Not Just the Tudors – "Tudor True Crime: Murder of Christopher Marlowe"

Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
Guest: Charles Nicholl (author of The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe)
Release Date: August 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the notorious, enigmatic death of Christopher Marlowe—the brilliant Elizabethan playwright—who was killed in Deptford on May 30, 1593. Host Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by literary historian Charles Nicholl, whose decades of research shed light on the shadowy events surrounding Marlowe’s murder. Together, they interrogate the official version, dig into spy networks, and examine the web of conspiracy, intrigue, and government secrecy that still surrounds Marlowe’s fate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scene of the Crime and its Mythology

• The widely accepted idea that Marlowe died in a tavern brawl is challenged.
  • Nicholl clarifies from the coroner’s inquest that the killing did not occur in a tavern but in a private house owned by Eleanor Bull, with only three others present (05:25).
  • "The word 'tavern' is probably inaccurate... It was something rather more private than that." – Charles Nicholl (06:07)
• The details given at the inquest—the meal, the day's conversations in the garden, the fateful return to the room—are all reconstructed, but solely from the statements of the surviving witnesses.

2. Who Were Marlowe’s Companions in the Room?

• The three men present—Ingram Frizer, Nicholas Skeres, and Robert Poley—are described as "a trio of absolute scoundrels" (10:04).
  • Ingram Frizer: Crooked businessman, servant to Marlowe’s patron Thomas Walsingham, history of fraud and extortion.
  • Nicholas Skeres: Low-level intelligence operative, involved in dirty tricks, servant to the Earl of Essex.
  • Robert Poley: Career spy, agent of Sir Robert Cecil; "A man of dangerous charm, a smooth-talking operator." (14:16)
• All were connected, not only to Marlowe, but also to the murky underbelly of Elizabethan espionage.

3. The Coroner’s Inquest and its Reliability

• Only the surviving three men’s story forms the basis of the inquest; Nicholl expresses skepticism:
  • “Three of them came out alive. Those three were the only people who actually knew what had happened.” (09:52)
• The myth of 'Francis Archer' as Marlowe’s killer results from historical misreadings. (18:00)
• A Shakespearean possible allusion: “It strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room.” (As You Like It)—possibly a reference to Marlowe’s fate (19:23).

4. Marlowe’s Life as a Spy and Dissident

• Marlowe’s espionage was real but likely at a low level; he was drawn to danger and subversive activity.
• His studies at Cambridge drew suspicion for “consorting with malcontent Catholics,” which led to his being defended by the Privy Council itself (22:20).
  • "There are reasons for him to be attractive to the security services. There are reasons for him to be attracted to the idea of spying." (22:30)
• The official 1587 Privy Council letter protected Marlowe—evidence he was of real use to the authorities.

5. The Dangerous Weeks before Marlowe’s Death

• In May 1593, Marlowe is summoned by the Privy Council as a suspect, but instead of being jailed, is released on bail and told to report daily (29:36).
  • Suspicion connects this to his death days later, possibly as part of a secretive state operation.
• Attempts to implicate Marlowe in "monstrous opinions"—atheism, blasphemy, obscenity—are fueled by informants, coerced confessions, and probable smear campaigns.
  • Notably, the infamous 'Baines Note' listed 19 heretical opinions ascribed to Marlowe, but its credibility is in question (31:39).

6. Conspiracy and Statecraft

• Evidence and informers against Marlowe (e.g., Thomas Kyd, Richard Baines, Richard Cholmley) surfaced in the weeks before his death, with some evidence obtained by torture (36:13, 44:09).
• The connections run up through the highest levels:
  • Poley (Cecil’s agent), Skeres (Essex’s man), Frizer (Walsingham), Marlowe (associated with Raleigh).
• Motives for Marlowe’s death may include eliminating a dangerous dissident and/or pressuring him to inform on patrons like Sir Walter Raleigh.
• "It was not innocence that kept a man out of jail, but influence." – Charles Nicholl (44:34)

7. The Theory: Murder, Not Accident

• Nicholl asserts the inquest story was likely a cover:
  • “The scratch marks on Frizer’s head weren’t from Marlowe jumping on him from behind in anger... but from a man struggling for his life.” (50:48)
• The consensus of higher authorities, and even his companions, may have been not to see Marlowe leave the room alive.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the elusiveness of the case:
  "The harder you look, the less you know." – Charles Nicholl (04:52)

• On the testimony reliability:
  "Three of them came out alive. Those three were the only people who actually knew what had happened. What we hear is their story told to the coroner." – Charles Nicholl (09:52)

• On the cast of characters:
  "A trio of absolute scoundrels... a quartet of scoundrels." – Charles Nicholl (10:04)

• On Marlowe’s subversive character:
  "He liked to shock, and he liked to shock people by saying things like, 'the Virgin Mary, she was just a whore.'" – Charles Nicholl (36:18)

• On the relationship of Marlowe’s fate to powerful interests:
  "It was not innocence that kept a man out of jail, but influence." – Charles Nicholl (44:34)

• On the ultimate decision:
  "No one would be very sorry if Christopher Marlowe didn’t walk out alive from that room." – Charles Nicholl (54:40)

• Nash’s pamphlet, written just after Marlowe’s murder:
  "It was but a word and a blow, and Lord have mercy, he was gone." (54:33)

Timeline of Major Segments

• 02:07 – Introduction to Marlowe’s death and its importance
• 05:11 – 09:52 – The meeting at Deptford: who was there, what happened, and what the coroner’s report claims
• 10:04 – 15:34 – Character studies of the other three men and deeper analysis of their roles
• 15:34 – 20:08 – The reliability of the coroner’s report, history of misreports and rumors
• 20:08 – 22:20 – Why Frizer did not flee, and how the men may have conspired
• 22:20 – 26:50 – Marlowe’s career as a spy, evidence of his involvement in intelligence
• 29:07 – 31:39 – Marlowe's recent arrest, bail, and the case for continued observation by the authorities
• 31:39 – 36:13 – Rumors, heresy, and the campaign against Marlowe
• 36:13 – 44:09 – Evidence preparation, interrogation, the shadow of Raleigh, and state interests
• 44:09 – 50:03 – The role of "influence," the context of Marlowe’s espionage activities, and theorization on the motive for murder
• 50:03 – 55:02 – Nicholl’s reconstruction: conspiracy, cover story, and the ultimate decision for murder

Summary for Listeners

This episode unpacks the mysterious and bloody end of Christopher Marlowe through a true-crime lens, blending literary history, espionage, and state paranoia. Far from a drunken bar fight, Marlowe’s killing emerges as an act enveloped in political conspiracy and a ruthless competition for influence and survival at the shadowy edges of Elizabethan power. Charles Nicholl—balancing deep archive work and narrative flair—paints a vivid picture of a world where playwrights are spies, evidence can be manufactured, and the official story might be the neatest kind of lie.

Recommended for:
Anyone fascinated by historical true crime, Elizabethan intrigue, Marlowe, or the origins of the modern spy thriller.

Further Reading:
Charles Nicholl, The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe

Next Episode Preview: The mysterious death of Amy Robsart Dudley—suicide, accident, or political murder?