Why England's Virgin Queen Elizabeth I never got married: 13 very good reasons

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

From an early age, she had incredible willpower and a strong character. Her intelligence and stubbornness made her one of the most influential and desirable women in history. She managed to make the parliament dance to its tune and become everyone's favorite. But despite the power and the throne, Elizabeth I never married, forever remaining a virgin queen. What was the reason for this - further in the article.

1. At the age of 8, she announced that she would never marry

Needless to say, Elizabeth's father Henry VIII was married six times. As a child, the girl witnessed the far from rosy consequences of these unions: Jane Seymour died in childbirth, Anna Klevskaya divorced, and Catherine Howard was executed.

Apparently, it was Catherine's beheading that made a deep, disturbing impression on Elizabeth. This prompted the eight-year-old princess to vow that she would never marry.

2. Her stepmother's husband behaved ambiguously

When King Henry VIII passed away, his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, took over the custody of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth. Soon, Catherine married Thomas Seymour, who then turned his attention to his wife's stepdaughter. There were rumors of Thomas' predatory interest in the princess, prompting Elizabeth's governess to testify:

Ekaterina Parr, having learned about her husband's inclinations, immediately reacted, establishing a distance between her stepdaughter and her new husband. But when Catherine died in 1548, nothing stood between Thomas and Elizabeth. He plotted to make the princess his wife and take power from her half-brother, King Edward VI. However, Seymour's plan failed and he was arrested and executed before he could corner Elizabeth and force her to marry.

3. She turned down fans

Fans have sought Elizabeth's hand for most of her life. When she was still a child, her father already then decided to marry her off to the French Duke of Angoulême, but in the end he refused.

As the young Queen of England, Elizabeth became one of the most eligible brides in Europe. She accepted offers from both courtiers and members of the royal family, although she never entered into a formal engagement. When King Eric of Sweden wanted to try his luck, Elizabeth gently but firmly refused him, offering friendship.

4. Sister's marriage as a good example

Elizabeth's elder half-sister Mary became Queen of England in 1553. Mary revived Catholicism in England and, to seal the deal, took on a Catholic husband, Philip of Spain.

This marriage was unpopular in England. Many Protestants feared that Mary's marriage to Philip would irrevocably alter the country's religious landscape. Xenophobia in Tudor England was also alive and well, and many also believed that Philip would exert what historian Alison Weir calls "unwanted foreign influence" on the kingdom. Fears of Philip's influence were so strong that they actually led to rebellion. Maria's marriage was an instructive story for her younger sister, who once again became convinced that marriages do not bring, in fact, any benefit, but only sow discord.

5. No Catholic husband

When Elizabeth ascended the throne, she headed a kingdom that was divided between Catholics and Protestants. Her father made England Protestant, but her older half-sister Mary brought her back to Catholicism. As a defender of Protestantism, Elizabeth did not want to risk accepting a Catholic husband, as it would be unpopular and would bring too much political uncertainty.

Nevertheless, Elizabeth and her ministers considered numerous proposals for marriage from Catholic suitors such as the Duke of Alencon and Archduke Charles of Austria. Her widowed brother-in-law Philip of Spain even tried to court Elizabeth.

6. Marriage with an Englishman would bring unnecessary problems

Some of Elizabeth's potential suitors came from the aristocracy of the kingdom. Chief among them was Robert Dudley, the first Earl of Leicester, to whom she was deeply attached. Choosing a husband from the English aristocracy risked factionalism at court, as it would elevate one family over others.

Elizabeth learned this lesson as a child. Her father Henry VIII took at least four wives from landowning families in England: Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr and Anne Boleyn (Elizabeth's mother). With each new marriage, other court families were divided and rebuilt in order to seek favor and undermine each other.

7. Throne and no husband

Elizabeth's claim to the throne was not iron-clad. Eventually, Henry VIII declared her illegitimate in 1536 before being reintroduced into the family. The marriage may have further diminished Elizabeth's independence. As the daughter of King Henry VIII, by getting married, she probably would have lost some power, and she did not want to. In an effort to maintain sole power over her throne, Elizabeth remained lonely throughout her life.

8. Marriage is a bad thing

It is possible that her father's tumultuous amorous life forced Elizabeth to focus on the dangers, and not on the pleasures of married life. Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, has also demonstrated that marriage is a bad thing. Two of the three husbands of Mary now and then irritated the aristocracy, and the third husband, Lord Boswell, did help speed up the death of Mary.

9. Diplomacy and Empty Promises

However, Elizabeth quickly realized that the prospect of marriage was far more seductive than the irrevocable step towards actually tying the knot. Therefore, she agreed to meet with potential spouses and mentioned the possibility of marriage in front of them.

Participation in marriage negotiations allowed Elizabeth and her ministers to open diplomatic channels with other kingdoms. The possibility of marrying Elizabeth also encouraged foreign leaders to act tactfully rather than aggressively in their policies towards England.

10. She ignored parliament and more

Despite the fact that Elizabeth decided not to marry, parliament simply did not understand this. Before her lay numerous petitions in which she was begged to find a husband. But Elizabeth each time brushed them aside, considering marriage a waste of time.

11. Motherhood could have been a threat to her

One of the most important duties of a monarch is to produce heirs, as children continue in an unbroken line of succession. But Elizabeth had a different opinion on this matter. Instead of giving birth to children, she considered her subjects children, declaring this publicly:.

12. Joker

Elizabeth proudly accepted her loner status and used it to rebrand herself in biblical, mythological terms. She created herself the image of the "Virgin Queen".

According to Joanna McGeary, Elizabeth deliberately used this image to create her own personality cult and to impress more than just her subjects. The Virgin Queen also liked to joke that she was actually a married woman. Once she told parliament that she had been married to the kingdom of England a long time ago and they, alas, could not object to her. Positioning herself as the bride of her kingdom, Elizabeth has invented a symbolic role for herself that transcends earthly marriage.

13. Fans and boyfriends

The fact that Elizabeth remained unmarried does not mean that she did not have romantic feelings. In fact, she had a whole string of favorites or courtiers such as Robert Dudley, Robert Devereux and Sir Walter Raleigh, with whom she flirted, gave out privileges and expected loyalty.

This relationship had a political function: it established a bond between the queen and men at court outside of monogamous marriage. Thus, the wise Elizabeth used flirting as a powerful political weapon, which more than once played into her hands.

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