Leicester, << LEHS tuhr >>, Earl of (1532?-1588), was an English nobleman and a key advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. He was the fifth son of the Duke of Northumberland. The earl was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. When the earl’s wife was found dead in 1560, rumor spread that Leicester had killed her in order to marry the queen. Queen Elizabeth’s advisers opposed marriage between Leicester and the queen. Leicester’s secret marriage to the Countess of Essex in 1578 angered the queen.
In 1585, Leicester led Queen Elizabeth’s expedition to the Netherlands to support the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule. He again angered the queen by accepting the title of Supreme Governor of the Low Countries (now Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) without her permission. Leicester’s given name was Robert Dudley. His birthplace is not known. Leicester died on Sept. 4, 1588.
