Originally, the acting company was known as the Lord Howard’s Men, named after their patron. Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, Baron Howard of Effingham (1536-1624) was a cousin of Anne Boleyn. His grandfather was the great-grandfather of Elizabeth I. He was one of her most influential advisors. In 1585 he…
Arbella Stuart (* 1575; † 27 September 1615) was a daughter of Elizabeth Cavendish and Charles Stuart Darnley, thus a direct cousin of James VI of Scotland. Her parents' marriage had taken place secretly without Elizabeth I’s consent. With Arbella Stuart, a new figure had appeared in the game for…
In the course of the investigation following the publication of Dutch Church libel, Thomas Kyd was arrested. While looking through his papers, a three-page manuscript1 was discovered with (supposedly) atheistic content. Kyd stated that this document did not belong to him, but to Marlowe. It had got among his papers…
The most enigmatic and controversial record of Christopher Marlowe is the so-called Baines note. Whether written himself or merely dictated, Richard Baines, the unsuccessful spy from the English College and Flushing, put down on paper A note containing the opinion of on Christopher Marly concerning his damnable Judgment of Religion,…
Introduction Christopher Marlowe’s life is largely a negation of everything we think we know about him. Yet a lot of documents exist that shed light on Marlowe’s life. The difficulty, then, is not the lack of materials, but the nature of the information they contain and how it has been…
Cambridge had about 5,000 inhabitants at the time Marlowe arrived there, of whom over 1,800 were teachers or students at the university.1 Corpus Christi College was the first medieval college in England to be founded not by a ruler or important personage, but by the Guild of St Mary, which…
Canterbury is on the road from the coast to London. So whoever or whatever wanted to get to the capital stopped there. Since Christianisation, it has also been the seat of the archbishop. In addition, Canterbury became an important place of pilgrimage as the final resting place of Thomas Becket…
Christopher Marlowe was obviously quicker and harderworking than I am. Unfortunately, this post is still a work in progress.
Today Deptford is part of the London borough of Lewisham. In the 16th century, the best way to reach the city was by boat. But you could also take the overland route. Butt Lane (now Deptford High Street) was the main link road to London. West of Deptford the land…
At the beginning of 1593, London was hit by a plague epidemic. All those who had the opportunity retreated onto countryside. So did Marlowe, who went to Scadbury to Thomas Walsingham. The outbreak of the plague always meant massive economic changes as well. The affluent customers had left the city,…
