Today is the anniversary of Mary Dudley – the oldest daughter of John Dudley, and Henry Sidney, probably a love match.
She was one of the ladies in waiting on Queen Elizabeth, and she nursed the Queen through smallpox, catching the illness herself, which would leave her scarred for life. She was the sister of Robert Dudley, the Queen’s favorite, and so she was close to the Queen.
Mary Dudley was also caught up in the drama around Lady Jane Grey as her younger brother Guilford, was married to Lady Jane. Later she would become the mother to both Philip Sidney, the famous poet, and Mary Sidney Herbert, also a poet, and translator. Both of her children would be deeply involved in the literary circles at court, and would become writers and artists in their own right, as well as patronising others.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested links:
Episode 083: Mary Sidney
Episode 070: Tudor Times on John Dudley
Also, check out the Top Ten Tudor Women Episodes you might have missed.
Looking for your next Tudor read? Here’s a list of Tudor Book Recommendations.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.