My review of Death and The Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart, by Chris Skidmore

Death and The Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart

by Chris Skidmore 

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Having consumed many Elizabeth I biographies I was not disappointed with this addition to my shelf.

This book focusses on the lead up to, circumstances surrounding and long-term consequences of one event quite early into a long reign: the suspicious death of Amy Dudley, wife of the queen's favourite.

There are so many other factors and events defining Elizabeth I's long reign than this one unsolved mystery. But for those seeking elaboration on why Elizabeth remained the 'Virgin Queen', married only to England, this, while by no means a sole explanation, is important reading.

Here is an episode marred by an absence of hard facts, gaps which too many historians have glossed over, filled in with flimsy theory and conjecture. Someone needed to address it as Chris Skidmore has. There have been flimsier attempts, but this is the most thorough I have encountered.

Skidmore frames his case as he wants it viewed. That's fair and understandable. Like others, he has his own takes on this mystery, cherry picking his points from a range of possibilities. So, in some respects this is little more soundly conclusive than any other such works. Even so, this is admirably exhaustive, effectively eliminating some views while arguing Skidmore's theories well.

Without unearthing some more conclusive, less circumstantial evidence (a growing possibility as methodology becomes more sophisticated), we can never know for certain. There will always be reasonable doubt, hence the intrigue and the lure to explore.

It's only natural that Elizabeth's detractors will place her at the centre of this death. It's likewise forgivable that her apologists will debate towards her innocence. I think she was too intelligent be so rash, too calculating and cautious to incriminate herself so.

My leaning has always been that William Cecil or some close affiliate of his was involved, to frame Dudley, create the discomfort it did and rule out all feasibility of Elizabeth marrying Dudley, as this romance was immensely troublesome to her fractious inner ministerial circle, some of whom lobbied for a princely marriage, others pushing other options.

Suicide has never seemed plausible, there being too few stairs involved in Amy's apparently fatal fall.

I won't disclose Skidmore's well-reasoned conclusions here, you'll have to read them for yourselves. I do think that this work transcends the far-fetched conspiracy theory standards of others.