• Family - Robert Dudley was the fifth son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland
• Education - Well educated
• Career - Soldier, Statesman and Courtier
• Famous as the court favourite of Queen Elizabeth I

Lord Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester
Elizabeth and Robert Dudley were life-long friends - and possibly lovers. Elizabeth attended the marriage ceremony between Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart. Robert Dudley was the son of John Dudley who attempted to make Lady Jane Grey Queen of England instead of Mary Tudor. The plot failed and his father and brother Guildford Dudley were executed along with the tragic Lady Jane Grey. Robert Dudley was imprisoned in the Tower of London for his part in the conspiracy where he narrowly escaped death. Whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London he was joined by another prisoner - Elizabeth. Both Elizabeth and Robert Dudley were released and Robert Dudley sold some of his lands to help Elizabeth who needed financial help. Elizabeth never forgot the help that Robert Dudley had given her and rewarded his loyalty when she became Queen. Their relationship became closer and closer but the death of his wife, Amy Robsart, in suspicious circumstances prevented any plans for their marriage. Robert Dudley continued to hope that Elizabeth would marry him but after years of waiting he realised that this would never happen. In 1578 Robert Dudley married Lady Lettice Knollys, widow of the Earl of Essex and cousin to Queen Elizabeth ( Lettice Knollys was the grandaughter of Mary  Boleyn ). Elizabeth was furious with Robert Dudley but she eventually forgave him. Robert Dudley stayed close to Elizabeth until his death in 1588.

Facts & History about the life of Robert Dudley - Soldier, Statesman and Courtier
The following are additional facts about the life and history of Robert Dudley:

• 24 June 1532 Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester was born
• June 4, 1550 Robert Dudley, son of John Dudley Earl of Warwick marries heiress Amy Robsart the daughter of a Norfolk squire. King Edward and Princess Elizabeth attend the marriage
• 1553 King Edward VI dies of tuberculosis and he left the throne to 'the Lady Jane Grey and her heirs male.' Insurrection is led by Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk whose daughter, Lady Jane Grey is married to Lord Guildford Dudley - Robert's brother
• Monday 10th July 1553 Lady Jane Grey Proclaimed Queen of England (Queen for just Nine Days)
• 6 July 1553 - Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, is proclaimed Queen of England
• Monday 23 August 1553 - John Dudley, Robert's father was executed on Tower Hill
• 22 January Robert Dudley was sentenced to death for treason at the London Guildhall
• 12th February 1554 Lady Jane Grey and her husband Guildford Dudley were executed at the Tower of London
• March 18, 1554 Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London after being implicated in the Wyatt rebellion
• 1558 Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's court favorite is named to the privy council
• September 8, 1560 - The wife of Robert Dudley, Amy Robsart, is found dead with a broken neck at the foot of the stairs in her home, Cumnor Place, Oxford
• Robert Dudley is suspected of engineering her death
• Queen Elizabeth banishes Robert Dudley from court for fear of being implicated in his wife's death
• September 21, 1578 Robert Dudley secretly marries Lady Lettice Knollys, widow of the Earl of Essex and cousin to Queen Elizabeth, at Wanstead
• December 8, 1585 Robert Dudley sets sail with an English army to fight the Spanish forces who are occupying the Netherlands
• September 4 1588 Robert Dudley dies at Cornbury from a possible malarial infection