How Did Christopher Marlowe, Probable Atheist and Spy, Die?

Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, died at the age of 29
under circumstances that remain shrouded in mystery and speculation.

London — Christopher Marlowe, “also known as “Kit,” died on May 30, 1593, at the age of 29 in Deptford, England, under circumstances that remain shrouded in mystery and speculation.

According to the official coroner’s report, Marlowe was fatally stabbed above the right eye by Ingram Frizer, a businessman and occasional servant, during a meeting at a lodging house owned by widow Eleanor Bull. The incident reportedly occurred after a day of eating and drinking, involving Marlowe, Frizer, and two other men: Nicholas Skeres and Robert Poley, both known for their shady connections to espionage and underworld activities.

The coroner’s inquest, conducted by the coroner of the Queen’s Household, concluded that Frizer acted in self-defense.

The report states that an argument erupted over the “reckoning” (the bill for their meal), during which Marlowe, allegedly in a fit of rage, seized Frizer’s dagger and struck him on the head. In the ensuing struggle, Frizer redirected the weapon, stabbing Marlowe in the forehead, killing him instantly. Frizer was arrested but pardoned by Queen Elizabeth I within a month, raising questions about the incident’s true nature.

Scholars and historians have long debated the official account.

Marlowe’s death coincided with his entanglement in legal and political troubles. Days earlier, on May 18, 1593, he was summoned by the Privy Council to answer charges of atheism and heresy linked to a blasphemous manuscript found in the home of his associate, Thomas Kyd.

Released on bail, Marlowe was under scrutiny when he died. His known associations with the Elizabethan intelligence network—possibly as a spy under Sir Francis Walsingham—fuel speculation that his death was a targeted assassination, perhaps to silence him or settle a political score.

Alternative theories suggest a personal feud or a staged killing, but no definitive evidence has resolved these mysteries.

How Did Christopher Marlowe, Probable Atheist and Spy, Die? (March 9, 2025)