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Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester

English noble
Also known as: Sir Robert Dudley

Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester (born June 24, 1532/33—died Sept. 4, 1588, Cornbury, Oxfordshire, Eng.) was a favourite and possible lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Handsome and immensely ambitious, he failed to win the Queen’s hand in marriage but remained her close friend to the end of his life. His arrogance, however, undermined his effectiveness as a political and military leader. He was the fifth son of John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, virtual...