Robert Dudley, born 1532, died 1588. In 1549 he was married to Amy Robsart, daughter of a Devonshire gentleman, and is said to have been accessory to her murder in 1560, Elizabeth created him Earl of Leicester and privy-councillor, and bestowed titles and estates on him lavishly. Her fondness for him caused his marriage with her to be regarded as certain. He, however, excited the violent anger of the queen by his marriage with the Countess of Essex in 1578. He successfully commanded an army in the Low Countries, and when England was threatened by the Spanish Armada, in 1588, he was appointed lieutenant-general. He is characterized as an ambitious and Unscrupulous courtier, combining in himself the worst qualities of both sexes.