Better a Begger Women and Single, Than Married and a Queen

When Elizabeth Tudor became Queen of England, she inherited a country that was badly in debt and in the middle of a religious civil war. By the time of her death in 1603, Elizabeth had united England under one church and left her country with an overflowing treasury. Queen Elizabeth ruled England by herself, with only a small council of trusted men to second her decisions. Throughout her reign, the Queen endured constant questioning about courtships and possible marriages, to which she responded, “I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England. Queen Elizabeth I didn’t marry because of a psychological distrust in men and because she wanted to protect her country from other monarchs.

Queen Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533. Although her mother, Anne Boleyn, was ecstatic about her arrival, Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, had a different opinion. “Henry had wanted a son and heir to succeed him since he already had a daughter, Mary, by his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. He divorced Katherine to marry Anne, and changed the religion from Catholic to Protestant to allow divorce. To have another daughter was a huge disappointment.”(Birth of Queen Elizabeth I) Henry gave his second wife one last chance to produce a male heir, but after Anne had a still birth and a miscarriage Henry lost all hope. The King falsely accused Boleyn of witchcraft and adultery, sentencing her to the Tower of London, where she awaited trial. The King’s council found Anne guilty of all charges by and sentenced her to death by beheading. On the day of Anne Boleyn’s death, three year old Elizabeth became an illegitimate child and had most of her royal privileges taken away. “Her father remarried two weeks later to Jane Seymour, who did produce an heir. However, Jane died a few days after giving birth to Henry's longed for son, Prince Edward.”(Birth of Queen Elizabeth I) After Jane Seymour, Henry married three more times. Henry’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, suffered the same fate as her cousin, Anne Boleyn, and was sentenced to death while Henry’s sixth wife Katherine Parr barely escaped the chopping block. The death of Katherine Howard greatly affected Elizabeth. At eight years old, the future Queen of England finally understood how powerful her father was and how quickly he could be angered. “At thirteen years old, Elizabeth had lost her mother and had had four stepmothers, three of whom had died. It is not surprising that these combined events impressed in her a certain fear of what happened to women who married.”(Childhood of Elizabeth I)

After the death of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth Tudor went to live with Henry’s sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr while Elizabeth’s brother, Edward, took the throne as the new king of England. Shortly after Henry’s death, Katherine Parr married Admiral Thomas Seymour, uncle of the newly crowned king. At first, Elizabeth enjoyed her new home and family, but things quickly became troublesome. “The Admiral took an unhealthy interest in his new step-daughter, who had just turned fourteen. He was charismatic and charming, and it is possible that Elizabeth developed a teenage crush on him. But whatever her adolescent feelings for him may have been, Seymour took advantage of them, and began to visit Elizabeth's bedchamber early in the mornings to romp in the bed with her.”(The Troubled Teens) Elizabeth was very uncomfortable with the situation and tried to avoid Seymour as much as possible. “In the spring 1548, Katherine Parr discovered Elizabeth and the Admiral in an embrace. Parr had no choice but to send Elizabeth away. (Teenage Scandal of Queen Elizabeth I) Thomas did not stop after that. Shortly after Katherine Parr died, due to complications of child birth, Thomas Seymour asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage, with the plan of overthrowing the eleven year old King Edward. Elizabeth refused. People quickly found out about Seymour’s plan and started to investigate. “The details of Seymour’s former behavior towards Elizabeth emerged during an interview with Elizabeth’s nurse, Katherine Ashley. For the King’s Council this was the last straw. The Council arrested Thomas Seymour for treason and sentenced him to death.”(The Troubled Teens) When Elizabeth found out about Seymour’s death sentence, she proclaimed, "Today died a man of much wit, and very little judgment." The Seymour scandal changed the way Elizabeth acted in public. “To try and recapture her virginal image, Elizabeth dressed as the perfect Protestant lady, only wearing plain dresses and refusing to wear makeup or jewelry.”(The Troubled Teens) Elizabeth’s emotional involvement with Thomas Seymour may not have gone very deep; nevertheless, it had been a frightening and deeply shocking experience, which Elizabeth faced with great courage. How much psychological damage can only be guessed, but it definitely taught the future queen how cautious she had to be with men. (Plowden 41)

In 1558, Elizabeth became Queen of England after the unexpected deaths of both her brother, Edward, and her sister, Mary. The last of the Tudor line, Elizabeth was expected to marry and produce an heir. “Elizabeth courted close to twenty men over her forty four year reign, but none of these courtships came close to marriage.”(Plowden) Elizabeth, an extremely intelligent woman, knew the dangers of marrying. If Elizabeth married she would not be the ruler of England. Instead, her husband would have had absolute power, possibly changing all of the policies that had ended the Protestant/Catholic wars. However, Elizabeth used her unmarried status as a way of creating alliances. “When it seemed that England was losing friends, or in times when England needed friends, all Elizabeth had to do was suggest marriage to the respective countries, and regardless of whether she intended to marry or not, the prospect of marriage to the English Queen was too big a bait to resist, and Elizabeth could be assured of their support for the foreseeable future.”(Marriage & Succession) If Elizabeth had married, she would not have had this powerful tool, which helped keep England out of many wars.

By not marrying, Elizabeth proved that a woman could rule England and make important political decisions without a man by her side. Elizabeth once claimed “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.” Elizabeth became the first monarch to have an era named after her, which today is known as the Elizabethan Era, a golden age that flourished with art, music and scientific discoveries. It is also remembered as the Age of Exploration. Elizabeth appointed explorer Walter Raleigh to find the New World, and bring back its many treasures. Thanks to Elizabeth’s policy, Raleigh claimed the land he found and named it “Virginia” after the Virgin Queen. (The Age of Exploration) Even with all her triumphs, it still cannot be forgotten that Elizabeth didn’t produce an heir. Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor dynasty and upon her death, Elizabeth’s cousin, King James of Scotland, succeeded the English thrown. James kept most of his cousin’s policies in place and became a very popular leader. However, James’ son, Charles, wasn’t as popular and set up policies that later caused the English Civil War and the Irish Rebellions.”

Ultimately, Elizabeth I didn’t marry because of childhood experiences with men and because she cared about her country’s well being more than she cared about keeping the Tudor name alive. Watching her father throw away four wives, and being sexually harassed by her stepfather turned Elizabeth off to marriage, but The Queen had other reasons to not engage in matrimony. She was the Virgin Queen, but the people of England were her children. Queen Elizabeth’s unmarried status made her a legend and she will be forever known as “a queen having lived, reigned and died a virgin.”(Quotes: Queen Elizabeth I)

Sources

1. The Age of Exploration (ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 14 Nov. 2010)
2. Birth of Queen Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Web. 14 Nov. 2010)
3. Childhood of Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Web. 14 Nov. 2010)
4. The Childhood of Queen Elizabeth I (ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 12 Nov. 2010)
5. Marriage & Succession (Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Web. 12 Nov. 2010)
6. Quotes: Queen Elizabeth I (Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Web. 14 Nov. 2010)
7. Teenage Scandal of Queen Elizabeth I (ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 12 Nov. 2010)
8. The Troubled Teens (Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). Web. 12 Nov. 2010)
9. Plowden, Alison. Marriage with My Kingdom: the Courtships of Elizabeth I. New York: Stein and Day, 1977. Print.
10. Plowden, Alison. "The Noblest Man Unmarried in This Land." Marriage with My Kingdom: the Courtships of Elizabeth I. New York: Stein and Day, 1977. 41. Print.