David Rizzio
Encyclopedia
Davide Rizzio, sometimes written as Davide Riccio or Davide Rizzo (c. 1533 – 9 March 1566), was an Italian
courtier
, born close to Turin
, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts de San Paolo et Solbrito, who rose to become the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's husband, Lord Darnley
, is said to have been jealous of their friendship, because of rumours that he had made Mary pregnant, and joined in a conspiracy
of Protestant nobles, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
, to murder him. The murder was the catalyst for the downfall of Darnley and had serious consequences for Mary's subsequent career.
to the Court of the Duke of Savoy, then at Nice
. However, finding no opportunities for advancement there, he found means to get himself admitted into the train of the Count de Moretto in 1561, who was about to led an embassy to Scotland
. The Court in Scotland had no employment for Rizzio, and dismissed him. He ingratiated himself with the Queen's musicians, whom she had brought with her from France
. James Melville
, a personal friend of Rizzio, said that "Her Majesty had three valets in her chamber, who sung three parts, and wanted a bass to sing the fourth part". Thus, he was drawn into her court (Hawkins, 1778).
He was considered a good musician
, and an excellent singer, which first brought him to the attention of the cosmopolitan young Queen. Towards the end of 1564, having grown wealthy under her patronage, he became the Queen's secretary for relations with France
, after the previous occupant of the post retired there. This post attracted a quarterly salary of £20. Ambitious, seeing himself as all but a Secretary of State
, a Catholic, and a foreigner to boot, Rizzio had too much of the Queen's ear, it was felt. Rumours became rife that Mary was having an adulterous affair with Rizzio.
Jealousy precipitated his murder in the Queen's presence, in her supper chamber ("a cabinet abowte xii footes square, in the same a little low reposinge bedde, and a table") in the Palace of Holyroodhouse after the royal guards were quickly overpowered and the palace was turned over to the control of the rebels.
The Queen was seven months pregnant (with James VI) at the time. Having burst into the Queen's private dining room, the rebels, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven, demanded Rizzio be handed over. The Queen refused. Rizzio then hid behind Mary, who having tried desperately to protect him, was herself threatened at gun point. The hysterical screams of the Queen and Rizzio travelled out of the palace and alerted the people of Edinburgh. Several hundred local men poured out of the local taverns and ran to Holyrood with makeshift weapons, but with a gun held at her side, the Queen was forced to go to the window and dismiss them.
After this violent struggle, Rizzio was stabbed and slashed 56 times, before being thrown down the main staircase and stripped of his jewels and fine clothes. He was buried within two hours in the cemetery of Holyrood. Buchanan and Daniel state that shortly after his body was removed by the Queen's orders, and deposited in the sepulchre of the Kings of Scotland; a measure most impolitic, as it strengthened the previous reports of her familiarity with him (Ruthen 1815). Rumours were thrown around as to why this happened to Rizzio - most claim Darnley was jealous.
. Elizabeth I is said to have funded the murder, and certainly provided sanctuary for Rizzio's killers. The fact that he was murdered in Mary's presence, when she was heavily pregnant, made it a particularly shocking event. The written account of the events by the Queen was naturally anxious and rambling, and is thought to have been a major factor in her nervous breakdown
the following year.
It was hoped by the Scottish nobles and the English government that the result of his death would be the death of the Queen and/or her unborn child, allowing the factions to control power in Scotland. However, Mary surprised her enemies by charming the rebel guard, before swinging out of her palace windows on knotted bedsheets and fleeing her capital on horseback in the middle of the night. She returned to Edinburgh
triumphant within the week, at the head of 8,000 troops, driving the rebels over the border to seek refuge from prosecution, and honouring her murdered friend with a lavish funeral.
Rizzio's brother, Joseph, arrived in Scotland with Michel de Castelnau
and was appointed secretary in David's place by 25 April 1566. Joseph and an Italian colleague, Joseph Lutyni, had some trouble over coins taken from the queen's purse, and in April 1567 he was accused and acquitted with Bothwell of Darnley's murder.
David Rizzio's career was remembered and referred to by Henry IV of France
. Mocking the pretension of James VI of Scotland to be the "Scottish Solomon", he remarked that "he hoped he was not David the fiddler's son", alluding to the possibility that Rizzio, not Darnley, fathered King James.
Whilst it has been alleged that Rizzio is buried at Canongate Kirkyard, Edinburgh
this is highly unlikely as this would have required reinterment of a Catholic with no living friends in a Protestant graveyard 120 years after his death. It is more likely and logical that he lies in an unmarked grave in the graveyard attaching Holyrood Abbey. The Protestant historian George Buchanan
wrote in 1581 that David was first buried outside the door of the Abbey, and then Mary arranged for him to be buried in the tomb of her father James V
and Madeleine of France
within. As Buchanan described this circumstance as reflecting badly on the Queen, while his book was at the printers, a friend James Melville tried to get Buchanan to rewrite the passage, fearing that Mary's son James VI would suppress the whole book. Buchanan asked his cousin, Thomas Buchanan, a schoolmaster in Stirling, if he thought the story was true, and the cousin agreed. The story was published.
listed these men as participants in David's murder:
Earl of Morton
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay
.
William Maitland of Lethington
.
Master of Ruthven
.
The laird of Ormiston
, John Cockburn.
The laird of Haughton.
The laird of Brumston (Crichton).
The laird of Whittinghame
.
The laird of Lochleven
.
The laird of Elphingstone (Johnston).
Patrick Murray.
Andrew Kerr of Fawdonsyde.
with the preachers;
John Knox
and John Craig.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, born close to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts de San Paolo et Solbrito, who rose to become the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's husband, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
, is said to have been jealous of their friendship, because of rumours that he had made Mary pregnant, and joined in a conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
of Protestant nobles, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven , played an important part in the political intrigues of the 16th century. He succeeded to the lordship in December 1552...
, to murder him. The murder was the catalyst for the downfall of Darnley and had serious consequences for Mary's subsequent career.
Career
Rizzio (whose name appears in Italian records as David Riccio di Pancalieri in Piemonte) went first from TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
to the Court of the Duke of Savoy, then at Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. However, finding no opportunities for advancement there, he found means to get himself admitted into the train of the Count de Moretto in 1561, who was about to led an embassy to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The Court in Scotland had no employment for Rizzio, and dismissed him. He ingratiated himself with the Queen's musicians, whom she had brought with her from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. James Melville
James Melville of Halhill
Sir James Melville was a Scottish diplomat and memoir writer.Melville was the third son of Sir John Melville, laird of Raith in the county of Fife, who was executed for treason in 1548. One of his brothers was Robert, 1st Baron Melville of Monimail . James Melville in 1549 went to France to become...
, a personal friend of Rizzio, said that "Her Majesty had three valets in her chamber, who sung three parts, and wanted a bass to sing the fourth part". Thus, he was drawn into her court (Hawkins, 1778).
He was considered a good musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, and an excellent singer, which first brought him to the attention of the cosmopolitan young Queen. Towards the end of 1564, having grown wealthy under her patronage, he became the Queen's secretary for relations with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, after the previous occupant of the post retired there. This post attracted a quarterly salary of £20. Ambitious, seeing himself as all but a Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, a Catholic, and a foreigner to boot, Rizzio had too much of the Queen's ear, it was felt. Rumours became rife that Mary was having an adulterous affair with Rizzio.
Murder
The Queen was seven months pregnant (with James VI) at the time. Having burst into the Queen's private dining room, the rebels, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven, demanded Rizzio be handed over. The Queen refused. Rizzio then hid behind Mary, who having tried desperately to protect him, was herself threatened at gun point. The hysterical screams of the Queen and Rizzio travelled out of the palace and alerted the people of Edinburgh. Several hundred local men poured out of the local taverns and ran to Holyrood with makeshift weapons, but with a gun held at her side, the Queen was forced to go to the window and dismiss them.
After this violent struggle, Rizzio was stabbed and slashed 56 times, before being thrown down the main staircase and stripped of his jewels and fine clothes. He was buried within two hours in the cemetery of Holyrood. Buchanan and Daniel state that shortly after his body was removed by the Queen's orders, and deposited in the sepulchre of the Kings of Scotland; a measure most impolitic, as it strengthened the previous reports of her familiarity with him (Ruthen 1815). Rumours were thrown around as to why this happened to Rizzio - most claim Darnley was jealous.
Aftermath
Rizzio's murder was only one incident in the larger campaign by Scottish nobles and Queen Elizabeth I, to destabilise the Scottish Queen, whose popularity and liberal policies threatened their preferred status quo in the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. Elizabeth I is said to have funded the murder, and certainly provided sanctuary for Rizzio's killers. The fact that he was murdered in Mary's presence, when she was heavily pregnant, made it a particularly shocking event. The written account of the events by the Queen was naturally anxious and rambling, and is thought to have been a major factor in her nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
the following year.
It was hoped by the Scottish nobles and the English government that the result of his death would be the death of the Queen and/or her unborn child, allowing the factions to control power in Scotland. However, Mary surprised her enemies by charming the rebel guard, before swinging out of her palace windows on knotted bedsheets and fleeing her capital on horseback in the middle of the night. She returned to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
triumphant within the week, at the head of 8,000 troops, driving the rebels over the border to seek refuge from prosecution, and honouring her murdered friend with a lavish funeral.
Rizzio's brother, Joseph, arrived in Scotland with Michel de Castelnau
Michel de Castelnau
Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de la Mauvissière , French soldier and diplomat, ambassador to Queen Elizabeth, was born in Mauvissière, , Touraine about 1520...
and was appointed secretary in David's place by 25 April 1566. Joseph and an Italian colleague, Joseph Lutyni, had some trouble over coins taken from the queen's purse, and in April 1567 he was accused and acquitted with Bothwell of Darnley's murder.
David Rizzio's career was remembered and referred to by Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
. Mocking the pretension of James VI of Scotland to be the "Scottish Solomon", he remarked that "he hoped he was not David the fiddler's son", alluding to the possibility that Rizzio, not Darnley, fathered King James.
Whilst it has been alleged that Rizzio is buried at Canongate Kirkyard, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
this is highly unlikely as this would have required reinterment of a Catholic with no living friends in a Protestant graveyard 120 years after his death. It is more likely and logical that he lies in an unmarked grave in the graveyard attaching Holyrood Abbey. The Protestant historian George Buchanan
George Buchanan
George Buchanan may refer to:*George Buchanan , Scottish humanist*Sir George Buchanan , Scottish soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms*Sir George Buchanan , Chief Medical Officer...
wrote in 1581 that David was first buried outside the door of the Abbey, and then Mary arranged for him to be buried in the tomb of her father James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
and Madeleine of France
Madeleine of France
Madeleine of France may refer to:*Magdalena of Valois, daughter of Charles VII of France, mother of two monarchs of Navarre*Madeleine of Valois, daughter of Francis I of France, Queen of Scots...
within. As Buchanan described this circumstance as reflecting badly on the Queen, while his book was at the printers, a friend James Melville tried to get Buchanan to rewrite the passage, fearing that Mary's son James VI would suppress the whole book. Buchanan asked his cousin, Thomas Buchanan, a schoolmaster in Stirling, if he thought the story was true, and the cousin agreed. The story was published.
Popular culture
- Rizzio is played by John CarradineJohn CarradineJohn Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
in the 1936 RKO picture Mary of Scotland, directed by John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
; and by Ian HolmIan HolmSir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
in Mary, Queen of Scots , the 1972 Universal picture directed by Charles Jarrot
- Rizzio's life and death are a key plot element in Caleb CarrCaleb CarrCaleb Carr is an American novelist and military historian.-Biography:A son of Lucien Carr, a former UPI editor and a key Beat generation figure, he was born in Manhattan and lived for much of his life on the Lower East Side. He attended Kenyon College and New York University, earning a B.A. in...
's Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story The Italian SecretaryThe Italian SecretaryThe Italian Secretary is mystery fiction by Caleb Carr. This literary pastiche is meant as an honourable homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and one that had the approval of the Doyle estate.-Plot introduction:Sherlock Holmes and Dr...
.
The takers in hand
Thomas RandolphThomas Randolph
Thomas Randolph may refer to:* Thomas Randolph * Thomas Randolph , English poet and dramatist* Thomas Randolph , Virginia politician...
listed these men as participants in David's murder:
Earl of Morton
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven
Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven , played an important part in the political intrigues of the 16th century. He succeeded to the lordship in December 1552...
Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay
Earl of Lindsay
Earl of Lindsay is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1633 for John Lindsay, 10th Lord Lindsay, who later inherited the ancient Earldom of Crawford. The two earldoms remained united until the death of the twenty-second Earl of Crawford, also sixth Earl of Lindsay...
.
William Maitland of Lethington
William Maitland of Lethington
Sir William Maitland of Lethington was a Scottish politician and reformer, and the eldest son of the poet Richard Maitland....
.
Master of Ruthven
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie , known as The Lord Ruthven between 1566 and 1581, was a son of Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven.-Life account:...
.
The laird of Ormiston
Ormiston
Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, UK, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about 276 ft....
, John Cockburn.
The laird of Haughton.
The laird of Brumston (Crichton).
The laird of Whittinghame
William Douglas of Whittinghame
William Douglas of Whittingehame was a Senator of the College of Justice at Edinburgh, and a Royal conspirator.-Family:...
.
The laird of Lochleven
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his...
.
The laird of Elphingstone (Johnston).
Patrick Murray.
Andrew Kerr of Fawdonsyde.
with the preachers;
John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
and John Craig.