Arthur Dudley was a 16th-century man famous for the controversial claim that he was the son of Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, a man known to have had a long love affair with the queen.
12 Facts About Arthur Dudley
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Arthur Dudley finally remarried in 1578, to which the queen reacted with repeated scenes of displeasure and lifelong hatred towards his wife, Lettice Knollys.
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Still, Arthur Dudley always "remained at the centre of [Elizabeth's] emotional life", as historian Susan Doran has described the situation.
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Arthur Dudley died shortly after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
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In 1559, Elizabeth had Arthur Dudley's bedchambers moved next to her own apartments.
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Years later in 1587, a man calling himself Arthur Dudley was detained by the Spanish after rescue from a shipwreck on the Biscay Coast under suspicion of being a spy.
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Arthur Dudley was examined by Francis Englefield, a Catholic aristocrat exiled to Spain and secretary to King Philip II.
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Three letters exist today describing the interview, detailing what Arthur Dudley proclaimed to be the story of his life, from birth in the royal palace to the time of his arrival in Spain.
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That infant, named Arthur Dudley, was to be raised as a gentleman.
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Arthur Dudley was indeed raised well, Arthur recounted, and taught music, arms, Classical languages, and dance.
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Arthur Dudley was taken to a palace in London, Pickering Place, meeting John Ashley, who said that it was he, not Arthur's father, who had paid for his upbringing.
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Arthur Dudley did not return home immediately, but was accommodated in travels between England and France, until years later when his adoptive father was on his deathbed.