David Rizzio ( ; ; – 9 March 1566) or Riccio ( , ) was an Italian courtier and the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, is said to have been jealous of their friendship because of rumours that Rizzio had impregnated Mary,; and he joined in a conspiracy of Protestant nobles to murder Rizzio, led by Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven. Mary was having dinner with Rizzio and a few ladies-in-waiting when Darnley joined them, accused his wife of adultery and then had a group murder Rizzio,Mary, Queen of Scots, by Antonia Fraser, 1969 who was hiding behind Mary. Mary was held at gunpoint and Rizzio was stabbed numerous times. His body took 57 dagger wounds. The murder was the catalyst of Darnley's downfall, and had serious consequences for Mary's subsequent reign.Michael Questier, Dynastic Politics and the British Reformations, 1558-1630 (Oxford, 2019), p. 58.
Career Rizzio was born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts of San Paolo e Solbrito.
Rizzio (whose name appears in Italian records as Davide Riccio di Pancalieri in Piemonte) went first from Turin to the Court of the Duke of Savoy, then at Nice. However, finding no opportunities for advancement there, he found means in 1561 to get himself admitted into the train of Carlo Ubertino Solaro, Count of Moretta, who was about to lead an embassy to Scotland.Alexandre Labanoff, Lettres de Marie Stuart, 7 (London, 1844), p. 65: John Parker Lawson, History of Scotland by Robert Keith, 2 (Edinburgh, 1845), pp. 125–6Alexandre Teulet, Papiers d'État Relatifs à l'Histoire de l'Écosse, 2 (Paris: Plon, Bannatyne Club, 1852), p. 50. This occurred thanks to his connections with Gerolamo della Rovere and Jean Morel— the latter being the recipient of the only extant letter written by him.Antonio Antico, "Nota sul rinvenimento di una lettera di Davide Riccio (1533–1566), piemontese e segretario di Maria Stuart", in Centri Studi Piemontesi, LIII:2 (2024), pp. 525–532. The Count in Scotland had no employment for Rizzio and dismissed him. Rizzio however, had made friends with the Queen's musicians, who had come with her from France. James Melville, a friend of Rizzio, said that "Her Majesty had three valets in her chamber, who sung three parts, and wanted a bass to sing the fourth part".
Rizzio and Mary's musicians were employed as valets of her chamber and the royal accounts also call Rizzio her "chamber child". Other valets who were musicians include Adrian Lefeau, John Adesoun (who played the lute), and James Lauder. Mary bought matching clothes for three lute players in February 1562.Gordon Donaldson, Accounts of the Thirds of Benefices (Edinburgh: SHS, 1949), pp. 100–102, James Balfour Paul, Accounts of the Treasurer, 11 (Edinburgh, 1916), pp. 108–109, 158, 217. One of the "sangstaris" was called Missall.Alma Calderwood, Buik of the Kirk of the Canagait (SRS: Edinburgh, 1961), p. 35.
Secretary Rizzio was considered a good musician and excellent singer, which brought him to the attention of the cosmopolitan young queen. Towards the end of 1564, having grown wealthy under her patronage, Rizzio became the queen's secretary for relations with France, replacing Augustine Raullet.Antonia Fraser, Mary Queen of Scots (Phoenix Press, 2002), p. 294. John Lesley wrote that Rizzio was "a very able man of business" employed to write the Queen's "private letters in French, Italian, and Latin".William Forbes-Leith, Narratives of Scottish Catholics under Mary Stuart and James VI (London: Baker, 1889), pp. 93–94. Rizzio was ambitious, controlling access to the queen and seeing himself as almost a Secretary of State. Other courtiers felt that as a Catholic and a foreigner he was too close to the queen.Alexandre Teulet, Papiers d'état, vol. 2 (Paris, 1851), p. 50
Relationship with Darnley and with Mary Rizzio became an ally of Lord Darnley and helped with plans for his marriage to Mary.Thomas Thomson, Memoirs of his own Life by Sir James Melville (Edinburgh, 1827), pp. 134, 136. George Buchanan described Rizzio gaining Darnley's favour. As their familiarity grew, Rizzio was admitted to Darnley's chamber, bed, and secret confidence.James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), p. 467History of Scotland by George Buchanan (London: Edward Jones, 1690), p. 172.George Buchanan, Rerum Scoticarum historia (Edinburgh: John Paton, 1727), p. 528, "ut lectum, cubiculum, secretosque sermones". David Calderwood later wrote that Rizzio had "insinuated himself in the favours of Lord Darnley so far, that they would lie some times in one bed together".David Calderwood, History of the Kirk of Scotland, 2 (Edinburgh, 1844), p. 286
George Buchanan wrote about events and plots in June 1565 before the royal wedding. He claims that Mary summoned her brother, the Earl of Moray, to meet her at Perth. There, the conspirators planned to escalate a quarrel between Moray and Darnley. Then, Rizzio would strike the first blow and others would ensure Moray was killed.James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), pp. 468–69.John Parker Lawson, History of the affairs of Church and State in Scotland by Robert Keith, 2 (Edinburgh, 1845), pp. 300–301. Thomas Randolph described this plan differently, and his version does not involve Rizzio. However, Moray did not come to Perth, but stayed at Lochleven Castle. Rumours followed that Moray and the Earl of Argyll planned to kidnap Mary and Darnley as they passed by Kinross.Robert Keith, History of the affairs of church and state in Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1844), pp. 300, 309–311David Hay Fleming, Mary Queen of Scots (London, 1897), 109, 354.Aeneas James George Mackay, Historie and cronicles of Scotland, 2 (Edinburgh: STS, 1899), p. 182
Before the wedding of Mary and Darnley, Rizzio was with the couple when they walked in disguise or masque costume on Edinburgh's High Street.Joseph Stevenson, Selections from unpublished manuscripts illustrating the reign of Mary Queen of Scotland, pp. 119–120. After the marriage in July 1565, rumours became rife that Mary was having an adulterous affair with Rizzio.Robert Stedall, The Challenge to the Crown: The Struggle for Influence in the Reign of Mary Queen of Scots (Book Guild Publishing, 2012), p. 191. It was said (in 1568) that Mary and Darnley's love decayed after they returned from the campaign against Moray's rebellion, known as the Chaseabout Raid, when Mary was "using the said David more like a lover than a servant, forsaking her husband's bed".Thomas Finlayson Henderson, Mary, Queen of Scots: Her Environment and Tragedy, 2 (New York, 1905), p. 654, modernised here According to the report of a French diplomat, Paul de Foix, Darnley discovered Rizzio in the closet of Mary's bedchamber at Holyrood house in the middle of the night dressed only in a fur gown over his shirt.Alexander Teulet, Relations Politiques, 2 (Paris, 1862), p. 267Alison Weir, Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley (Jonathan Cape, 2003), p. 88. George Buchanan included a similar story in his History, that Darnley had a key to a secondary door to Mary's bedchamber, but found it locked or barred against him. Thereafter, he resolved to be revenged on Rizzio.James Aikman, History of Scotland by George Buchanan, 2 (Glasgow, 1827), p. 478: Ane Cronickill of the Kingis of Scotland (Edinburgh: Bannatyne Club, 1830), p. 103.
Following Darnley's murder, Lord Ruthven, in the account known as Ruthven's Relation, revealed that Darnley had described the circumstances of his jealousy to Mary. This account also focusses on Rizzio's presence in Mary's bedchamber:Since yon fellow Davie fell in credit and familiarity with your Majesty, you regarded me not, neither treated me nor entertained me after your wonted fashion; for every day before dinner, you would come to my chamber and pass time with me, and thus long time ye have not done done so; and when I come to your Majesty's chamber, you bear me little company, except Davie had been the third "marrow" [companion]: and after supper your Majesty hath a use to sit at cards with the said Davie till one or two of the clock after midnight; and this is the entertainment that I have had of you this long time.David Hay Fleming, Mary Queen of Scots (London, 1897), 384 fn.41 quoting Ruthven's Relation (London, 1699), p. 30 British Library Cotton Caligula B.IX (2) f.270.
The chronicle account, the Historie of James the Sext, tells the story in a different way, asserting that Mary's secretary, William Maitland of Lethington, was jealous of Rizzio's increasing power. Maitland made Darnley jealous of Rizzio, hoping that the naive king-consort would destroy his rival.Historie of KIng James the Sext (Edinburgh, 1825), 4
Wealth, possessions and costume His annual salary for the post of valet was 150 Francs or £75 Scots.Gordon Donaldson, Thirds of Benefices (Edinburgh, 1949), p. 155: William Barclay Turnbull, Letters of Mary Stuart (London, 1845), p. xxxvi. The sum was paid from the "Thirds of Benefices" as were some other household expenses, and not through the treasurer's accounts.John Parker Lawson, History of Scotland by Robert Keith, 3 (Edinburgh: Spottiswoode Society, 1845), p. 385A. Francis Steuart, Seigneur Davie; a sketch life of David Riccio (London: Sands, 1922), p. 40. In 1565, Rizzio received £80 Scots in four installments paid by George Wishart of Drymme,Gordon Donaldson, Scotland's History: Approaches and Reflections (Scottish Academic Press, 1995), p. 63: Charles Rogers, History of the Chapel Royal of Scotland (London, 1882), p. lxiv: Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, vol. 19 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 338.Michael Pearce, "Account of George Wishart of Drymme", Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, 17 (Edinburgh: SHS, 2025), pp. 1, 25–26, 28–29. and he was paid £80 as his pension in 1566.George Powell McNeill, Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, vol. 19 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 338.
Mary gave him gifts of rich fabric from her wardrobe, including black velvet figured with gold and five pieces of gold cloth figured with scales.Clare Hunter, Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power (London: Sceptre, 2022), pp. 157-8: Joseph Robertson, Inventaires de la Royne Descosse (Edinburgh, 1863), pp. 155, 159, 161: Thomas Thomson, Collection of Inventories (Edinburgh, 1815), pp. 147 item 118, 149 item 146. It was said that Rizzio took bribes. William Douglas of Lochleven wrote that he offered Rizzio £5,000 to prevent the forfeit of the Earl of Moray, but Rizzio refused, saying he would not act for £20,000.Margaret Sanderson, Mary Stewart's People (James Thin, 1987), p. 57: David Hay Fleming, Mary Queen of Scots (London, 1897), p. 382. Rizzio's involvement with pardons for the Chaseabout rebels sparked Darnley's envy.Thomas Finlayson Henderson, Mary, Queen of Scots: Her Environment and Tragedy, 2 (New York, 1905), p. 654
According to a letter of Thomas Randolph, Rizzio took part in a costumed masque in February 1566 to celebrate the arrival of Nicolas d'Angennes, seigneur de Rambouillet, who brought the Order of Saint Michael for Darnley.A Narrative of the Minority of Mary Queen of Scots by James Maitland (Ipswich, 1842): W. Park, 'Letter of Thomas Randolph to the Earl of Leicester, 14 February 1566', Scottish Historical Review, 34:118 Part 2 (October 1955), pp. 135-139 at 138: National Library of Scotland MS 3657.