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| A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in a frame, circa 1565, by an unknown artist. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain. |
On this day in Elizabethan history, 1562 Queen Elizabeth I contracted smallpox, taking ill at Hampton Court Palace.
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| An exterior view of the gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace, where Queen Elizabeth I fell ill with smallpox early in her reign. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain. |
For more information on the the 29 year-old Queen's calamitous brush with death, please visit The Elizabeth Files for Claire Ridgway's article on the event. Included are Sir Henry Sidney's thoughts about his wife, Mary Dudley-Sidney, and the effect that nursing her Queen and dear friend through a nearly fatal illness had on her.
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| A portrait miniature of Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney by female court painter Leevina Teerlinc. Lady Sidney was the sister of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and one of the few people Queen Elizabeth I trusted. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain. |
