Francis Knollys

Francis Knollys was an English courtier and committed Protestant who married Catherine Carey, a cousin of Elizabeth I. The family lived in exile during Mary I’s reign and returned after Elizabeth’s accession.

Knollys served as a privy councillor, administrator and diplomat and was entrusted with the custody of Mary, Queen of Scots after her flight into England. He supported further Protestant reform and frequently pressed the queen on succession and religion.

Alison Weir’s The Boleyn Secret places Francis Knollys within the Boleyn-Carey family network through his marriage to Katherine Carey, cousin and close companion of Elizabeth I. His Protestant loyalties and later service to Elizabeth make him part of the political world created by the uncertain parentage, court connections and religious divisions that shape Katherine’s life across the reigns of Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth.