Robert Dudley was the fifth son of Edward VI's most powerful subject, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Robert was brought to court and knighted during the reign of Edward VI. Marriage to a Norfolk heiress, Amy Robsart, followed. The Dudley family...

Leicester left one of the largest collections of personal material of any of the Elizabethans. His household accounts and other writings have been edited. They give insight into his financial needs, the retinue of over 100 servants, his homes and travel, and gifts from...

ROGER BIGOD (c.1202-70), fourth earl of Norfolk and marshal of England, was by all accounts a bellicose and irascible chap, and so knew a golden opportunity to settle an old score when he saw one. In 1245, while travelling through France on diplomatic...