Sweet Robin: A Biography of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester 1533-1588

by Derek Wilson

Few chroniclers have had a good word to say for Robert Dudley. Both his father and grandfather were executed for treason, he himself was imprisoned in the Tower of London as a young man, and his first wife died in suspicious circumstances. Yet he was the only man that "good Queen Bess" ever loved. When the young Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558, she brought Robert Dudley to court, making him her Master of the Horse and her closest confidant. Men were jealous of his influence, mistrustful of his charm and good looks, scandalized that the son and grandson of traitors should come near to being their king. In a book that is as readable as it is authoritative and closely researched, Derek Wilson traces Leicester's life and his struggle for power with Secretary Cecil; his patronage of writers, scholars and actors; his support of the Puritans; his term as Governor of the Low Countries; his marriages and affairs. He puts into perspective the appalling libels which were circulated about him and, above all, throws fresh light on his ever-changing relationship with the Queen, which remained constant for over thirty years, and left her broken-hearted at his death.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Tudor Period, Biography

Paperback

First published December 1, 1981

About the author

Derek Wilson has been a writer of historical fiction and non-fiction for 50 years. His much acclaimed prize-winning works have largely centred on 16th and 17th century Europe. He has used various pen names for his fiction, his current Thomas Treviot Tudor crime series being written under the name D.K. Wilson. The first 2 books in this series - The First Horseman and The Traitor's Mark are based on real unsolved Tudor mysteries and have received enthusiastic plaudits. Readers have favourably compared this innovative series with the books of C.J. Sansom and S.J. Parris.
Recent non-fiction triumphs include The Plantagenets, Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man, and Charlemagne: a Biography.
Derek Wilson graduated from Cambridge and spent several years travelling and teaching in Africa before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster in 1971. He has frequently written and appeared on radio and television and is popular as a public speaker having appeared at several literary festivals,British Museum, Hampton Court Palace, The British Library and other prestigious venues.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wilson shares his appreciation for the Earl of Leicester. His role as a leading spirit of the Reformation and as an early patron of what becomes known as Elizabethan Drama has been overshadowed by his unique relationship with the Queen. The book explains his roots, his passions, his successes and limitations and the personal and financial cost of his association with the queen. The reader gets insight into his character and his relationship with Elizabeth.

This compares well with the new publication Elizabeth & Leicester: Power, Passion, Politics. Of the two, this one, humanizes Dudley such that the reader understands more of what Elizabeth saw in him. Wilson deals more powerfully with the attachment of these two star crossed would be lovers and you feel the loss and disappointment the two shared. Gristwood sticks with the record.

I would give this 5 stars but the beginning is so slow and genealogy laiden that I almost put it down. Throughout there are long quotes from original sources. I presume the long quotes are there to give the reader a feel for the sentiments as they are directly expressed, but many are so formal and tortured that they only demonstrate why general readers need historians like Wilson and Gristwood to interpret them for us.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very thorough and well researched book, but I wasn't into it as much as I've been interested in other biographies from this period. Could be because much of it was about military and politics and not so much the court romances and intrigues. LOL.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes from 2008:
Very useful biography of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester