Kenilworth castle:
Dudley’s reasons - there a few main reasons why Dudley could have decided to change and
redevelop Kenilworth, the first of which being his desire to marry Elizabeth. Below are two
summarised reasons.
Marriage:
Dudley had, over time, become very close with her, becoming a member of the privy council and
being named the master of the horse (which entailed a lot of physical touch with the queen
herself, which was a very uncommon thing at the time). Being married to the Queen would have
brought so much power to Dudley - he would be one of the most powerful men in the country
(undoubtedly also putting him in. The way of many other English men who wanted the same),
gaining huge amounts of respect and desire from others. It would boost his status and
wealthiness to a whole other level. Among this huge advantage of marrying the Queen, he would
of course, also be her romantic partner - it was clear that they both had an unusual relationship
between them and that it seemed to be more than friends. They had met in the tower of London,
matching their vulnerability and fear at the time, and remained acquaintances for a long time.
Elizabeth, on her annual progress, would have stayed in many houses, but on her last trip to
Kenilworth, she stayed longer at the castle than any other establishment she stopped at. This
clearly shows she had a reason to stay, whether that was just because she liked the company of
Dudley or because she was impressed at the way he kept the castle which had been given to him
by her. But one of Dudley’s main reason to change Kenilworth was to impress the Queen and to
liken his chances at getting a shot with her. His two biggest changes that he made in order to
grab Elizabeth’s attention, were the building of Leicesters building and the refurbishments of the
garden. Leicester’s building contained everything that Elizabeth could have needed during her
time at the castle including, her private chambers, a gallery that she could walk along for exercise
while it was raining, private viewing area, spaces for her attendants who were looking after her
and much more, all made to her liking. The garden, whilst also being a symbol for wealth and
travel, had all things included that linked to Elizabeth herself - the garden was made into 4
quadrants each with 4 more separations, and each area of green was filled with all kinds of
flowers, a sign of money. There was a parade/walk for Elizabeth to walk along, an aviary filled with
small birds, a statue of atlas, obelisks and more.
Status:
At the time, the status of an English man was an important value in life, and brought about some
problems for people like Dudley when trying to maintain it. To Dudley especially, the maintenance
of his own family status was very important, as his family before him had not always had the
greatest reputation amongst the Elizabethan society. But climbing his way up through the privy
council, and gaining a huge favour with the Queen, greatly boosted Dudley’s status within society
and thus bringing him lots of attention. While the changes of Kenilworth may have been due to
other reasons, there were key features that we can most definitely put towards the idea that
Dudley was intent on continuing the strength within his family line and inheritance. These included
the constant placement of his family crest which was a bear and ragged staff (which also
suggested that he was around of his family line and was committed to it), the expensive gardens
of flowers (most of which were incredibly hard to get a hold of and showed wealth within society)
and generally the renaissance influence over the architectural designs which proved to onlookers
in the public that he was well travelled and educated, which of course at the time also proved
wealth. The wealthier you were, the higher your place in society was and thus, the more important
you and your status were. So to Dudley, the changes the he made, proving his depth of money
and knowledge, was key in showing off his status and maintaining his reputation among the
public body and privy council. (However it is important to note, that many of the members of the
privy council could have done this too, so although Dudley was extremely passionate in his
changes and money spending, it would not have necessarily brought him much more attention
than any other privy councillor who could made the same attempt)
Poverty in Elizabethan England
There were many causes for poverty during the elizabethan times, and although it was later
described to be the golden age, the time was filled with poverty and disgraceful living conditions.
Some the causes include - the dissolution of the monasteries (executed by Henry the 8th before
Elizabeth’s reign), the change from grain farming to sheep farming, the raising of prices against
