David Riccio/Rizzio

David Rizzio (ca. 1533 – 1566), sometimes also called David Riccio or original Italian Davide Rizzio, was born in Piedmont, close to Turin. He was an Italian musician who became a secretary of Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots, in 1564. On March 9, 1566, he was stabbed to death by Scottish nobles in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the residence of English monarchs in Scotland. His murder was instigated by Mary Stuart’s husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, for reasons of jealousy.

Life

David Rizzio was the son of a musician, from whom he got his musical education. He began his career in the service of the archbishop of Turin, which is why he moved to Niece to work in the court of the Duke of Savoy. In the autumn of 1561, he accompanied the Duke of Savoy’s ambassador to Scotland and became employed as a musician in the service of the Queen of Scots, who looked for a bass singer to complete the quartette in her private chapel. In December 1564, Mary Stuart chose Rizzio to succeed Mary Stuart’s French secretary, Raulet, for his trustworthiness rather than for his linguistic skills. In his new position, he was responsible for the Queen's correspondence with France and the Pope. Furthermore, he helped Mary Stuart to arrange her marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, on July 1565 and remained a close adviser for the Queen after the wedding. His influence on the Queen grew, and practically, he overtook the position and power of William Maitland of Lethington as secretary of the state.

Death

Mary Stuart’s husband Lord Darnley was known to be jealous, and perhaps, he assumed that no he, but Rizzio was the father of Mary Stuart’s unborn child. So, he instigated his murder. Darnley persuaded a group of Scottish nobles that Mary was having a love affair. It is not clear if Rizzio really was her lover or rather a good friend and trusted confidant. On March 9, 1566, Rizzio had spent the evening with the pregnant Queen and some of her friends in her dining room. Darnley entered the room and hauled Mary into her bedroom, while Lord Ruthven, the 4th Earl of Morton, and other Scottish nobles entered the room and dragged Rizzio into the supper-room, stabbed him 56 times, and then threw him into a corner. After their failed attempt to get his body down the narrow stair, they pushed his body through a window to the ground.

Works Cited

"David Riccio." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 20 Jul. 1998. academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/David-Riccio/63530.
“Riccio, David.” Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, vol. 48, 1896.
“Mary, Queen of Scots at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. A Creative writing Resource for Teachers.”, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Royal Collection Trust. https://www.rct.uk/sites/default/files/Mary,%20Queen%20of%20Scots%20at%20the%20Palace%20of%20Holyroodhouse%20-%20Creative%20Writing%20Resource.pdf. Accessed 7 July 2022.