Roderigo Lopez
Roderigo (or Rodrigo) Lopez (c. 1517 – 7 June 1594), was a Portuguese physician who served Queen Elizabeth I from 1581 until he was executed on charges of plotting to poison her. A converso resident of Coimbra in Catholic Portugual, he studied medicine at its university until the Portuguese Inquisition accused him of secretly practicing Judaism, which prompted him to leave for London, England and convert again to Anglicanism.[1] In 1562, Lopez was appointed to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where he eventually became the Queen's chief physician.[2] However, in January 1594, Elizabeth's favourite Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex[1] accused Lopez of attempting to poison her and ordered his arrest.[2]
Although Elizabeth delayed sighing his death warrant for three months, suggesting that she may have doubted the quality of evidence against him, he was eventually found guilty in February[1] and sentenced to being hanged, drawn and quartered in June. The scandal, combined with Lopez's Jewish origins, reignited a trend of Jewish villains in theatre, with notable examples including the merchant Barabas in Christopher Marlowe's 1589 play The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta and the moneylender Shylock in William Shakespeare's 1590s play The Merchant of Venice.[2]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned in Database entry only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Roderigo Lopes on Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: St. Bartholomew's Hospital