince, she probably did get much satisfaction from outliving the Queen!!!

Offline Prince_Lieven

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2006, 10:58:07 AM »
Yes indeed, outliving her by 31 odd years!  ;D

Her first husband, Walter Devereux:



He had some royal blood, descended from Edward III several times over, albeit distantly.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by Prince_Lieven »
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sherlock Holmes

"Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."

helenazar

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2006, 10:58:17 AM »
You're welcome!  ;)

BTW, what is the correct way to pronounce 'Lettice'? I heard it pronounced in several different ways, including like the salad  ;D. Anyone know?

helenazar

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Re: Lettice Knollys
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2006, 10:59:42 AM »
Quote
Her first husband, Walter Devereux:

 



His son, Robert Devereux looked a lot like him.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by helenazar »