While Queen Elizabeth I has been eternally popular since her “golden” reign, she has come back into the news with the new series, Becoming Elizabeth on Starz. Elizabeth herself is being widely discussed, yes, but so are many of the people in her life. And in the series, we are going to meet the Dudley family. The Dudleys were a powerful noble family in sixteenth century England, and like many other families, made their power play at the Tudor court. Unfortunately, I met with the Dudleys at the Tower of London…
Why is the Dudley Family Important?
The Dudley family is particularly important in the middle of the sixteenth century. Lady Jane Grey married Lord Guildford Dudley- yes, the young woman known as the Nine Days Queen. The Dudleys were a leading Protestant family during Edward VI’s reign. The Duke of Northumberland led Edward’s government, and married his son, Guildford, to Jane shortly before Edward’s death. He then tried to install Jane as Queen (obviously unsuccessfully…).
The Dudleys at the Tower of London
Like countless other Tudor prisoners at the Tower, the Dudleys were most likely held in Beauchamp Tower (pronounced Bee-cham) when they were arrested after Jane was removed from the throne. If you have time, I would recommend poking around Beauchamp Tower, as you can see several different carvings from prisoners, including a carving by one of the Dudleys (most likely John).
According to exhibition information,
It was carved by or for John Dudley. The carving shows a coat of arms, set within a floral border, described by a poem. The writing is unfinished and the setting-out lines for the letters can still be seen. The floral border is a play upon the Dudley brothers’ names, known as a rebus Oak leaves and acorns meant Robert, as the Latin for oak is ‘Quercus Robur’ honeysuckle is for Henry, roses for Ambrose, and gillyflowers for Lord Guildford.
Interested in more on the Tower of London? You can read more about the Byward Tower here!
Are you watching Becoming Elizabeth?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
