Alice Dudley, Duchess of Dudley facts for kids
Alice Dudley, also known as Duchess Dudley, was an important English noblewoman who lived from 1579 to 1669. She was the second wife of the famous explorer, Sir Robert Dudley. In 1605, after having seven daughters, her husband left her. He went to live in Tuscany, remarried, and later sold his lands in England. In 1644, King Charles I made Alice Dudley a duchess. This was a special title given to her for her lifetime, to make up for what she had lost.
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Her Early Life and Marriage
Alice Leigh was born into a well-known family. Her father was Sir Thomas Leigh, who later became a baronet in 1611. Her family lived at Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire. On September 11, 1596, Alice Leigh married Sir Robert Dudley. He was the son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I.
Alice and Robert had seven daughters together. Five of them grew up to be adults:
- Alice, who married Sir Ferdinando Sutton.
- Douglas, who married William Dansey.
- Katherine, who married Sir Richard Leveson.
- Frances, who married Sir Gilbert Kniveton.
- Anne, who married Sir Robert Holborne.
In 1605, Robert Dudley left England and went to Florence, Italy. He was with his cousin, Elizabeth Southwell. While in Florence, he and Elizabeth became Catholic and decided to get married. To end his marriage to Alice, Robert claimed he had made a marriage agreement with another woman before Alice. However, his new marriage was never officially recognized in England.
Robert Dudley owned many valuable properties, including Kenilworth Castle. These lands were worth a lot of money. In 1612, they were sold to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales for much less than their true value. After the Prince of Wales died, the properties went to his brother, who would become King Charles I. In 1622, King Charles helped Alice Dudley sell her rights to these properties for £4,000, with more payments promised later. This allowed her to sell her share as if she were not married.
Becoming the Duchess of Dudley
On May 23, 1644, King Charles I officially made Alice Dudley a duchess. This special title was for her lifetime only. The King explained why he gave her this honor. He believed that a past court decision about her husband's birth was wrong. He also wanted to apologize because his brother, Henry, had not paid the full value for Robert Dudley's lands. The King also wanted to reward two of Alice's sons-in-law, who were loyal supporters of the King during the First English Civil War. These were Sir Robert Holborne and Sir Richard Leveson.
The King's official document said that he felt it was his duty to make things right. He mentioned that his father did not know the truth about Sir Robert's birth. He also noted that Alice had sold her valuable property at Kenilworth to the King for much less than it was worth. Because of these reasons, the King granted Alice Dudley the title of Duchess of Dudley for her life. Her daughters were also given the special rank of a duke's children.
Her Later Life and Generosity
Alice Dudley became a widow in 1649 when her husband died in Italy. He had lived in exile for over forty years. Alice was known for being very generous. She gave a lot of money to the church parish of St Giles-in-the-Fields in Middlesex, which was outside London at the time. The old church there was falling apart, so she helped pay for a beautiful new brick church that was built between 1623 and 1630.
Alice Dudley died at her home near the church on January 22, 1669. She had outlived all her daughters except Lady Katherine Leveson. In her will, she left money to help "poor English captives taken by the Turks." This money was meant to be used every year to free English people captured by pirates. King Charles II made sure her wishes were carried out.
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