The “Queen’s Dwarf” Who Defined The 17th Century D
there’s a long bizarre history of unique people who have been exploited for the entertainment of others but the story of the Queen’s dwarf Jeffrey Hudson might be the most extraordinary and sad tale of all Jeffrey Hudson may have only been 18 in tall but that didn’t stop him from committing a horrific act born in the early 1600s in England Jeffrey Hudson lived with his parents and three siblings though his father worked for the famous Duke of Buckingham as the train of his baiting Bulls the family was still poor little did they know they’d soon have another problem on their hands as Hudson grew his family began to notice something shockingly different about him as a child Hudson became something of a mystery he stopped growing quite early reaching only 18 in in height interestingly enough neither his parents nor his siblings shared the same condition which probably explains why some people came up with some truly
bizarre explanations for Hudson’s size many unlockers came up with their own explanations for Hudson’s stunted development one lasting Theory placed blame on his mother claiming she choked on a pickle during her pregnancy now I’m not sure how that ties to Hudson’s height but we’ll give it a pass all things considered the real explanation is much less complicated if doctors assessed Hudson’s condition today they’d likely diagnose him with pituitary gland disorder considering the fact that he didn’t show any other traits associated with dwarfism he’d even have options to help him grow normally but back then doctors didn’t have any of that information perhaps that explains the shocking decision his parents made at about 7 years old Jeffrey Hudson’s parents agreed to give him up to the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham it’s not completely clear just how this transaction took place but
reportedly Hudson was marked as a rarity of nature which impressed the Duke and Duchess enough to take him in but just how rare was he at this time not quite as rare as you may think interestingly enough Hudson’s dwarfism didn’t make him that special in 17th century England while people didn’t necessarily know the cause of the condition several little people lived among the English at this time however Hudson was extremely proportionate which made him quite special this would become his ticket out of poverty Hudson’s time with the Duke and Duchess is mostly shrouded in mystery it seems that at the time wealthy people could simply collect the unusual people like they might jewelry or a rare art either way he likely experienced a more comfortable life with them that is until they found just the right way to put his size to good use after just a few months of living
with the Duke and Duchess Hudson’s real Shining Moment came it all started with a royal visit his new caretakers threw an elaborate dinner to honor the English Royals King Charles I and his new wife Queen Henrietta Maria and where did Hudson fit in you might ask the last place you’d expect his new owners ordered their Cooks to create a huge pie then they arranged to have them tuck Hudson into the pie presenting a dessert that appeared totally innocuous on the outside that is it’s uncertain how he felt about being hidden away in a pie but it doesn’t sound too Pleasant he did however make quite the entrance to much fanfare and celebration the servants brought out the huge pie and presented it to the queen imagine her surprise when it started to move Hudson emerged from the pie fully dressed in armor and paraded up and down
the table with a flag and how how did the Teenage Queen respond to this unprecedented surprise it seems the queen felt totally delighted Hudson entertained everyone in attendance even better than that though the Duke and Duchess offered him up as a gift to the queen she took him back with her to the castle and thus began Hudson’s life in the Royal Courts for a while anyway in some ways Hudson became just another little trinket to the queen reportedly she she’d already amassed quite the array of Rarities in her Court her collection included a few other little people a monkey and a porter who stood over 7 ft tall before long though Hudson found himself busy doing much more than collecting dust on the Shelf during his time at the court Hudson formed a deep bond with one of the other novelty pieces of the Queen’s collection the 7ft tall Welsh Man William
Evans Evans and Hudson formed such a close spond that Evans sometimes walked the streets with him in his pocket this even led to a fun little act which starred both of them in their act Evans minded making a sandwich by pulling both a loaf of bread and Hudson himself from his pocket I’m not sure how Hudson felt about being compared to a slice of ham but considering their friendship perhaps they both actually enjoyed it or maybe Hudson enjoyed enough of those other perks to make it all worth it the more time he spent at court Hudson seemed to learn to use his differences to his Advantage he leaned into his charm and wit and played it up when needed notably a famous Court architect placed him in special shows using music performance and design to entertain the Royals he got much more than a starring moment though as a member of the Queen’s Court Hudson experienced the very best
of everything he received an academic Education and Training in proper manners he went hunting and enjoyed good food the queen even gave him his own servant along with all that Hudson found himself partaking in one very prestigious Royal tradition Hudson receiv received the honor of joining the Royals and their courts on horseback rides while the queen and her ladies rode Sid saddle Hudson got a special saddle made just for him they even decked it out with velvet and silk he made quite a leap from the countryside but maybe something else meant much more to him than all the Royal goodies the queen became very fond of Hudson and took him along with her on several trips she even went so far as to get him dressed in the same Fabrics she ordered her own children to be Justin but eventually all good things come to an end interestingly enough the ultimate conclusion of his Charmed Life
came at the hands of his Royal connections Hudson’s first Royal Fortune came along early in his time at court at about age 10 he joined a group from the court headed to France the group intended to secure a midwife for the then pregnant Queen and they sent him along to entertain the French Court they got to France just fine but on their return trip a horror show ensued on their way back to England Pirates commandeered their ship it’s not hard to imagine this being truly frightening for a 10-year-old luckily for him the Pirates simply raided the ship took what they wanted and let them continue to England intriguingly though this brush with danger didn’t stop Hudson from taking other risky Expeditions in 1637 Hudson joined another group headed across the English Channel around 18 years old by this point he went chasing some dangerous entertainment in the Netherlands where
the Dutch overtook the Spanish in the siege of breeda he left his trip unscathed as as well but things back in England soon got even more dangerous than life on the ship in 1642 war broke out in England between those who supported the king and those ready to end his Reign the queen took off to the Netherlands taking Hudson and some other members of court with her she successfully managed to raise some funds to help support the king but on the return trip things took a chilling turn while headed back to England the queen and her Entourage stopped for the night in Yorkshire early the following morning they woke up to the frightening sound of cannonballs from the king’s enemies you might expect all 1 and 1/2 ft of Hudson to stay close to the queen for his own safety but he did exactly the opposite reportedly Hudson leaped from his bed ready to defend the queen and Court he brandished his weapons more than ready to jump
in perhaps quite luckily for him his adversaries never left the ships they shot their cannons from sparing him from joining the actual conflict the next time it happened though he didn’t get quite so lucky as they continued their journey home they took another stop in York this time they expected to be safe as the king’s supporters ruled in that area however the queen and her Court found themselves Under Siege once again and yet again Hudson got up ready to defend his Queen but this time his enemies didn’t stay at a distance now in his early 20s many reports seem to indicate that Hudson took this opportunity to prove his value still the details are a bit hazy here it’s not 100% clear whether or not he literally engaged in any hand-to-hand confrontation but details or no details he clearly did something considering what the queen did
next sometime after these confrontations the queen bestowed the title captain of horse on Hudson he seemed to take the title seriously holding on to it later in life and going by the title Captain Jeffrey Hudson even so the queen ended up fleeing to France with her Court while the unrest continued that’s when things really went downhill Hudson started to become extremely dissatisfied with his status as a member of the Queen’s Court he didn’t want anyone to see him as merely the Queen’s pet anymore he wanted to be respected as as an adult as a captain no less honestly that’s not hard to understand but what is hard to understand is how he let that become his undoing in 1644 Hudson found himself in deep trouble when he got into a heated confrontation with Charles Croft Croft the brother of an English
Baron William Croft probably brushed shoulders with Hudson fairly often but on one faithful day he said or did did something that went a little too far Hudson challenged him to a duel there’s no record of what Croft actually did to offend Hudson either way it seems Hudson felt ready to go out defending his honor at the time a duel meant that both parties showed up ready to either make up or end each other’s lives on the spot in this case Hudson and Croft showed up with opposite intentions and Hudson would then go on to commit a horrific act Croft showed up to the event with what equates to a toy water gun he clearly did not take Hudson or the duel seriously Hudson on the other hand took it all too seriously ultimately ending croft’s life with one
shot duels wouldn’t surprise anyone in England at the time but in France the tide of his actions turned against him swiftly it needs to be be stated that France outlawed dueling centuries before this took place thus their authorities convicted Hudson with the intention of ending his life for his indiscretion even worse the English Royals considered Croft a man of important stature by all accounts things didn’t look good for Hudson luckily someone cared about him enough to put themselves on the line even despite his transgression the queen still kept cared very dearly for Hudson she took it upon herself to plead on his behalf begging the French authorities to spare his life considering the fact that she came from France to start with they took her advocacy to heart she saved his mortal
life but life as he knew it came to an end rather than punishing him with death the authorities removed Hudson sending him back to England [Music] this effectively ended his days as a prized possession of the Court perhaps at that point he thought he could still look to some type of successful future tragically though things very swiftly moved from bad to much much worse now kicked out of the court and seemingly disgraced in the eyes of his Royals Hudson boarded a ship and headed back home but while in route to England Pirates once again captured the ship Hudson traveled on but this time they didn’t just let the crew and passengers off with a raid and the warning this time Hudson found himself in his worst predicament yet this time ottoman Pirates intercepted a ship already notorious for
their brutality they took Hudson and several other English people captive they brought them back to North Africa with the intention of keeping them there for the rest of their natural lives it spelled the start of an experience that completely opposed Hudson’s life amongst the Royals though the details of this experience didn’t come to light until much later Hudson spent the next 25 years in captivity later on he elaborated on these years of cruel labor and extreme misery including enduring all types of mistreatment amazingly though this didn’t spell the end of his story in fact it supposedly gave him something he never dreamed he’d have by Hudson’s own claims he somehow physically grew during those 25 years of enslavement he said he doubled his size putting him at almost 4T there aren’t any reports to confirm
that fact or his insistence that the horrible things he experienced made him grow but luckily for him he eventually gained his freedom Hudson’s salvation finally came in the 1660s on one of several Expeditions by the English to rescue their captives they rescued him and returned him to his home country now older and much likely more feeble you might expect him to try to return to the court however he found a very different Court than the one he’ left decades prior while the Pirates kept him locked down in North Africa the Dynamics of the Royals changed completely a new King Charles II ruled over the monarchy even worse than that the queen seemingly passed right around the time Hudson got back but considering what he did next perhaps he didn’t even want to go back to court now in his older age Hudson found
himself met with unique opportunities he became acquainted with historian James Wright Wright spent time with Hudson doing his best to put the chaotic details of his life in writing with that done however Hudson seemingly realized he needed to do something more audacious to take care of himself around 1676 Hudson reportedly decided to head back to London where he’d spent the first half of his life in the lap of luxury while it’s not explicitly stated he probably went there with hopes of getting some type of compensation from the court he’d served for for so long but unfortunately for him he went at exactly the wrong time at just this time London experienced serious religious and political unrest conspiracy theories claiming the Catholics wanted to end the King’s life spread through the place
like wildfire as a result Authority started targeting these Church communities in an attempt to protect the king now guess what religion Hudson staunchly ascribed to upon his arrival in love Lon authorities locked Hudson up charging him for being Roman [Music] Catholic he couldn’t catch a break it didn’t take another couple of decades for him to get his freedom this time but at this age it turned out he didn’t have any years to [Music] waste after about 4 years authorities finally released Hudson back into society there’s very little recorded about the final years of his life but by that time he he’d likely be in his 60s and possibly dealing with a number of health issues before he passed however he seemingly got one more reminder of His Glory
Days the last known written record of anything related to Hudson comes in the form of a payment sometime in 1681 King Charles I second sent him some type of compensation it’s not clear whether this equated to the pension Hudson went to London for in the first place but he did get something for all this trouble even so in the end it didn’t seem like it was [Music] enough despite his many years of service to the Queen’s court and his Valiant efforts during the unrest in the Kingdom Hudson passed like a common popper there’s no record of where he died or how or even where he’s buried all things considered it certainly seems like he Des deserved [Music] more but luckily for him his legacy prevailed in different ways during his time in the Queen’s
Court artists of many types used Hudson as inspiration the court painter created a well-known portrait featuring The Queen Hudson and her pet monkey writers also created poems and stories starring him though they often poked fun at his size however other ways of remembering him are much less reverent reportedly several pubs in England still pay omage to Hudson under the name the dwarf and the giant they supposedly pay homage to Hudson and his tall best friend Evans from the Queen’s Court while amusing though I can’t help but think he might have preferred an actual honor during his lifetime but even now he’s not totally forgotten in the the early 2020s a pair of pants he wore while entertaining the court went to auction a collector wanted this little
real life piece of the past so much that they bid almost £10,000 in the end Hudson did see his final years in squalor but at least his roller coaster of a life remains one of history’s most fascinating stories if you enjoyed this video please consider giving us a thumbs up and subscribing to the channel for more more great videos
