The dramatic story of Elizabeth's first ten years on the throne and the unexplained death that scandalised her court. Part detective story, part historical scholarship as the death of Amy Robsart is investigated. She was the wife of Elizabeth I’s favourite, Dudley. Skidmore claims to have discovered the truth using newly discovered evidence from the archives in order to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of her death. It almost reads like fiction so fans of historical fiction will probably love it.
Sue Baker's view...
No need for the novelist’s art when there are real mysteries as intriguing as this one to solve. Chris Skidmore is delving into the suspicious death of Robert Dudley’s wife, Amy Robsart. What really happened? Would Elizabeth I have married him? How did this event change the course of history? Archives have given up their secrets and with the help of newly discovered documents; Chris Skidmore can at last prove the facts of the case.
Death and the Virgin : Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart Synopsis
Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 a 25-year-old virgin - the most prized catch in Christendom. For the first ten years of her reign, one matter dominated above all others: the question of who the queen was to marry and when she would produce an heir. Elizabeth's life as England's Virgin Queen is one of the most celebrated in history. Christopher Skidmore takes a fresh look at the familiar story of a queen with the stomach of a man, steadfastly refusing to marry for the sake of her realm, and reveals a very different picture: of a vulnerable young woman, in love with her suitor, Robert Dudley. Had it not been for the mysterious and untimely death of his wife, Amy Robsart, Elizabeth might have one day been able to marry Dudley, since Amy was believed to be dying of breast cancer. Instead, the suspicious circumstances surrounding Amy Robsart's death would cast a long shadow over Elizabeth's life, preventing any hope of a union with Dudley and ultimately shaping the course of Tudor history.
Chris Skidmore was born in Bristol in 1981. He was educated at Bristol Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he was a St Cyre's and Dixon Scholar and President of the Oxford University Historical Society. He graduated in 2002 with a double first and was awarded the Gibbs Prize. He was an adviser and researcher to Bristol's bid for European Capital City of Culture 2008 and, more recently, was research assistant to Robert Lacey for his Great Tales of English History series. He currently works as a special adviser to Michael Gove MP.
