Lord Minimus - the Queen's extraordinary companion at Charles I's court
Lord Minimus was the name given to a court dwarf, adopted by English queen Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of Charles I. Later ennobled, Sir Jeffrey Hudson (1619 –circa 1682) was considered one of the 'wonders of the age' because of his extreme but well-proportioned smallness.
After his fame at court, Hudson fought with the Royalists in the English Civil War and fled with the Queen to France but was expelled from her court when he killed a man in a duel. He was captured by Barbary pirates and spent 25 years as a slave in North Africa before being ransomed back to England.
Hudson was baptised in Oakham in Rutland in June 1619. His parents, three brothers, and a half-sister were all of typical size. Hudson's father John was keeper of the baiting bulls for George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Hudson's unusual smallness and normal proportions became apparent in early childhood. Various theories existed for his size, including that his mother choked on a gherkin while pregnant, but he probably suffered from a growth hormone deficiency caused by a pituitary gland disorder.
In 1626, Jeffrey Hudson was presented to the Duchess of Buckingham as a "rarity of nature" and she invited him to join the household. A few months later, the Duke and Duchess entertained King Charles I and his young French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, in London. The climax of the lavish banquet was the presentation of Jeffrey to the Queen, served in a large pie. When the pie was placed in front of the Queen, Hudson arose from the crust, 18 inches (460 millimetres) tall and dressed in a miniature suit of armour. The Queen was delighted and the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham offered Hudson to her as an amusing gift.
Hudson moved into Denmark House in London in late 1626, where the Queen maintained her royal household, with its many French attendants and Catholic priests. He was one of several natural curiosities and pets, among whom were a giant Welsh porter named William Evans, two disproportionate dwarves, and a monkey called Pug. He later developed a routine with Evans in which the porter pulled Hudson out of his pocket along with a loaf of bread, and proceeded to make a sandwich. As he grew up in years, if not in inches, Hudson learned to amuse and entertain with his wit and courtly behaviour as well as his appearance.
Dwarves were not rare in the courts of Europe but Hudson's fine proportions and tiny size made him uniquely famous. His size was repeatedly described as 18 or 19 inches and he is reported to have grown little between 7 and 30 years of age. He was often cast in picturesque roles in the elaborate costumed masques which were staged by Inigo Jones for the amusement of the court.
The court tailor Gilbert Morrett made special exotic clothes for Hudson. The Queen's tailor George Gillin made clothes for the female dwarf Sarah, or "little Sara". Hudson and Sarah were dressed with the same fabrics as Henrietta Maria's own children.
Hudson was educated in the Queen's household and learned the manners of the court, and brought up in the Roman Catholic Church. He learned to ride a horse and shoot a pistol, and was celebrated in a variety of poems, narratives and paintings of the day including one with the Queen by Anthony van Dyck (pictured).
Little is known of his 25 years as a captured slave, and on his eventual return to the UK, he was not much feted as before. His death was not recorded and he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.
Further reading
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