Elizabeth Brooke, Lady Wyatt
| Elizabeth Brooke | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Elizabeth Brooke 1503 |
| Died | August 1560 (aged 56–57) |
| Resting place | Tower of London |
| Occupation | Wife of poet Sir Thomas Wyatt |
| Spouse(s) |
Sir Thomas Wyatt Sir Edward Warner |
| Children |
Sir Thomas Wyatt Edward Thomas Henry |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Brooke, 8th Baron Cobham Dorothy Heydon |
Elizabeth Brooke (1503–1560) was the wife of Thomas Wyatt, the poet, and the mother of Thomas Wyatt the younger who led Wyatt's Rebellion against Mary I. Her parents were Thomas Brooke, 8th Baron Cobham and Dorothy Heydon, the daughter of Sir Henry Heydon. She was the sister of George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham and was considered a possible candidate for the sixth wife of Henry VIII of England.
Elizabeth married twice.
In 1520, Elizabeth married Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-6 Oct 1542) and a year later, bore him a son:
Early in the marriage, marital difficulties arose, with Wyatt claiming they were 'chiefly' her fault. He repudiated her as an adulteress, although there is no record linking her with any specific man. Elizabeth separated from Thomas Wyatt in 1526 and he supported her until around 1537, when he refused to do so any longer and sent her to live with her brother, Lord Cobham. In that same year, Lord Cobham attempted to force Wyatt to continue his financial support. He refused. It wasn't until 1541, when Wyatt, accused of treason, was arrested and his properties confiscated, that the Brooke family was able to force a reconciliation as a condition for Wyatt’s pardon.
In a letter to Charles V, the imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys wrote that Wyatt had been released from the Tower at the request of Catherine Howard. Chapuys noted that the king had imposed two conditions; that Wyatt 'confess his guilt' and that 'he should take back his wife from whom he had been separated upwards of 15 years, on pain of death if he be untrue to her henceforth.' It is unclear, however, whether this provision was ever enforced. After pursuing Anne Boleyn, before her relationship with the King, Wyatt had begun a long-term affair with Elizabeth Darrell and he continued his association with his mistress.
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