Jeffrey Hudson was a little man who found himself thrust into the spotlight in Queen Henrietta's court in the 17th century. From there, his life got truly interesting.

The best way to tell the story of Jeffrey Hudson, believe it or not, is by starting at the end and working back toward the beginning. The story is remarkable either way, but with a surprise ending it is even more so.

Beginning at the End

Jeffrey Hudson died somewhere around 1682, at an age of roughly 63 years. Considering his remarkable earlier life (which will be discussed shortly), it is a wonder that the exact date and location of his death is unknown. It is also a wonder he lived as long as he did.

Still, his death is a pity, really.

Jeffrey Hudson lived four out of the last five years of his life as a prisoner of the British in London for no other reason than for being a Roman Catholic (this was during a time in post Civil-War Britain when anti-Catholicism was at its fiercest).

This relatively short imprisonment probably didn't seem like all that much to Hudson, who had only a few years previously finally been released from slavery in Tunisia, where he had been for more than twenty-five years forced into servitude after having been captured by Barbary Pirates in late 1644. Not much is known of these last forty years of Hudson's life, other than the fact that he was imprisoned twice. This lack of information is rather odd, for so much of his life prior to this is well-recorded. In fact, judging from his first twenty five years on this Earth, these last forty seem remarkably out of place.

In the Queen’s Court

Prior to his capture by the Tunisian pirates, Jeffrey Hudson had just left the court of Queen Henrietta Maria of England (with whom he had been quite close nearly his entire life, and in whose court he had been raised) after having killed a prominent English man in a duel (which, to add a dramatic flair, was performed on horseback, with pistols; Jeffrey had shot his opponent clean through the head with quite precise aim). He had thusly been forced out of the court, and into the arms of the waiting pirates, in disgrace.

Only a few years prior to his dismissal, with the coming of the English Civil War in 1642, Hudson had fled to the Netherlands with the Queen in hopes of raising money to help aid the cause of the King's side in the war against the forces of the Parliament.

When Hudson and the Queen finally returned, they found the war to have accelerated quite abruptly. Queen Henrietta named Jeffrey (whom she trusted greatly) to be Captain of Cavalry of the forces of the King. Under this title, which Hudson took as being quite an honor, it is not entirely clear what duties Hudson performed. He may have commanded troops into battle, and he may have gone into battle himself on horseback, but historians simply are not entirely sure. This was clearly, however, the high point in his career.

Childhood

Prior to the Civil War, Jeffrey Hudson had been raised in the Queen's household, given the finest education and, even as a boy, and was very well known for his good humor and his wit.

The earliest recorded mention of Jeffrey Hudson was as a boy of only 7 (having been taken in by a different lady of royalty – the Duchess of Buckingham – only a few months earlier), was the remarkable story of when he was presented by the Duchess to Queen Henrietta and King Charles. At the end of the great feast, a giant pie was served to the King and Queen, out of which popped little Jeffrey Hudson, dressed up in a miniature suit of armor, much to the delight of the Queen, who decided simply to keep him. Apparently, queens are allowed to do that.

The Twist at the Beginning of the Story

And what was it that was so remarkable about the boy that made even a Queen fall for him so? He surely had an interesting life after this point, as you have already seen, but what was so special about him as a child of just seven years?

Therein is where the true greatness of this story shines through.

For Jeffrey Hudson, believe it or not, stood no more than 18 inches tall. Even for a dwarf he was tiny, though very well proportioned, as if just a tiny little man, which is probably what the queen found so adorable about him.

During these first years at the Queen's side, she showed off her cute little dwarf to everyone she possible could, so proud of him was she. He was merely a curiosity to many, though his life would prove that he certainly had at least some talent.

Now, perhaps it is a good idea to read this account of the life of Jeffrey Hudson one more time, this time with the knowledge that throughout this entire time he never stood more than 18 or 19 inches (until a sudden growth spurt quite late in life stretched him to almost three feet).

One would be hard pressed to find a more remarkable story in history.

References:

“Jeffrey Hudson: Lord Minimus.” The Human Marvels.

“Jeffrey Hudson the Dwarf.” The New York Times. December 14, 1884.