Elizabeth's Rival

by Nicola Tallis

  That autumn Elizabeth was allowed to withdraw to Hatfield, and there she remained for the majority of the remainder of Mary’s reign. She had survived the ordeal of imprisonment, and had emerged from the Tower unscathed, but Elizabeth would never forget these experiences. Now a free woman, Elizabeth lived quietly on her estates, but she still managed to earn the Queen’s enmity. In 1557, the Venetian ambassador claimed that Mary bore Elizabeth an ‘evil disposition’, and this is no exaggeration.58 Though Elizabeth may technically have been at her liberty, the Queen still distrusted her, and on that account had installed ‘many spies and guards in the neighbourhood who keep strict watch on all persons passing to and fro’.59

  IT IS UNCERTAIN how much contact Elizabeth had with Katherine Knollys during their childhoods, but it is clear that it was enough for them to become close. As they grew, they likely also communicated by visits or letters, and it is probable that Elizabeth was also the namesake and godmother of Lettice’s younger sister, born in 1549.60 If Katherine had entrusted her daughter Lettice, and possibly Mary too, to Elizabeth’s care as she prepared to join her husband abroad, then it was almost certainly during this time that the foundations of the relationship between Elizabeth and Lettice were laid. Cemented by their kinship and shared love for Lettice’s mother, the two youngsters formed a warm and close friendship.

  Elizabeth was devastated when she learned that Katherine was preparing to leave England. She was, though, determined to reassure her kinswoman and friend that their separation would only be of short duration. It was with this in mind that Elizabeth wrote Katherine a letter:

  Relieve your sorrow for your far journey with joy of your short return, and think this pilgrimage rather a proof of your friends, than a leaving of your country. The length of time, and distance of place, separates not the love of friends, nor deprives not the show of goodwill. An old saying, when bale is lowest boot is nearest: when your need shall be most you shall find my friendship greatest. Let others promise, and I will do, in words not more, in deeds as much. My power but small, my love as great as them whose gifts may tell their friendship’s tale, let will supply all other want, and oft sending take the lieu of often sights. Your messengers shall not return empty, nor yet your desires unaccomplished. Lethe’s flood hath here no course, good memory hath greatest stream. And, to conclude, a word that hardly I can say, I am driven by need to write, farewell, it is which in the sense one way I wish, the other way I grieve.

  Your loving cousin and ready friend,

  Cor Rotto [broken heart].61

  There could be no clearer demonstration of Elizabeth’s friendship than this, and it is one of the most affectionate surviving letters she ever wrote. If Lettice and Mary were taken into Elizabeth’s service at this time, then they would have been treated with the same warmth that Elizabeth displayed to their mother. What is more, their presence may have helped to ease the void that Katherine was about to leave in Elizabeth’s life.

  ELIZABETH WAS NO longer Mary’s prisoner, but the rift between the two half-sisters was never healed. Despite her phantom pregnancy, Mary remained hopeful of producing an heir. Tragically for Mary, in 1557 a further suspected pregnancy ended in the same manner: no baby and bitter disappointment.62 Elizabeth, meanwhile, lay low, watching and waiting. Camden related, probably quite accurately, that ‘all mens minds and eyes were bent towards her, as towards the sun rising’.63 And though a cloud still loomed ominously over her head, unbeknown to her and her supporters that cloud was about to be lifted. It would have life-changing consequences not only for Elizabeth and England, but for Lettice and her family, too.

  CHAPTER 3

  Captive to the Charms of Lettice Knollys

  IN THE EARLY hours of the morning of 17 November 1558, everyone at St James’s Palace waited with bated breath. Queen Mary, who had long been weakened by illness, had lain sick for weeks, and those who attended her knew that her end was imminent. Finally, at six o’clock in the morning, the Queen died, her five-year reign now over. Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth had never been reconciled, and to the end Mary had cherished hopes of producing an heir to succeed her. For some time, though, she had known that ‘the eyes and hearts of the nation already fixed on this lady as successor to the Crown’.1 Eventually, she had no choice but to accept harsh reality – motherhood had evaded her – and, with considerable reluctance, on 6 November she acknowledged Elizabeth as her heir, to the great joy of the people. Lettice’s kinswoman, the twenty-five-year-old Elizabeth, now became Queen Elizabeth I of England. According to her admirer Camden, who always spoke favourably of her, she was ‘of beauty very fair and worthy of a Crown’.2 On the day of her accession it was reported that ‘the bells in all the churches in London rung in token of joy; and at night bonfires were made, and tables set out in the streets, where was plentiful eating and drinking, and making merry’.3

  Elizabeth had always been popular, and though her half-sister had once been equally so, by the time of her death the warmth of feeling towards Mary had faded. She had become unpopular as a result of the religious persecution she had imposed upon her people, and for involving her realm in her husband Philip’s foreign wars. This had also resulted in the loss of Calais in 1557, England’s last remaining possession in France, which came as a devastating blow to the English. It was little wonder, then, that her subjects greeted Elizabeth’s succession with genuine heartfelt enthusiasm. Indeed, for the entirety of her reign Accession Day would be enthusiastically celebrated each year.4 At the time of Mary’s death, Elizabeth was twenty miles north of London at the old nursery palace of Hatfield. She had been aware that the Queen’s death was approaching, not only from the reports she had received, but also because for some days prior to Mary’s death courtiers had begun to gravitate to Hatfield, eager to ingratiate themselves with the woman that they knew would soon be their queen. The Venetian ambassador had noted that ‘Many persons of the kingdom flocked to the house of my lady Elizabeth, the crowd constantly increasing with great frequency.’5 It is possible that Lettice was there to witness this flurry of activity at the formerly peaceful residence. If she were by Elizabeth’s side at this time, Lettice would have seen how quickly people abandoned a dying monarch in order to ally themselves with the new one – it was something that was not lost on Elizabeth, and that would affect her later behaviour.

  When the news of Mary’s death was brought to her, Elizabeth declared to those around her, ‘My Lords, the law of nature moveth me to sorrow for my sister: The burden that is fallen upon me maketh me amazed.’6 She would later claim that she had wept tears of grief for Mary, but nobody else was there to see them. Six days after Mary’s death, on 23 November, Elizabeth left Hatfield behind as she journeyed to London, ‘attended with a thousand or more, of Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlewomen’.7 She was going to take possession of her kingdom.

  Immediately upon her accession Elizabeth treated the responsibilities of monarchy with the utmost seriousness. As Camden explained, by ‘experience and adversity’ Elizabeth ‘had gathered wisdom above her age’, and she had begun the business of ruling before she had even left Hatfield.8 While she was there she immediately began the critical task of appointing her Council. Lettice’s father Sir Francis Knollys was still in exile abroad, but foremost among those appointed was his friend William Cecil, at whose house Francis had once attended religious meetings. Cecil was made Elizabeth’s Principal Secretary on the same day as her accession, and for the rest of his life would remain at the forefront of affairs during the Queen’s reign. Though she did not always take his advice, Elizabeth trusted his opinions and admired his intelligence, so much so that she gave him a fond nickname: Spirit. As time went on, Cecil would also come to be well acquainted with Lettice’s affairs, too.

  IN 1557 THE Venetian ambassador had described London as ‘the metropolis of the kingdom, and truly royal, being with reason regarded as one of the principal cities of Europe’.9 It had ‘handsome streets and buildings’, and ‘is most
opulent’ thanks to its trade links with the rest of Europe.10 Nevertheless, the country that Elizabeth had inherited was a weak one. Elizabeth was determined to change this, and throughout the course of her reign England would steadily evolve into one of the most powerful nations in Europe. By the time of her death it had become a vastly different country from the one that her sister had ruled, her stable rule helping to make it both peaceful and strong.

  Elizabeth had always been popular, and her succession was greeted not only with sincere exuberance by her subjects, but also with relief: with Mary died the religious persecution of Protestants that she had imposed so fervently. Thanks to the martyrologist John Foxe and his famous Acts and Monuments, which charted the burnings throughout the course of Mary’s reign, Elizabeth’s predecessor would be remembered by posterity as Bloody Mary.11 Almost three hundred people were burned, with London witnessing more burnings than any other diocese. Initially, Elizabeth would take a very different course; though she was a Protestant queen she was prepared to tolerate Catholics in her realm. Regardless, in April 1559 the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity were passed in Parliament, confirming Protestantism as the official form of worship in England. As her reign progressed and events transpired beyond her control, so too did her religious tolerance begin to fade. Although Elizabeth never burned any Catholics, she did hang, draw and quarter more than two hundred, thereby bringing her close to level with Mary; many were also imprisoned.12 At the time of her succession, though, this was all in the future, and for the moment Elizabeth was able to indulge in the adoration of her subjects. Lettice and her family were among those who celebrated Elizabeth’s succession, and with good reason. Not only did their close ties of kinship with the new queen mean that they were well placed to receive her favour, but the end of the religious persecution and the establishment of a Protestant queen meant that her parents and siblings were now able to return home from their self-imposed exile.

  They wasted no time in doing so, and probably left Frankfurt in December.13 They were not alone, and among those who began returning to England were the Duchess of Suffolk and Dorothy Stafford, the second wife of Katherine Knollys’s stepfather, with whom the family remained on good terms.14 By 14 January 1559, and after several years apart, Lettice’s parents and the five children they had taken with them were back on English soil, reunited with Lettice and her siblings.15 By now there was a new addition, Thomas, who was almost a year old. What was more, shortly after their return home Katherine Knollys would have learned that she was once again pregnant. Lettice would not have been the only one who was overjoyed at being reunited with her family; Elizabeth, now Queen of England, had not forgotten the meaningful words she had once written to Lettice’s mother. She was elated by Katherine’s return, and from now on she was determined that Katherine would leave her side only in extraordinary circumstances.

  The succession of Elizabeth I signalled the start of the most prestigious period of the Knollys family’s career. Their close kinship and the warm relationship they shared with the Queen ensured that they were always going to be given privileged positions at her court, and they were not to be disappointed. Elizabeth was fond of her maternal Boleyn relatives, and for the entirety of her reign members of that side of her family would remain close to her. There were plenty of them to be had. The successful breeding record of the females in Lettice’s family ensured that the next generation was always close at hand, ready to fill any vacant posts that might arise. By contrast to members of Elizabeth’s paternal family, chiefly the sisters of Lady Jane Grey, Katherine and Mary, for whom Elizabeth’s dislike was evident, she did not view her mother’s relatives as a threat. This was because, unlike the Greys, they did not have a claim to the throne, and they in turn rewarded her trust with loyal service. In the same month as the Queen’s accession Lettice’s uncle, Henry Carey, was nominated for a knighthood and on 13 January 1559 the Queen created him Baron Hunsdon.16 The Queen had always been, and always would be, fond of Hunsdon, whom she referred to as ‘my Harry’, often signing herself ‘Your loving kinswoman’ in her letters to him.17 The following day Lettice’s father, newly returned from exile, was made the twentieth member of the Queen’s Privy Council, and was also appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Queen’s Household.18 This role required him to support the Chamberlain, Lord Howard of Effingham, another of the Queen’s relatives, who was responsible for the smooth running of the Royal Household.19 These were both privileged positions that demonstrated the Queen’s faith in Sir Francis and his abilities, and were roles that he took seriously. The real sign of favour, though, was saved for Lettice’s mother: Katherine Knollys was appointed one of four ladies of the Queen’s bedchamber.20 She was also given another important job: that of caring for the Queen’s pet parrot and monkey. Her position was not quite the most prestigious post in the Queen’s household, for the role of Chief Lady of the Bedchamber was reserved for Kate Ashley, Elizabeth’s former governess who had been by Elizabeth’s side since the earliest days of her childhood.21 However, upon Kate’s death in 1565, Katherine would step up to take her place. By this time Elizabeth had grown even more attached to Katherine; New Year was the main gift-giving event at the Tudor court, and that year Lady Knollys presented the Queen with ‘a pair of sleeves and a partlet of white lawn [a type of material] netted’.22 In return, she received ‘a tablet of gold set with five diamonds two rubies and a pearl pendant’ – a clear sign of Elizabeth’s love for her kinswoman, made all the more significant given that she was the only one of the Queen’s ladies to receive such a gift; everyone else was given gilt pots or gilt covers.23

  In addition to Katherine, other members of the Knollys family took positions in the Queen’s household: Katherine Knollys’s sister-in-law Anne Morgan also became one of the Queen’s ladies, and on 3 January fifteen-year-old Lettice was made a ‘gentlewoman of our privy chamber’.24 She was followed by her nine-year-old sister Elizabeth twelve days later.25 Lettice’s first official ‘job’ earned her an annual salary of around £33 (£5,600), a very respectable sum for a girl of her youth.26 Such places in the Queen’s household were highly sought after; only the most entitled of ladies were fortunate enough to receive them, and they always came from good families. There is no mention of Lettice’s elder sister Mary among the appointments, and the reason for her exclusion remains a mystery.27 Lettice’s place served to highlight her favour with the Queen – and was perhaps more highly regarded than her sister Mary.

  The structure of the Queen’s ladies hierarchy was a confusing one: as Chief Lady of the Bedchamber, Kate Ashley held the highest post. Beneath her were the four ladies of the bedchamber, followed by twelve ladies, gentlewomen and maids of the privy chamber, and six maids of honour. These more junior members of the Queen’s household all came under the supervision of the mother of the maids, whose responsibility it was to keep them in check. Lettice’s appointment to such a highly sought-after position ensured that she came into daily contact with the Queen, and helped to attend to all of her needs. These included washing her, dressing her, arranging her hair and jewels, and serving her food. Elizabeth was never alone, and, this being so, her ladies were also expected to be companionable by playing cards, dancing, talking, and reading to her when she requested it.28 For Lettice to be performing such tasks, the Queen must have been fond of her, and she in turn would have considered it an honour to be so close to Elizabeth.

  Lettice and her fellow ladies were all expected to dress finely, but in such a way as not to outdo the Queen. Elizabeth was extraordinarily fond of clothes, and her ladies’ role was to ‘emphasise her peerless beauty and magnificence’.29 In consequence, they were only ever permitted to wear black or white.

  Lettice’s position in the Queen’s household also meant that she remained close to her mother. Besides Lettice and her sister Elizabeth, two of her uncle Henry Carey’s daughters, Lettice’s cousins Katherine and Philadelphia Carey, were also made maids of honour. Hence a close-knit family unit surrounded the Que
en. One modern historian calculated that throughout the course of Elizabeth’s reign, there were 103 members of the Carey family alive, many of whom were at court.30 This placed the Knollys family in an exceedingly strong position, and one in which the women were of paramount importance. Decorum ensured that the Queen’s sex meant that her female attendants were able to obtain closer and more regular access to her than any of her male courtiers. Lettice and her fellow ladies were among the few who were admitted to the Queen’s bedchamber – the only space in which, although she was never alone, Elizabeth was granted relative privacy, away from the ever-watchful eyes of her court. This put the Queen’s ladies in a powerful position, for their very proximity to the monarch meant that they were perfectly placed to promote the interests of themselves and their families. They were also well placed to ask their royal mistress for favours if the need arose. Indeed, anyone who sought the Queen’s favour knew that one of the best ways to obtain it was to enlist the support of one of her ladies, and as such they were the recipients of frequent gifts. Though ‘A few days after the Queen’s accession she made a speech to the women who were in her service commanding them never to speak to her on business affairs’, this did not prevent her from talking to them about such things.31 Consequently, Lettice and her colleagues would have come to hear many things that others would have longed to. Her very position meant that she was both an integral part of the court, and more crucially, a member of Elizabeth’s inner sanctum. She was one of the few that saw the Queen’s private, as well as her public, persona.