- Lady Southwell on the Final Days of Queen Elizabeth I.
- Queen Elizabeth I’s Heart and the French Ambassador.
- William Camden to Sir Robert Cotton. March 15, 1603 [1602 O.S.].
- Scaramelli, Venetian Secretary in England, to the Doge and Senate; March 20, 1603
- Sir Robert Carey’s Account of the Death of Queen Elizabeth
- Scaramelli, Venetian Secretary in England, to the Doge and Senate; March 27, 1603.
When I came to court I found the Queen ill disposed, and she
kept her inner lodging; yet she, hearing of my arrival, sent for me. I found
her in one of her withdrawing chambers, sitting low upon her cushions.[1]
The crisis seemed to have come on the 23rd. He
was there in her presence as much as any but her most intimate attendants. His
following is the standard account of the Queen’s final hours.
As the Queen lingered, Carey withdrew with the intent to
proceed immediately upon hearing of the Queen’s death to inform the Scottish
King. He rose again in the early morning hours and returned to the Court where
he “found all the ladies weeping bitterly” but could not receive word of
the Queen’s condition. He was well known by the cautious James and the first
person to bring the news was likely to receive a considerable reward.
Once allowed into the Court, he was forbidden to leave
again without permission of Sir Robert Cecil and the Privy Council. They had
been very careful to plan every aspect of the transfer of the crown from Elizabeth
to James and had no intention of letting any opportunist take any of the control of
the situation from them.
He led me from thence to the privy chamber, where all the Council
was assembled ; there I was caught hold of, and assured I should not go for
Scotland, till their pleasures were farther known.[2]
A failure to take the proper care could result in truly serious
repercussions. There could be riots of disaffected groups. Even a struggle for
power.
Like any good opportunist, Robert thought on his feet and
woke his brother to assist him getting free.
My brother said angrily to the porter, " Let him out, I
will answer for him." Whereupon I was suffered to pass, which I was not a
little glad of.[3]
He was soon on his way. It was always a hard ride to
reach the Scottish Court. Especially at speed. But, even having received a
serious head injury along the way, he arrived three days later. He was awarded
the position of Gentleman of the Bedchamber for his troubles — a position he promptly
lost.
All the comfort that I had was the King's assurance that I
should shortly be admitted to his bedchamber again. And whereas I was promised
one hundred pounds per annum in fee farm, it was cut short to one hundred marks.[4]
Still, he was well rewarded by King James and Charles in
the years ahead.
The Queen grew worse and worse, because she would be so,
none about her being able to persuade her to go to bed. My Lord Admiral was
sent for (who by reason of my sister's death, that was his wife, had absented
himself some fortnight from court); what by fair means, what by force, he got
her to bed. There was no hope of her recovery, because she refused all
remedies.
On Wednesday, the twenty-third of March, she grew
speechless. That afternoon, by signs, she called for her Council, and by
putting her hand to her head, when the King of Scots was named to succeed her, they
all knew he was the man she desired should reign after her.
This that I heard with my ears, and did see with my eyes, I
thought it my duty to set down, and to affirm it for a truth, upon the faith of
a Christian, because I know there have been many false lies reported of the end
and death of that good lady.
[1] The
Memoirs of Robert Carey, the Earl of Monmouth (1905). 70.
[2]
Ibid. 75.
[3]
Ibid. 76.
[4]
Ibid. 81.
[5] Ibid. 73-4.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
I've always thought that Carey's ride was a brilliant political move. His family's position was entirely due to their connection to Queen Elizabeth. His father was first cousin to the Queen, since his mother, Mary Boleyn, was the sister of Anne Boleyn. But they may well have been even closer: Mary had been the mistress of King Henry VIII, and may have been Henry Carey's biological father. Elizabeth evidently thought these blood ties would guarantee Carey's loyalty and commitment to her, and she elevated him as a baron and made him her Lord Chamberlain.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been hard for Robert to predict how James would feel about a family with such strong ties to Elizabeth, last of the Tudor monarchs. Would they be seen as part of the former regime, out of power and possibly soon to have their lands and honors stripped in favor of favorites of the new king? Robert's ride allowed him to be the first to proclaim his loyalty to the new king. It's always good to be the first bearer of good news, and for James there could be no better news than his accession as the King of England. Though Robert was chastised for violating the direction of the council, he was made the governor of the young prince Charles when he came to England a year after his parents. That paid off when Charles became king, and created Robert the Earl of Monmouth.