née june september wife lord favourite primarily known death falling flight stairs circumstances regarded suspicious child substantial norfolk gentleman nearly married son 1st duke northumberland condemned death imprisoned tower london allowed visit release couple lived financial circumstances accession elizabeth late master horse important court office queen soon fell love talk follow husband court suffering illness elizabeth marry favourite wife die rumours grew sinister elizabeth remained single common expectation accept foreign lived friends different parts country having household hardly seeing husband morning september near oxford insisted sending away servants later found dead foot flight stairs broken neck wounds head jury finding died fall verdict accidental death death caused scandal despite outcome widely suspected orchestrated wife demise view shared modern historians remained elizabeth closest favourite respect reputation risk marriage tradition sir follower organized violent death evolved early leicester commonwealth notorious influential libel earl leicester version events interest fate 19th century novel widely accepted modern explanations death breast cancer suicide historians murder scenarios medical evidence report found compatible accident suicide violence life born norfolk substantial gentleman farmer sir wife grew mother house hall like future husband firmly protestant household received good education wrote fine hand days 18th birthday married younger son earl amy robert age probably met months wedding wedding contract specified amy inherit father estate parents death marriage young couple depended heavily fathers gifts especially robert probably love match marriage wedding guest later commented marriage celebrated june royal palace attendance earl future duke northumberland powerful man england leading government young king match means prize acceptable strengthened influence norfolk young couple court amy parents law house half lived somerset house keeper great renaissance palace sister law rule fortnight england queen sentenced death imprisoned tower london remained july october september amy allowed visit tower lieutenant pleasure release short money amy helped financially families lifestyle remain modest lord robert known considerable debts sir died wife followed grave spring meant inherit estate queen permission ancestral manor house decades couple living house london august went fight spain mary husband battle france time business letter survives settling debts husband absence forgot lord thereof departing sore troubled affairs altogether quiet sudden departing summer robert looking suitable residence order settle norfolk came death queen mary november accession elizabeth master horse place court constant attendance queen april queen elizabeth love lord robert diplomats reported court speculated queen marry case wife die ill breasts soon court observers noted elizabeth let visited wife couple days easter came london month time june new spanish ambassador wrote health improved careful food trip suffolk september residing house sir autumn foreign princes queen hand elizabeth little interest candidate spanish ambassador imperial colleague informing superiors lord robert sending wife poison elizabeth keeping lord robert enemies country engaged words wicked deed killing wife parts nobility held responsible elizabeth failure marry plots assassinate march informed philip lord robert told somebody live year different position thinks wife saw husband london visit projected trip visit family queen elizabeth allow favourite wife according contemporary court chronicle commanded came seldom december lived near house altered 14th century monastic complex rented friend possible relative amy sir lived wife owen relations house owner chamber large upper story apartment best house separate entrance staircase leading house rear terrace garden pond deer park received proceeds estate directly hands largely paid household comprised servants regularly ordered dresses accounts letter late august received presents husband death sunday september day fair found dead foot pair stairs windsor castle queen told death messenger september immediately wrote steward departed desperately urged find happened opened arrived informed master risen early day suffer sort home earnest gone fair sort reason home angry came refused day fair angry said day lady answered said choose pleasure angry asked company went said owen company dinner tale love confirm certainly lord little heard divers tales judge strange woman mind maid asked thought happened chance said faith judge chance man said good daily pray knees divers times heard pray god deliver desperation said evil toy suicide mind good said judge words gather sorry said continued wondering lord strange chance fall judgment man truly tales hear think strange mind tell coming local gentlemen substance days later wrote jury friends good sign conceal fault proceeding thoroughly secret hear find evil conscience think sorry god forgive opinion circumstances things learn persuade jury assured letter find appeared accident desperately seeking damage called case relieved hear impending outcome thought substantial company honest men undertake investigation knowledge truth panel include available friends half brothers ordered immediately amy death came proposal verdict pronounced local august certain chamber accidentally fell adjoining stairs sustained head injuries depth quarter thumb depth reason accidental injury fall body weight falling stairs broken neck account died instantly oath lady amy came death able agree present buried oxford cost wore mourning months custom attend funeral half brothers neighbours city county prominence played leading parts court went mourning month retired house aftermath death happening amid renewed rumors queen favourite caused dangerous suspicion country shocked talk know wicked world use queen principal secretary felt threatened prospect king consort spread rumours knowing death officially public told spanish ambassador lord robert queen wished marry away poison giving ill ill likewise strongly opposed marriage english ambassador france went way draw attention gossip heard french court cecil use scandal political personal aims believe orchestrated wife death october returned court believed great hope marry queen elizabeth affection favour advice marriage lord robert declared shown matter contrary reported touch honesty honour international reputation position home scandal convinced risk marriage destroyed reputation got notice jury decision god wish ground happened september month verdict officially passed earl principal enemies studied hope finding evidence rival terms offices brother law rise disappointed got approached apparently behalf duke norfolk earl sussex accuse leicester murder wife reward cash refused cooperate plot said years come believe half sister murdered convinced innocence thought easy matter find real said repeatedly asked earl help effect claiming jury come verdict answered matter rest jury found murder procedure law leicester aware plot summoned sent away furious confrontation weeks later investigated allegations norfolk sussex leicester found fleet prison month interrogated cecil panel earl commanded answer writing moved lord norfolk earl sussex stir matter lord leicester death wife moved death earl leicester wife person instead giving answers retracted statements requested report studying cell wrote fully satisfied concerns early traditions theories early tradition involving sir gentleman house stayed chronicle heavily biased probably written protestant activist describes rumours lord robert wife brake neck house gone forth fair thought slain sir day deed going fair man length came said thou thou answered come thou yeah man sure times lord robert men dead divers servants death wish death people suspect worse printed version murder appeared satirical libel leicester commonwealth notorious propaganda work earl leicester written catholic sir goes directly forces servants market breaks neck placing foot stairs jury verdict murder buried secretly parish church dug oxford dies communicating hell tore pieces servant murder having killed prison means tell story enhanced considerable influence rumours death developed tradition embellished folklore early domestic tragedy named alluded fall pair stairs easy way rid wife politician 19th century story popular best selling novel novel arch villain called notion murdered gained new strength discovery spanish diplomatic correspondence poison rumours victorian historian generally convinced leicester concluded murdered persons hoped profit elevation throne private means prevent search pressed far followed norfolk antiquarian murder amy poisoned method failing killed violent means main sources cecil talk time death leicester commonwealth scholarly influential work earl printed relevant letters suggested suicide explanation convinced fact death caused suspicion natural incredible intelligence elizabeth perceived murder marriage impossible modern theories report came light compatible accidental fall suicide violence absence forensic findings assumed simple accident explanation basis near contemporary tales found short flight stairs broken neck standing head detail appeared satirical remark leicester commonwealth repeated fact account evidence ill suggested professor medicine suffered breast cancer deposits spine caused neck break limited strain short fall coming stairs explanation gained wide acceptance popular theory took life illness depression melancholy desperation sources arguments suicide fact insisted sending servants away maid alluded possibility modern historians considered murder option tentatively suggested organizer death grounds amy mortally ill strongest murder motive main ensuing scandal idea argued damaging elizabeth reputation position notion sir killing long fruitless efforts poison master knowledge revived basis appears chronicle called libel leicester commonwealth coincidence evaluated tradition gossip poison stock trade accusation 16th century influenced jury argued sir mayor household servant princess elizabeth described queen man person chronicle gave smith queen man present gown years established sir smith person smith common pointed interference jury easily explained desire cover suicide murder modern historians murder cover apart alternatives murder plot causes death correspondence days following cited innocence letters signs agitated mind making clear judged highly unlikely orchestrated death wife manner laid open scandal ancestry
Amy Robsart