Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe, a renowned Elizabethan playwright and suspected spy, was killed at just 29 years old in a Deptford tavern under suspicious circumstances. Official records claim a quarrel over a bill led to his death, but centuries of theories suggest assassination, espionage, or even a faked death.

Key details:
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Victims: Christopher Marlowe (29)​
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Perpetrators: Ingram Frizer (officially)​
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Date of Murder: May 30, 1593.
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Location: Eleanor Bull's Tavern, Deptford
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Key Facts:
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Christopher Marlowe was a leading figure in Elizabethan drama, known for plays like Dr Faustus and Tamburlaine the Great.
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His life was controversial, marked by accusations of atheism, blasphemy, and rumours of espionage.
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Marlowe was killed by a single dagger wound above the right eye.
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The coroner’s inquest stated that Marlowe died during a quarrel over "The Reckoning" (the bill).
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Ingram Frizer claimed self-defence and was quickly pardoned.
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Theories and speculations included
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Political assassination - Marlowe’s intelligence work and heretical views made him a threat to powerful figures. Theories suggest Robert Poley, a known spy, orchestrated the murder.​
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Revenge for heresy - Marlowe’s alleged atheism and blasphemous statements (detailed in the Baines Note) could have incited retaliation.
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Espionage gone wrong - All three men present at the tavern—Frizer, Poley, and Nicholas Skeres—had ties to Elizabethan intelligence.
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Cover-up - The swift resolution and lack of further investigation suggest a deliberate suppression of details.
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Faked death - Some believe Marlowe staged his death to escape charges of heresy and continued writing under the pseudonym William Shakespeare.
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The tavern, owned by Eleanor Bull, was a known meeting place for individuals engaged in covert activities.
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The Baines Note, submitted shortly before Marlowe’s death, accused him of scandalous statements against Christianity and societal norms.
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Marlowe’s death remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of literary history.
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His work profoundly influenced contemporaries, including Shakespeare, and his death has inspired endless theories, from assassination to literary conspiracies.