Voting Station

Robert Dudley

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (June 24, 1532-September 4, 1588)
    Born in Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
    Favorite of Queen Elizabeth I
    Named Master of the Horse (1558), Lord Steward of the Royal Household (1587) and Lieutenant and Captain-General of the Queen's Armies (1588)
    First Earl of Leicester (1564-88)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for participating in the plot to replace Mary I with Jane Grey.
    When his first wife, Amy Robsart, broke her neck falling down a flight of stairs (1560), rumors abounded that he had murdered her so he would be free to marry Elizabeth.
    He was later suspected of poisoning Walter Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in order to marry the Earl's widow, Lettice Knollys (1575).
    He had a son out of wedlock with Baroness Sheffield (1574).
    He led a disastrous military campaign in the United Provinces (the Netherlands).
    Despite being granted valuable properties by Elizabeth, he was constantly in debt from overspending.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Most reputable historians dismiss the murder rumors as nonsense.
    His only legitimate son died at age three.
    He was a prominent patron of art and the theater.
    He was the main financial backer of Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe.
    Although Elizabeth consistently refused to marry him, she was furious at his marriage to Knollys, calling her a 'she-wolf' and him a 'traitor.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 82.35% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 11 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 55 Votes: 69.09% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 19 Votes: 57.89% Annoying