Episode 285: Lettice Knollys
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Lettice Knowles. You might not know her name as well as her famous cousin, Elizabeth I, but her life was no less dramatic. Born into the heart of Tudor intrigue, Lettice lived through the reigns of six English monarchs, seven if you count Lady Jane Grey, from Henry VIII to Charles I, spanning an astonishing 91 years. That alone would make her remarkable. But she was more than just long-lived. She was bold and a little bit of a troublemaker, if we're honest.

Welcome back to the Renaissance English History Podcast. I am your host, Heather. I am, of course, delighted that you are here with me this week. We are a part of the Agora Podcast Network and also the original Tudor History Podcast, telling stories of Tudor England since 2009.

So let's talk today about Latisse Knowles. Let's start with how you pronounce her name and just get that out of the way before we do anything else. All right. I've heard it Latisse. I've heard it lettuce, like salad. I've heard it lettuce, like rhyming with, I don't know, notice or something. I've heard a lot of different things. It is short for Latisha.

I believe somebody can correct me on that if I'm wrong. I think it's short for Leticia. So I'm going to go with Leticia. If it really bothers you, I'm sorry. I know there's a lot of different ways that people say it. So we are saying Leticia today.

Letiz was a noblewoman whose legacy has been overshadowed by her turbulent relationship with the Queen. But this isn't just a story of rivalry. It's about love. It's about scandal and survival in the cutthroat Tudor world. So today we're going to talk about her life from her noble birth to, of course, her infamous marriage to Robert Dudley, her exile from Elizabeth's court, and the complex legacy that she left behind.

We will explore the rumors that her mother, Catherine Carey, might have been Henry VIII's daughter and consider what that would have meant for Lattice herself.

So buckle up for a story that's equal parts history and scandal with a little bit of Tudor gossip because Lettice Knowles is about to take center stage. Lettice entered the world on November 8th, 1543. She was the eldest of 16, count them, 16 children born to Sir Francis Knowles and Lady Catherine Carey. God bless her.

Born into a family deeply entwined with Tudor royalty, she grew up in an environment of privilege and political influence, of course. Her grandmother was Mary Boleyn, once the mistress of Henry VIII. This made Lattice a cousin of at least Elizabeth I, because Anne Boleyn was the mother of Elizabeth I, Catherine Carey was the mother of Lattice Knowles, so they were sisters.

So even if there wasn't anything more to it than that, she was at least cousins with Elizabeth I. But that's where things get a little bit interesting. Catherine Carey was rumored to be the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII himself. This theory has fascinated historians and people, writers, Tudor enthusiasts for centuries.

And I've actually done some YouTube videos on this that have been pretty popular. So the first line of reasoning is Catherine Carey was, like we said, the daughter of Mary Boleyn. Mary Boleyn had had her affair with Henry, people say, while she was married to William Carey. So if Catherine was indeed the king's daughter, it would make Lattice not just a courtier, but the granddaughter of Henry VIII.

Adding fuel to the rumor, Elizabeth I, Henry's legitimate daughter, showed marked favor towards the Carey family throughout her reign. Some accounts even note that Lettice bore a striking resemblance to Elizabeth, hinting at a possible shared bloodline. Yet there is, of course, no concrete evidence ever surfaced...

and historians remain divided. Some suggest the resemblance and favor were just coincidental. I mean, they were related after all, so there was family genetics and perhaps rooted in the family connection through the Boleyns rather than a royal affair.

Lettice's father, Sir Francis Knowles, was a staunch Protestant and a prominent courtier. During the reign of Mary I, Francis fled to the continent for safety, taking his family with him. When Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1558, the Knowles family returned to England, where Francis secured a high office as vice-chamberlain. Lettice, likely shaped by her father's religious convictions and courtly connections, learned

learned the grace, the wit, the calculated charm that would define her as a formidable noblewoman. When Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1558, the fortunes, like we said, changed dramatically for the Knowles family. In addition to Lettice's father being given a high office, young Lettice, who was in her late teens at the time, joined the royal household as one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting.

Picture the court of the 1560s. There was a dazzling blend of politics, of pageantry, where ambition and beauty went hand in hand. Lattice was tall, graceful, and strikingly beautiful, and quickly became one of the most admired women at court. Her dark auburn hair and fine aristocratic features were so similar to Elizabeth's that many remarked that she looked like the queen's mirror image. This resemblance, flattering as it was, could be a double-edged sword.

After all, it wasn't just any courtier drawing comparisons to the queen herself. It was her cousin, young, beautiful, and full of life. Elizabeth initially seemed to welcome her vivacious relation. Letizia was family, and Elizabeth, who cherished her Boleyn kin, was fond of her.

They seemed to share a bond. But that closeness did not last. In the summer of 1565, Letizia's beauty, and perhaps her sense of adventure, sparked Elizabeth's jealousy for the first time. Pregnant with her third child, Letizia was seen flirting with Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's favorite courtier. That would have been a no-no. The Spanish ambassador noted that Letizia was one of the best-looking ladies and held the queen's favor, at least until that moment.

When Elizabeth heard of the flirtation, her reaction was swift and furious. Dudley was hers, or at least he was supposed to be. Whether Letiz meant any harm or not, Elizabeth did not tolerate women drawing Dudley's attention.

To keep the peace, Lattice prudently withdrew from court for a time, allowing Elizabeth's temper to cool. It was a small incident, but it set the stage for a far deeper rivalry. Lattice had unknowingly stepped into dangerous ground, and Elizabeth's wrath would not be so easily appeased in the years to come. In 1560, at just 17 years old, Lattice made a significant match. She married Walter Devereaux, Viscount Hereford.

Walter was an ambitious nobleman and a good deal older than Lettice, but the marriage made sense for both families. By 1572, Walter's star had risen and he was then created Earl of Essex, elevating Lettice to the title Countess of Essex. The couple settled primarily at Charlie Manor in Staffordshire, though Lettice often appeared at court alongside her husband.

Motherhood followed swiftly. Lettice gave birth to Penelope in 1563. We've done episodes on her. Dorothy in 1564 and then a son, Robert, in 1565, the future second Earl of Essex. Two more sons followed, Walter and little Francis, who sadly died young.

By her mid-twenties, Lettice was juggling her role as a mother of five and a prominent court lady, balancing family life with the allure of Elizabeth's court. Walter's ambitions, though, soon drew him away. In 1573, he left for Ireland to lead a military campaign, leaving Lettice to manage their estates and maintain her social standing.

It was during that time that rumors began to swirl. Letters and gossip suggested that Letizia was spending significant time at the home of Robert Dudley, who was sending her gifts and hosted her at Kenilworth Castle.

In 1575, when Queen Elizabeth visited Kenilworth in that very famous progress, she stayed for 19 days there for Dudley to throw this massive festival for her. Lattice was reportedly present there. She was just kept out of sight. Later that year, Elizabeth and her entourage visited Lattice at Charlie Manor, and Lattice played the gracious hostess, keeping any personal drama well hidden.

Scandal then followed. In late 1575, a Spanish agent reported great enmity between Lester and the absent Earl of Essex, hinting that Letizia had born Dudley's children while her husband was in Ireland. While this was almost certainly untrue, it reflects the tense, rumor-driven atmosphere at court.

An infamous pamphlet, Leicester's Commonwealth, would later accuse Lattice of conceiving two of Dudley's children and secretly aborting one to cover up the infidelity, a salacious and entirely unfounded claim. Walter Devereaux, meanwhile, died in Dublin in September 1576, officially of dysentery, though there were also whispers that Dudley had poisoned him to clear the path for Lattice.

An inquiry found no evidence of foul play, but Walter's tragic death left Letizia a widow. She was only 32. She had five children and a very precarious financial situation. She attended his funeral in Wales, but her plea for relief from his debts was denied by Elizabeth, perhaps a sign that the Queen was already suspicious of her closeness with Dudley. With Walter gone and her status uncertain, Letizia's connection with Robert Dudley grew even closer.

The scandal that followed would define her reputation for the rest of her life. Two years after the death of her first husband, Lettice made a bold and fateful decision. On September 21, 1578, she secretly married Robert Dudley. The wedding took place in the early hours at Lester's country estate, One Stead Hall in Essex, attended by only a handful of trusted witnesses. Among them was Lettice's father, Sir Francis. He was a practical and a devout man,

Who knows what he would have thought about this, but he likely saw no choice but to condone the union. And the bride got married in a very simple dress, just a loose gown, not any kind of elaborate finery that one might expect for a noble wedding. So why the haste and secrecy? Most evidence points to Letizia being pregnant by Dudley at the time. Her father, determined to avoid future scandal, insisted on an immediate marriage to legitimize the situation.

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It was a reckless, passionate move. Marrying without the queen's permission wasn't just risky, it was treasonous. Elizabeth had made it clear over the years that Dudley was off limits, whether in romance, friendship, or political alliance, he belonged to her alone.

Yet Dudley, who had long danced a precarious line between courtly devotion to the queen and personal ambition, had now taken a step that even he could not walk back. For a time, the newlyweds managed to keep their marriage secret. The French ambassador heard rumors in late 1578, but nothing was officially confirmed. Dudley continued to appear at court, managed to maintain his favor with the queen. But by late 1579, the secret was out.

One of Lester's political enemies, seeking to undermine his influence, revealed the marriage to Elizabeth directly. And Elizabeth's reaction was volcanic. One biographer described it as a torrential force of wounded affection, betrayed confidence, jealousy, and anger.

The queen saw this not just as a personal betrayal, but a public humiliation. Her most cherished favorite, a man she had long considered marrying herself, had married her cousin, the very woman who so often seemed to mirror her own appearance and spirit.

There are countless legends about the confrontation between the two women. One story claims that Elizabeth snatched off Latisse's wig in a fit of fury. Another says she struck her across the face. These accounts, while colorful, are probably exaggerations from later writers who delighted in the dramatic possibilities of two fierce women clashing. What is certain is that Elizabeth immediately banished Latisse from court.

The queen's wrath was absolute and permanent. She would never, ever forgive Letiz, nor would she ever allow her into her presence again. Elizabeth reportedly declared, as there is but one sun in the sky, there could be but one queen in England. Letiz and daring to rival her in love and prestige had crossed an unforgivable line.

As for Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's anger towards him was a bit more complicated. She couldn't bear to lose his company entirely. Though he faced a period of house arrest and the Queen's cold shoulder, he eventually regained a measure of favor, but Lattice remained irrevocably exiled.

The public perception of Lettice was equally harsh. In a society where loyalty to the monarch was paramount, marrying the queen's favor without permission was a bold defiance. Many whispered that she had bewitched Dudley or driven him to madness. It didn't help that Dudley's political enemies gleefully spread tales of her conniving nature.

In truth, Letitia's greatest crime in Elizabeth's eyes was not just love but audacity. She had dared to compete with the queen in both beauty and affection, and that was unforgivable.

While others who married without royal consent faced prison or even worse, like the Grey Sisters, who met grim fates for similar transgressions, Letizia's only punishment was banishment. Yet, for a woman of her rank and ambition, lifelong exile from court was a devastating blow, cutting her off from the heart of power and the queen's favor that her family had long enjoyed.

From 1580 onward, Lettice's life would never again intersect directly with Elizabeth, and she would wear the stain of this scandal for the rest of her days. When Robert Dudley died in September 1588, Lettice faced both personal heartbreak and financial uncertainty. Dudley's unexpected death left her a wealthy widow, but he also carried significant debts to the crown. As Elizabeth auctioned off Dudley's possessions to recoup what was owed, Lettice found her inheritance unexpectedly diminished.

Just six months after Dudley's death, Letiz made another surprising choice. She married Sir Christopher Blunt, a man of relatively modest means compared to her previous husbands. Blunt had been Dudley's trusted officer and was significantly younger than Letiz, about 12 years her junior. This marriage raised eyebrows among the nobility, with even Letiz's son, Robert Devereaux, criticizing the match as an unhappy choice.

Why did Letiz marry again so soon and to someone of lesser status? The answer may lie more in companionship than in strategy. After years of court intrigue and heartbreak, perhaps Letiz found solace in a familiar and loyal presence. Blunt, despite his lower rank, had been close to Dudley and had remained loyal throughout their marriage. Perhaps they were just very close friends, and there might have been a bond there based on trust and affection rather than any kind of political strategy.

This third marriage brought Lettice relative stability in the countryside, particularly at Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire, where the couple lived quietly. Yet once again, her family connections would soon embroil her in political turmoil, this time through her ambitious son, the Earl of Essex. While Lettice had remained outcast at Elizabeth's court, her son Robert, the second Earl of Essex, rose to dazzling heights,

In the mid-1590s, as the Queen herself was entering her 60s, she seemed to relish Essex's youthful charm and bold spirit. She showered him with honors, making him Master of the Horse, a title that had once belonged to both his grandfather and his stepfather, Robert Dudley. He also became a privy counselor, cementing his place as the Queen's favorite.

For Letiz, Essex's success was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it restored some of the family prestige she had lost through her own scandal. On the other, she remained personally excluded from court life, watching from afar as her son thrived in the very place from which she was banished. Essex, for his part, tried at least once to reconcile his mother with the queen, but Elizabeth's resentment never softened. Ever wonder what your lashes are destined for?

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Personal tensions also arose. Essex initially disapproved of Letizia's third husband, and the mother-son relationship grew strained at times. Despite this, Letizia remained a devoted mother. She worried over her son's safety on military expeditions, and she wrote letters filled with advice and affection. Yet Essex's impetuous nature, so reminiscent of Robert Dudley's earlier bravado, soon became his downfall.

In 1601, Essex's ambition got the better of him. Frustrated by his declining influence and Elizabeth's growing impatience with his insolence, he led the Essex Rebellion, the ill-conceived coup against the queen. The plot failed spectacularly, and Elizabeth, heartbroken and furious, ordered his execution for treason. Essex was beheaded on February 25, 1601. He was only 35 years old.

To compound this tragedy for Letiz, her husband had joined the rebellion and was also executed just weeks later. In the span of a few brutal months, she lost both her beloved son and her supportive third husband. At almost 60, she was left to grapple with grief and disgrace once more. When James I took the throne in 1603, Letiz's fortunes took a surprising turn for the better.

Unlike Elizabeth, James had no personal animosity towards her and saw no reason to hold a grudge. In a gesture of reconciliation, he restored the Essex title and estates to Leticia's grandson, thus reviving the family's status and easing Leticia's financial worries. He also cancelled the remaining crown debt from Lester's time, bringing some much-needed stability to her later years. She spent her final decades living mostly in Staffordshire,

Even into her 70s and 80s, she maintained a formidable presence. Portraits from her later years depict a dignified and stately woman still holding on to her pride and independence. Family members noted her affection for her grandchildren, and she found solace in their company, telling stories of her eventful past and perhaps hinting at a quiet satisfaction that she had outlived so many of her rivals.

Letiz Nols passed away on Christmas Day, 1634, at the remarkable age of 91. In her will, she requested to be buried beside her dear Lord Robert Dudley in the Beauchamp Chapel of St. Mary's Church work. Her wish was honored.

and she was laid to rest next to Dudley, opposite the monument of their little son, Lord Denby. In the end, Letitia's life story is one of defiance, survival, and a remarkable longevity. Often just remembered as Elizabeth's rival, she was so much more. She was a noblewoman who endured the triumphs and tragedies of Tudor politics with an unwavering tenaciousness and determination.

She didn't just survive the Tudor era, she outlived it. A matriarch who might have been Henry VIII's granddaughter, she remained standing long after the last echoes of Elizabeth's court had faded. So there you go, my friends, a little bit about Lettice Knowles. I hope you enjoyed that. Leave me a comment wherever you're listening to this about what you think about Lettice, thoughts you have about her. I would love to know. She's a fascinating woman.

All right, my friend, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for spending this time with me today. I will be back again next week. In the meantime, have an amazing week and I will talk to you soon.

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