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Published March 2025. The Deeds of King Henry V, or in Latin Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.
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Life of Robert Dudley Appendices is in Life of Robert Dudley.
Stewart Books, Life of Robert Dudley Appendices, Life of Robert Dudley Appendix IV
Dudley imprisoned with the Earl of Essex 1602.
From a letter from London in February 1601 (or 1602 in the common style).
From a letter from London dated the 22nd of last month [22 Jan 1601], they report that in London and at Court several upsets occurred because of the Earl of Essex, who had been confined for some time by the Queen's command in his house in London, and having been afterwards restored to his former freedom, continued to urge the Queen to get justice and reason from Lord Cecil, over the injury he claimed had been done to him by said Cecil. Since the Queen did not yield to his prayers and solicitations, but referred the matter to the decision of Parliament, the said Earl of Essex had undertaken to take revenge himself with the help of his friends. The Queen, having heard of this audacity, had expressly and under penalty ordered the said Earl not to take any action, and not to include in his company more than 80 gentlemen and servants while traveling or going to Court. Nonetheless, disregarding this command, the said Earl had gathered up to 1100 men, with whom he planned to show up in London and at Court. Hence, the Queen, warned of this recklessness, had her guards disperse these gathered men, and had the aforementioned Earl of Essex arrested along with Lords Dudley, Blount, and several others who were partisans of the said Earl. But until now, the cause of such disturbance has not been ascertained, and according to the ordinary talk of people, it is something newly and extraordinarily occurred, with different speculations about it among some saying that the noise was that the said Earl had some dealings with the King of Scotland, and others, with other designs.
Da una lettera di Londra del Febbraio 1601 (ossia 1602 alio stile comune).
Di Londra con letters delli 22 passato avvisano che in Londra et in Corte erano accadute alquante alienation! per cento del Milor d' Essex, il quale essendo stato alquanto tempo sequestrato per comandamento della Eegina nella sua casa in Londra, et rimesso dipoi nella pristina liberty, haveva continuato Yerso la Regina a sollecitare di voler haver giustitia et ragione del Lord Cial, sopra 1' ingiuria cbe pretendeya essergli fatta da detto Cial. Onde non movendosi la Regina a sue preghiere et sollicitationi, ma rimettendo il negotio alia decisione del Parlamento, il detto Conte d' Essex haveva intrapreso di fame vendetta per s6 stesso et con 1' aiuto de' suoi amici. II che inteso dalla Regina, haveva espressamente et sotto pena fatto dire a detto Conte di non muoversi in punto alcuno, et di non ammetter nella sua compagnia passando cammino overo andando in Corte piu de 80 gentilhuomini et servitori. Ma non ostante questo comandamento haveva detto Conte adunato insino a 1100 huomini, con i quali disegnava di ritrovarsi in Londra et in Corte. Onde la Regina avvertita di quella temerità, fece con quelli della sua guardia separar dette genti adunate, et fecero pregione il predetto Conte di Essex con li signori Dudley, Blount et alquanti altri che erano partigiani di detto Conte. Ma insin hora non s' h potuta sapere la causa di tale alterations, et secondo r ordinario delle genti e cosa nuovamente et straordinariamente avvenuta, parlandosi diversamente di questo fra alcuni con dirsi, che il romore fusse che detto Conte havesse qualche pratica col Re di Scotia, et altri, con altri disegni.
(Omissis.)
Stewart Books, Life of Robert Dudley Appendices, Life of Robert Dudley Appendix VI
The Patent for creating Alice Lady Dudley a Duchess of England.
See Dugdale's Baronage, vol. II, p. 225, and the Note in the margin, which says that he copied it from the original in the possession of Catharine Lady Levison, 1670.
Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all Archbishops, Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, Bishops, Barons, Knights and all other our loving subjects, to whom these our Letters shall come, greeting. Whereas in or about the beginning of the Reign of our dear father King James, of famous memory, there was a sute commenced, in our high Court of Star Chamber, against Sir Robert Dudley, Knight, and others, for pretending himself to be lawfull heir to the honours and lands of the Earldoms of Warwick and Leicester, as son and heir of the body of Robert Late Earl of Leicester, lawfully begotten upon the Lady Douglasse his mother, wife to the late Earl of Leicester, and all proceedings stayed in the Ecclesiastical Courts, in which the said sute depended, for proof of his legitimation: yet nevertheless did the said Court vouchsafe liberty to the said Sir Robert, to examine witnesses in the said Court of Star Chamber, in order to the making good of his legitimacy; divers witnesses were examined there accordingly. Whereupon, by full testimony upon oath, partly made by the said Lady Douglasse herself, and partly made by divers other persons of quality and credit, who were present at the marriage with the said late Earl of Leicester, by a lawfuU Minister, according to the form of Matrimony then by law established in the Church of England; and the said Sir Robert and his mother were owned by the said late Earl of Leicester as his lawfuU wife and son, as by many of the said depositions remaining upon record, in our said Court, still appear, which we have caused to be perused, for our better satisfation herein. But a special order being made, that the said depositions should be seal'd up and no copies thereof taken without leave, did cause him, the said Sir Robert, to leave this our kingdom; whereof his adversaries taking advantages procured a special Privy-seal to be sent unto him, commanding his return into England; which he not obeying (because his honour and lands were denied unto him), all his lands were therefore seiz'd on to the King our father's use.
And not long afterwards, Prince Henry (our dear brother deceas'd) made overture to the said Sir Robert, by special instruments, to obtain his title by purchase of and in Kenilworth Castle, in our county of Warwick, and his manners, parks, and chases belonging to the same; which, upon a great undervalue, amounted (as we are credibly informed) to about fifty thousand pounds; but were bought by the Prince our brother in consideration of fourteen thousand five hundred pounds, and upon his faithful engagement and promise of his princely favour unto the said Sir Robert in the said cause, to restore him both in honours and fortunes. And thereupon certain deeds were seal'd in the ninth year of the reign of our said father, and fines also were then levyed, setling the inheritance thereof in the said Prince our brother, and his heirs.
But, the said Prince our brother departing this life, there was not above three thousand pounds of the said sum of fourteen thousand five hundred pounds ever paid (if any at all) to the said Sir Robert's hands; and we ourselves, as heir to the said Prince our brother, came to the possession thereof.
And it appearing to our Council, that the said Alice Lady Dudley, wife of the said Sir Robert, had an estate of inheritance of and in the same descendable unto her posterity; in the nineteenth year of our said dear father's reign, an Act of Parliament was passed to enable the said Lady Alice, wife to the said Sir Robert, to alien her estate,1 which she had by the said Sir Robert therein, from her children by the said Sir Robert, as if she had been a feme sole, which accordingly she did in the nineteenth year of our said father's reign, in consideration of four thousand pounds, and further payments yearly to be made by us to her, out of- our Exchequer, and out of the said castles and lands; which have not been accordingly paid imto her by us for many years, to the damage of the said Lady Alice, and her children, to a very great extent.
Note 1. The wife of Sir Robert Dudley had her jointure settled and secured to her upon woods of Kenilworth, as at that time existing.
Which Sir Robert settling himself in Italy, within the territories of the Great Duke of Tuscany (from whom he had extraordinary esteem), he was so much favoured by the Emperor Ferdinand the II, as that being a person, not only eminent for his great learning and blood, but for sundry rare endowments (as was best known), he had, by letters patents from his Imperial Majesty, the title of Duke given unto him; to be used by himself and his heirs for ever, throughout all the dominions of the sacred Empire. Which letters patents have been perused by our late Earl-Marshal and Heralds.
And whereas our dear father, not knowing the truth of the lawful birth of the said Sir Robert (as we piously believe), granted away the titles of the said Earldoms to others,1 which we now hold not fit to call in question, nor ravel into our deceased father's actions; especially they having been so long enjoyed by these families, to whom the honours were granted (which we do not intend to alter). And yet, we having a very deep sense of the great injuries done to the said Sir Robert Dudley, and the Lady Alice Dudley, and their children; and that we are of opinion, that in justice and equity these possessions so taken from them do rightly belong unto them, or full satisfaction for the same; and holding ourselves in honour and conscience obliged to make them reparation now, as far as our present ability will enable us; and also taking into our consideration the said great estate, which she the said Lady Alice Dudley had in Kenilworth, and sold at our desire to us at a very great undervalue, and yet not perform'd or satisfied, to many thousand pounds damage.
Note 1. To the son of Mary Dudley, sister of Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick, and Eobert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. This Mary married Sir Henry Sidney, K. G. of Penshurst, and Eobert, their second son (the eldest Sir Philip having been killed at Zutphen), was created Baron Sidney in 1603, Viscount de L'Isle in 1605, and Earl of Leicester in 1618. The Title became extinct in this family in 1743. This first Earl of Leicester, of Penshurst, joined Letitia Dowager Countess of Leicester in prosecuting Sir Eobert Dudley and the others before named for conspiracy.
And we also casting our princely eye upon the faithful services done unto us by Sir Richard Leveson,' Knight of the Bath, who hath married the Lady Katherine, one of the daughters of the said Duke, by his said wife, the said Lady Alice Dudley; and also the great services which Robert Holburne, Esq., hath done to us, by his learned pen and otherwise (which said Robert Holburne hath married the Lady Anne, one other of the daughters of the said Duke, by his said wife, the Lady Alice Dudley).
We have conceived ourselves bound in honour and conscience, to give the said Lady Alice and her children such honour and precedencies, as is, or are due to them in marriage or blood. And therefore we do not only give and grant, unto the said Lady Alice Dudley, the title of Duchess Dudley for her life, in England and other our realms and dominions with such precedencies as she might have had, if she had lived in the dominions of the sacred empire (as a mark of our favour unto her, and out of our Prerogative Royal, which we will not have drawn into dispute); but we do also further grant unto the said Lady Katherine, and Lady Anne, her daughters, the places, titles, and precedencies of the said Duke's daughters, as from that time of their said father's creation, during their respective lives, not only in England, but in all other our kingdoms and dominions, as a testimony of our princely favour and grace unto them; conceiving ourselves oblig'd to do much more for them, if it were in our power, in these unhappy times of distraction.
And we require all persons of honour, and other our loving subjects, especially our Earl Marshall, Heralds, and Officers at Arms, to take notice of this our princely pleasure, and to govern themselves accordingly; and to cause the said places and precedencies to be quietly enjoyed, according to this our gracious intention, as they do tender our displeasures, and will answer the contempt thereof at their perils. And we further command and require, that our said Heralds do make entry of this our pleasure and grant in their offices accordingly. In witness whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patent. Witness Ourself at Oxford, the three and twentieth day of May, in the twentieth year of our reign.