About
Englishwoman who became the Countess of Lennox after secretly marrying Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox, in 1574.
Before Fame
She was born in Derbyshire, England to Bess of Hardwick and Sir William Cavendish.
Trivia
She died at the age of twenty-six, just six years after her husband had succumbed to tuberculosis.
Family Life
She had one daughter, Arbella Stuart, with the 1st Earl of Lennox. Arbella followed in her mother's footsteps by marrying an heir to the throne (William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset) without securing royal approval for the nuptials.
Associated With
Queen Elizabeth I disapproved of her marriage to Charles Stuart and sent the mothers of both the bride and groom to the infamous Tower of London for their role in planning the secret wedding.