Mother of Elizabeth 1. How did the ruling dynasties of England change? The years of the reign of Mary I and the fate of Elizabeth

The reign of this queen is called the golden age of England. On the one hand, culture flourished (you can at least mention Shakespeare and Bacon), and on the other, the political weight of the country increased. Under Elizabeth I, the Invincible Armada was defeated, the East India Company appeared, and Drake and Reilly brought glory to the country on the seas.

But the Tudor dynasty ended with Elizabeth; the “virgin queen” did not leave any legitimate heirs. At the time of her death in 1603, Elizabeth I was already a legend. Over the next four centuries, historians and biographers have further embellished her life. The image of a stern, unsmiling woman, devoid of interest in life and entertainment, was created.

The further away that era is from us in time, the more difficult it is to verify the facts. A lot has been said about the great English queen, but some of the information is myths that have been reliably debunked. We will consider the most popular facts and misconceptions about the last representative of the ruling Tudor dynasty.

Elizabeth had problems with clothes as a child. In fact, the girl had to wear clothes that were too small for her. Her governess, Lady Brian, was forced to personally write petitions to the king to provide his own daughter with new clothes.

Elizabeth disliked her cousin, Lady Jane Grey. This is a very tragic figure who managed to be the uncrowned Queen of England for nine days, for which she paid with her life. Jane Gray was 4 years younger than Elizabeth, the girls were raised together. The popular legend about their feud has no evidence. The girls spent a lot of time at a tender age, they were united by an interest in learning.

One of Elizabeth's legendary phrases was spoken on the death of Thomas Seymour. The Queen is credited with the following words: “On this day, a man of great intelligence died, who did not know how to use it.” Thomas Seymour was a famous intriguer at the Tudor court, who even wooed Elizabeth. But his attempts to seize power through a coup failed. At the execution of the nobleman, Elizabeth supposedly uttered the famous phrase. In fact, these words were not said then; they appeared only in the 17th century, in the work of one historian.

The death of Thomas Seymour shocked Elizabeth so much that she vowed never to marry again. This is just another legend that tried to prove why the queen never got married. In the past, it was believed that marriage was the main and natural desire of a woman, so people wondered why a man with a bunch of grooms in line would refuse marriage and want to be single.

Princess Elizabeth and Robert Dudley were imprisoned within walking distance of the Tower. Indeed, in 1554, Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower, where her childhood friend Robert Dudley was also imprisoned. Both of them were there on charges of conspiracy, fashionable at that time. But Mary Tudor decided to save her sister’s life. There is a version that young people could communicate while walking in the courtyard, which formed the basis of future love. But the story about the close proximity of the cameras, opposite each other, is a myth, albeit a romantic one.

Elizabeth was afraid of mice. And indeed it is. Contemporaries recall that the queen began to scream and climbed onto the back of a chair when she saw a mouse.

Queen Elizabeth never smiled. The Queen became famous for her smile, which she considered her weapon. It seemed like she could melt anyone's heart. Elizabeth also had a good sense of humor and loved to laugh.

Queen Elizabeth had a very bad character. Queen Elizabeth became famous for her displays of anger. However, she showed it when necessary. In general, she had a good-natured character. But she could send those who acted against her to the Tower. Those courtiers who married without the queen's consent were locked up. But more often than not, her anger was not followed by action. Elizabeth earned the nickname “Ice Queen,” but she didn’t deserve it at all. Even her contemporaries noted that other monarchs were much worse when angry than British Queen. And she only got angry if there was a serious reason for it.

Queen Elizabeth regularly beat her ladies-in-waiting. There is only one documented case of the queen physically assaulting a lady-in-waiting. It went to Mary Shelton, who married without Elizabeth's permission. She was annoyed when the maids were willful on this matter. The Queen believed that the girls' parents trusted them to her so that she would personally find them a husband. And she considered such behavior as a personal betrayal. The story that the queen once hit a girl with a candlestick has not been confirmed. Elizabeth generally did not hit people, although due to her status she probably had the right to do so. One day she did hit a member of the Council, the Earl of Essex. But he greatly insulted Elizabeth, whom he hated.

Queen Elizabeth was polite and courteous. There were times when Her Majesty behaved completely unroyally. When she was angry, she used terribly foul language. And if she didn’t like the outfit of some courtier, then she could even spit on him.

Queen Elizabeth had many lovers. Fans of sensations will love such rumors; in fact, the queen actually had only one love affair. Elizabeth had tender feelings for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. She could probably even marry him in secret. They were also united by common political interests. But the relationships with Christopher Hatton, Water Raleigh and the Earl of Essex are invented by historians.

Queen Elizabeth had secret and illegitimate children. There have been stories for centuries that the Virgin Queen did have children. Some still claim that Francis Bacon and the Earl of Essex were actually her sons. But there is no reliable evidence that the queen ever gave birth. And it would be impossible to hide the pregnancy from the court. Most likely, she really was the virgin queen, as she called herself.

Queen Elizabeth always dressed magnificently, befitting her position. There is a well-known story that Elizabeth once dressed as a maid to play a trick on Robert Dudley. And on other occasions, she might well have dressed simply to go out to dinner with him secretly.

Queen Elizabeth never mentioned her mother's name. The Queen mentioned Anne Boleyn's name at least once when defending her reputation to a foreign ambassador. So “never mentioned” statements should be made with caution. The fact that it is absent from official documents does not mean that it did not happen. In 1575, the Queen made herself a ring with a painting of herself and her mother. So, in any case, Elizabeth had to mention her name when making the order.

Queen Elizabeth was bald. It is often said that at the age of 30 the queen lost her hair. In fact, there are references that report her own gray locks at age 60. She even gave her lock of hair to Philip Sidney in the 1580s. It is still kept at Wilton House, Wiltshire. And a few years before her death, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, entered the queen’s bedroom without permission and saw her “with gray hair on her ears.” And the high forehead in the portraits of Elizabeth could very likely not be a sign of lack of hair, but an exaggeration of the artists. They knew that, according to the queen, such a sign meant intelligence. Perhaps this is why Elizabeth wore wigs and cut the front of her hair to make it fit better. It is likely that the woman lost some of her hair due to the lead contained in the “mask of youth” makeup. He was present on the queen's face. But even if Elizabeth lost some of her hair, she certainly wasn’t bald.

Queen Elizabeth had a sixth finger on one hand, just like her mother. There is no evidence that Anne Boleyn had a sixth finger on her hand, so the same can be said about Elizabeth. She was an ordinary woman.

Queen Elizabeth had beautiful teeth. It's no secret that Elizabeth loved sweet foods. She tried to brush and care for her teeth, but she couldn't overcome the tooth decay. Her teeth were both yellow and black. Some foreign ambassadors noted that the queen actually had black teeth. The woman was also missing several teeth, which directly affected her speech and made some words incomprehensible.

Queen Elizabeth was afraid to have her teeth treated. They said that the woman was so afraid of dentists that one of the archbishops, as proof of the tolerance of pain during tooth extraction, demonstrated it on himself. For a long time, she herself preferred to suffer from toothache, refusing the intervention of a doctor. But in the case of the archbishop, the queen agreed to see a doctor and undergo a painful procedure only after the priest had another tooth removed. The Queen wanted to make sure that the treatment was completely safe.

Elizabeth gave nicknames to her favorite courtiers. And indeed it is. For example, she called Robert Dudley her "eyes", William Cecil was called her "spirit", Robert Cecil was her "dwarf" or "elf", Sir Christopher Hutton was her "hat", and Sir Francis Walsingham was her "Moor". And she nicknamed her potential groom Francis, Duke of Alençon, “frog.”

Shakespeare was actually Queen Elizabeth. Since in those years drama was considered a dubious undertaking for important people, it was said that Elizabeth could create under the pseudonym William Shakespeare. But this is a beautiful legend that has no evidence. Moreover, some of the famous playwright’s plays were written after Elizabeth’s death. The fourth period of his work, although not the most productive, dates back to 1609-1612. But the queen died in 1603.

Queen Elizabeth was actually a man. The idea that Elizabeth was either a man in disguise or a hermaphrodite arose from the view that a woman could not, in principle, lead a country successfully. That is why some were looking for some kind of secret. It was believed that any woman strives to get married, and since this did not happen to the queen, there must be a good reason. Bram Stoker told the story of how King Henry once went to visit his daughter, who was being brought up in Coswold. However, she died of an acute fever shortly before his visit. Then, in order not to provoke the royal wrath, a cute boy with a similar hair color was found. They dressed him up in a princess dress, deceiving him Henry VIII. The boy had to impersonate Elizabeth all his life. The following arguments are given in favor of this theory. Firstly, the queen had a secretive character, she never married or gave birth to children, she had many wigs, and she refused to communicate with doctors. But this conspiracy theory is easily debunked by completely historical facts. Elizabeth was not bald at all; eyewitnesses saw her gray hair. The woman was menstruating, as reported by bribed washerwomen. Even in old age, she loved low necklines, so that it would be illogical due to the lack of breasts. An intimate relationship with Robert Dudley denies the possibility of a male queen. And the doctors examined her completely at least once during marriage negotiations, confirming the possibility of having children.

Queen Elizabeth often gave orders to cut off heads. And although many were actually executed during Elizabeth's reign, only a few people were actually beheaded. Such execution was reserved for the most thoroughbred nobles. Ordinary people were simply hanged, and religious dissidents were burned. When forced to sign a death warrant, the queen was always embarrassed. And in the case of the Duke of Norfolk, one of the most influential courtiers, Elizabeth twice overturned the death sentence. True, in the end the intriguer was executed anyway.

Queen Elizabeth was superstitious and interested in the occult. In those days, most enlightened people were interested in the occult sciences and black magic. Superstitions were commonplace in conditions of weak development of science. Elizabeth was very interested in the works of John Dee, an occultist, astronomer and astrologer. One day in London they discovered a queen doll whose heart had been pierced with a pin. Elizabeth was so frightened that she called John Dee to her. She asked him to neutralize the deadly spells that were directed against her.

Queen Elizabeth rarely took a bath. In those years, baths were considered a luxury; they were taken rather for medical reasons and could not be indulged in for pleasure. Elizabeth took a bath every few weeks, which was quite frequent by the standards of that time. She was very concerned about personal hygiene, but there were many courtiers around her who smelled bad.

Queen Elizabeth knighted Francis Drake on his famous ship called the Golden Hind. Queen Elizabeth did not personally knight Francis Drake, although she was present at the Golden Hind at that moment. Elizabeth asked the French ambassador to do this for her. It was a very smart political move. The Queen knew that the Spaniards did not like the activities of Drake the pirate, who robbed their ships. And the knighthood of a sailor by the French ambassador was supposed to attract a powerful ally to the British side.

Queen Elizabeth ordered all mirrors in her palace to be removed. They say that the woman was so afraid of old age that she chose not to see her aged reflection at all. Elizabeth did worry about her appearance, but her vanity should not be exaggerated. Everyone flattered the monarch, and he had to live up to his assigned role. Elizabeth, willy-nilly, had to dress better than everyone else. It was hard to do without a mirror here. And there is no evidence of the removal of mirrors in the palace; it is difficult to even understand where such a myth came from.

The Earl of Essex sent Elizabeth his ring before his execution. The continuation of this romantic story says that one of the courtiers hid the ring in his possession, earning the queen's disfavor forever. In England, this myth is quite popular, it has both romance and drama. But this story was created only in the 17th century.

Elizabeth hated Catholics. The Queen was surprisingly tolerant of people of different religions. She said: “There is only one Christ, Jesus, and only one faith. And everything else is an argument over trifles.” Due to certain circumstances, the government was forced to take a tough stance towards Catholics. But Elizabeth herself was uncomfortable with such persecution of Christians.

When Elizabeth was dying, her ghost was seen in the corridors of Richmond Palace. This story was told by one of the queen's maids. But she only wanted to convince people that Elizabeth was a witch and doomed to wander around as a restless ghost, unable to get to heaven. The myth was created by Elizabeth Southwell, an ardent Catholic. She, for political reasons, wanted to reduce the queen's popularity.

On her deathbed, the queen whispered the name of Robert Dudley. Notes about the last moments of Elizabeth's life do not contain any mention of this name. Even if she had whispered a word, it would have been “Robin,” as the queen usually called her close friend. But this word could also apply to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. He was also one of Elizabeth's favorites, and his recent execution for rebellion greatly worried the woman.

The queen's last words were: "I will give everything I have for a moment of my life." This phrase is often mentioned as Elizabeth's last words. However, according to another version, she pointed to her ring, worn on the day of the coronation, saying: “This is my only wedding ring.” So she remained faithful to the image of a virgin to the end. In fact, Elizabeth's "last words" were invented and attributed to her later. Eyewitnesses to her death did not write about anything like that. Most likely, the queen was simply dying, deprived of speech. And no one can say what her last words were.

The ghost of Queen Elizabeth haunts Windsor Castle. Some people in the library of Windsor Castle have noticed the ghost of a lady in black robes. It is believed to be the ghost of Queen Elizabeth Tudor. They also saw it on the walls of the castle. True, according to rumors, the ghost’s face is hidden under a veil. So if he really exists, he cannot be Queen Elizabeth. Then this is another lady from the period of her life.

Almost half a century (1558-1603) of the reign of Elizabeth, known as the “Virgin Queen,” went down in English history as the “Golden Age of Elizabeth,” as during this period the state became actively involved in world politics, trade and became one of the world’s cultural centers.

The future queen's childhood was not easy. She was born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace, in the suburbs of London, in the family of King Henry VIII Tudor and the sovereign's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry was the initiator of the severance of Britain's relations with the Pope, since the latter did not agree to the divorce of the crowned person from Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess who could not give the king an heir - her daughter Maria was born. Henry really hoped that his second wife would give him an heir, but when his second daughter was born, Boleyn’s position at court weakened significantly. Three years later, “thanks to” the efforts of court intriguers and the tacit consent of Henry, Anna was beheaded on charges of adultery and high treason. In addition to the death of her mother, another misfortune awaited three-year-old Elizabeth: Henry forced Parliament to issue an Act that declared his marriage to Anne Boleyn invalid from its very conclusion, which automatically made Elizabeth the king’s illegitimate daughter. It is difficult to say exactly the influence of these facts on the character of the little girl who was sent to Hatfield, but her tutors noted a serious attitude to life beyond her years. At six she was as sedate and poised as at forty.

In 1537, Henry had an heir, Edward, from his third wife, Jane Seymour. The appearance of her brother further isolated Elizabeth from her relatives, and her father in particular. At the same time, it cannot be said that Henry hated his daughter - on the contrary, she was always present at royal receptions and festivities. In addition, she was declared the third heir to the throne - after her brother and older sister. The future queen loved Edward very much, and after her father's sixth marriage she became very attached to his wife, Katherine Parr.

Elizabeth received an excellent education, as she was taught by Cambridge professors. This kind of education was usually given to boys - ancient and modern foreign languages, history, rhetoric, pestilence. The teachers noted that the princess did not have feminine weaknesses; rather, she was characterized by a masculine mentality. The knowledge acquired in childhood greatly facilitated the performance of royal duties in the future. Elizabeth was especially interested in theology and English Protestantism. At the same time, the young princess could not, according to contemporaries, be called religious.

In 1547, Henry VIII died and the throne passed to 10-year-old Edward. Katherine Parr, soon after the death of her husband, married Lord Thomas Seymour, who began to intrigue against his brother Edward Seymour. In 1549, after the death of Katherine Parr, Thomas was arrested on charges of treason and secretly intending to marry Elizabeth in order to seize the throne. Elizabeth found herself in a delicate and very limbo position, since there was information that the lord and princess had met several times. However, at the news of Seymour’s execution, the princess “didn’t even blink an eye.”

In 1553, Edward died and the fanatical Catholic Mary ascended the throne, wanting at all costs to return England to the fold of the Roman Catholic Church. But this desire, coupled with the wedding with Philip II of Spain, caused a Protestant revolt. Under the threat of betrayal and the Inquisition, Elizabeth’s life completely deteriorated and she was in direct danger. To avoid aggravation, she officially converted to the Catholic religion. But at the same time, she began to develop plans for the restoration of Protestantism and the seizure of power.

In January 1554, Thomas Watt's rebellion broke out in London, after which Elizabeth, suspected of involvement, was placed in the Tower. She almost repeated the fate of her mother, although she remained alive. She was released from the Tower two months later, but was placed under house arrest in Woodstock.

On November 17, 1558, Queen Mary died. Elizabeth ascended the throne to the sounds of general popular rejoicing. Her arrival in London was a real triumph. But from the very first weeks of her reign, Elizabeth I, Queen of England, began state affairs: studying the situation, forming a government, working with documents, etc. She reduced the number of the Privy Council - those especially close to the queen - at the expense of Catholics, thereby increasing the efficiency of its work. She transformed the cumbersome royal court.

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The main problem of Elizabeth's reign was the surrounding patriarchal world, in which the place of women was clearly limited and predetermined. Opponents of this model said that even in the Bible there was a female prophet, Deborah. Court theologians and philosophers even developed a whole theory according to which power has “two images - male and female.” Since the previous queen was unable to achieve an acceptable model of relationships with her subjects, Elizabeth developed her style of rule from scratch. She wanted to be perceived primarily as a statesman, and not as a woman.

The image of the Virgin Queen developed throughout Elizabeth's reign, but its origins can be traced back to 1555. That year, Queen Mary promised to marry her sister to the Catholic Duke of Savoy. But this was not part of Elizabeth’s plans - she fell into depression. She stated that she wanted to be left alone. When Elizabeth became queen, the question of a “life partner” arose again, acquiring a national scale. In addition to the fact that the only social role of a woman was that of a wife, it was necessary to think about heirs - if Elizabeth died childless, the Tudor dynasty would end. Her closest relative was Mary, Queen of Scots, great-niece of Henry VIII. But Mary was a Protestant, she was supported by France and the entire Catholic world, which terribly frightened the English Protestants. Elizabeth's marriage was also important for diplomats - as you know, the strongest diplomatic alliances have always been sealed by the marriage of the heirs of these countries. England at that time was weak militarily and was in complete international isolation. The alternatives were: Philip II, King of Spain; Archduke of Austria; Eric XIV, King of Sweden; Henry, Duke of Anjou, future king of France; François, Duke of Alençon; etc. Apparently, Elizabeth did not seriously intend to marry anyone, since negotiations on the wedding of the crowned persons lasted for several years.

Elizabeth restored Protestantism in England with an act of 1559, which renewed the anti-papal edicts of her father. The queen became the head of the church. A fine was imposed for missing Sunday services. Military officers, clergymen and university professors were required to swear on the Bible their allegiance to the queen.

In addition to religious problems, England was threatened by the Spanish crown and its naval flotilla, the Armada. The fact is that English pirates were a significant obstacle to the development of Spanish merchant shipping. For this purpose, the Invincible Armada was sent to the shores of the British Isles in 1588, which was dealt with by one of the most desperate English pirates, Francis Drake, who was knighted after this victory.

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I was truly a "golden age" English history. Absolutely all sectors of the economy developed, the English army increased, England turned into a colonial empire. The queen herself had to live up to her status: her wardrobe was truly colossal, and the amount of her jewelry would be enough for the comfortable existence of all English subjects for several months. The Queen strictly monitored her portraits that appeared in public places: she wanted people to see her only in a certain way - powerful and chic. Elizabeth was an excellent speaker, poet and writer. Just as Russia changed under Peter, so England changed under Elizabeth. But on March 24, 1603, this calm came to an end - Queen Elizabeth I died in Richmond, Surrey.

is she really a virgin?
Sherol 13.12.2006 03:59:32

I just watched the movie “The Virgin Queen” and as I understand it, Elizabeth was not so innocent, she had a constant lover Richard, whose name she even repeated on her deathbed. So was she a virgin?

Elizabeth Tudor

Elizabeth I.
Reproduction from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Elizabeth I
Elizabeth Tudor
Elizabeth Tudor
Years of life: September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603
Reign: November 17, 1558 - March 24, 1603
Father: Henry VIII
Mother: Anne Boleyn
Single

After Henry VIII declared his marriage to Anne Boleyn illegal, Elizabeth was removed from court and banished to Hatfield Manor. There she received an excellent education, studying with teachers from Cambridge. As a child, Elizabeth had an excellent command of Latin, ancient Greek, French and Italian, read ancient writers in the original and translated their works into English.

Towards the end of her life, Henry restored Elizabeth to her rights and returned her to court. During the reign of Edward VI, Elizabeth was courted by Thomas Seymour, a relative of the king on his mother's side, but Elizabeth refused him. In 1549, Seymour was accused of minting counterfeit coins and executed by court order. Elizabeth was also under investigation, but managed to prove her innocence.

During the reign of Mary I, hard times began for Elizabeth. Elizabeth refused to convert to Catholicism and retired to her estate. During the Protestant uprising of Thomas White, she was even imprisoned in the Tower for two months, but was soon released. Before her death, Mary reluctantly declared Elizabeth as her heir.

Elizabeth was crowned on January 15, 1559. Since the position of Archbishop of Canterbury was vacant, and the rest of the church hierarchs refused to crown Elizabeth, since she was firstly illegitimate and secondly a Protestant, the ceremony was performed by Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle.

Having ascended the throne, she tried to restore relations with the Pope, but he refused to recognize the legality of the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. At the insistence of Chancellor Cecil, Elizabeth began to adhere to the reformed church. Elizabeth remained a Protestant, but her religious beliefs did not have the fanaticism inherent in Henry VIII or Edward VI. Throughout her reign, she had to fight both Catholics and radical Protestant Puritans. In 1562, 39 articles were adopted, which became the norm of confession of the Anglican Church. In 1583, a Judicial Commission was established, which began to energetically prosecute all those who did not submit to the queen's supreme authority in matters of religion. In 1593, the Puritans were ordered to either renounce their views or leave England.

The hardships suffered in her younger years developed in Elizabeth a strength of character and judgment. Over time, firmness grew into a desire for autocracy, but the desire to command never overshadowed the clarity of thought. Under her, English culture began to flourish: during her reign, William Shakespeare and Francis Bacon lived and worked in England; Sir Francis Drake committed circumnavigation, the English colonization of America began.

After the death of Mary I, her husband, King Philip II of Spain, organized several conspiracies against Elizabeth, hoping to increase Spanish influence in England, but failed. Since 1585, the Spaniards had to devote their main forces to suppress the uprising in the Netherlands. However, the British provided the rebels with support both in people and money. In 1585 and 1586 Spanish ambassadors were expelled from England. At the same time, English pirates began to rob Spanish ships at sea transporting gold from America. Pirates Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Martin Frobisher became especially famous.

In July 1588, Philip II assembled a powerful fleet of more than 130 ships, known in history as the “Invincible Armada,” and moved across the English Channel to the shores of the Netherlands, but was defeated by the English fleet under the command of Charles Howard and Francis Drake. However, even after this the war continued. The Spaniards ravaged Cornwall in 1595, and Calais a year later. The British responded by attempting to attack the Azores, but failed. Peace was concluded only in 1598.

From her mother, Elizabeth inherited greed, vanity, and a passion for clothes and jewelry, while she dressed rather flashily and tastelessly. She did not have a very attractive appearance, but until old age she intensively used cosmetics and loved to listen to compliments addressed to her.

The very first parliament convened by Elizabeth turned to her with a request to find a husband. Many Christian sovereigns sought Elizabeth's hand, but the queen only liked the process of courtship. Giving hope to many, she never chose a spouse. Even at the very beginning of her reign, Elizabeth expressed her desire to “die a virgin,” but at the same time she did not shy away from men and was favorable towards courtship. She had many favorites, but, apparently, she did not cross the last line in her relationship with any of them. The first favorite was young Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He was handsome, but had no other advantages. He was showered with favors and rewards, and besides, Elizabeth constantly supported in him the vague hope of marriage. However, Lester died at the age of 58 without getting this. After his death, 56-year-old Elizabeth turned her attention to 22-year-old handsome Robert Essex. She flirted with him like a young girl, danced at balls and was jealous of her young rivals. Like Leicester, Essex flattered himself with hopes of marrying the queen, but without waiting for this, he became hot-tempered and impatient. Disagreements began to arise between him and the queen. In 1601, Essex was involved in a conspiracy in favor of the Scottish king James VI, but the plot was discovered and Essex's head was cut off. After his death, Elizabeth experienced a clouding of her mind. From time to time she began to rush around the room, shouting the name of her beloved, and slept on the floor without undressing or removing her crown. Finally, she fell into oblivion for several days and regained consciousness only before her death. When asked by the chancellor who would pass the throne, she vaguely mentioned the name of the Scottish King James and died soon after that.

Used materials from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Elizabeth Tudor (7.IX.1533 - 24.III.1603) - Queen of England (since 1558), the last of the Tudor dynasty, the most prominent representative of English absolutism. Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; came to the throne after the death of Mary Tudor. Elizabeth Tudor was supported by wide circles of the nobility, as well as the bourgeoisie of London and other most significant cities, and the largest officials of the center. apparatus, in particular W. Cecil (permanent first minister under Elizabeth Tudor). During the first period of Elizabeth Tudor's reign, acts were adopted (1559 and others) that finally established Protestantism in England (in its moderate Anglican form), peace was concluded with France (1559), foreign debt was paid and a sound monetary exchange rate was restored, etc. However, this relatively peaceful period, usually called by English historians the period of “settlement”, gave way to a period of “conspirations”, in which both the internal discontent of part of the nobility and the lower population, as well as the foreign policy intervention of the Spanish King Philip II and those who supported his reactionary forces in Europe (the uprising of the northern counties of 1569-1570, speeches in support of the Catholic Scottish Queen Mary Stuart, a contender for the English throne, who was imprisoned by Elizabeth Tudor and ended her life on the scaffold in 1587; Philip II sent the “Invincible Armada” against England "and its defeat in 1588 (see Anglo-Spanish Wars), etc.). The reign of Elizabeth Tudor is characterized by the strengthening of trade and colonial expansion (Elizabeth Tudor’s personal patronage of the “Queen’s pirates” - J. Hawkins, F. Drake), the beginning of the systematic conquest of Ireland, the publication of cruel laws against the expropriated (act of 1572, etc., see “Bloody legislation against expropriated people"). The active policy of royal power contributed to the process of primitive accumulation that was unfolding in England at that time. Under Elizabeth Tudor, the centralized administration was significantly strengthened, the financial department was streamlined, the church was completely subordinated to the state, and the fleet was increased; Elizabeth Tudor actually managed to create Triple Alliance against Spain (England, Holland, France). However, English absolutism under Elizabeth Tudor began to reveal its weakness, becoming by the end of her reign a brake on the further capitalist development of the country. The most advanced layers of the strengthened new nobility and bourgeoisie objected (through parliament) to the distribution of trade monopoly patents by the queen, demanded equalization of the rights of Puritan sects with the state church, access to power by establishing systematic control over the government through parliament. The struggle for “parliamentary privileges” against the “prerogatives of the crown”, which began already under Elizabeth Tudor, prepared the subsequent clash of parliament with absolutism under the Stuarts.

Regarding the assessment of the personal role of Elizabeth Tudor in the reign, a number of English historians (Neale, Black, Routh, etc.) exaggerate it, believing that Elizabeth Tudor acted completely independently of her advisers and ministers. On the contrary, some recent historians (for example, Elton) attach decisive importance in the reign of Elizabeth Tudor to her ministers (in particular, Cecil). There is no doubt that Elizabeth Tudor was active, reigning queen, who held the threads of government in her hands for decades, but she was forced to constantly maneuver between various court groupings, bide her time, often postponing her plans, pretend and be cunning in the spirit of “Machiavellianism,” which was noted even by her contemporaries. The dual policy of Elizabeth Tudor, which reflected the class nature of English absolutism, affected both church issues and foreign policy(fear of seriously supporting revolutionary Holland), and in relation to various factions of the nobility and, finally, parliament.

V. F. Semenov. Moscow.

Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 5. DVINSK - INDONESIA. 1964.

Literature: Marx K., Chronological. extracts, Marx and Engels Archive, vol. 7, (L.), 1940, p. 378-98, vol. 8, (L.), 1946, p. 26-34; Shtokmar V.V., Economic. politics english absolutism in its heyday, Leningrad, 1962; Semenov V.F., Problem of politics. history of England in the 16th century. in modern lighting English bourgeois historians, "VI", 1959, No. 4; Black J. V., The reign of Elizabeth 1558-1603, Oxf., 1936; Neale J. E., Queen Elizabeth, L., 1934; his, Elizabeth I and her parliaments. 1559-1581, 1584-1601, v. 1-2, L., 1953-57; Rowse A. L., The England of Elizabeth, the structure and society, L., 1951; by him, The expansion of Elizabethan England, L., 1955; Elton G. R., England under the Tudors, N. Y., 1955.

Elizabeth I Tudor (7 September 1533, Greenwich - 24 March 1603, Richmond), Queen of England from 1558, daughter Henry VIII Tudor and Anne Boleyn. Under Elizabeth I, the position of absolutism was strengthened, the Anglican Church was restored, the Spanish Invincible Armada was defeated (1588), and the colonization of Ireland was widely carried out. The forty-five-year reign of Elizabeth I is considered the heyday of English absolutism and the “golden age” of Renaissance culture in the country.

Origin

Elizabeth was born into Henry VIII's second marriage. He married Anne Boleyn after his divorce from the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, which was not recognized by the pope and Catholics. After the execution of Anne, Boleyn declared Princess Elizabeth illegitimate, which was enshrined in an act of parliament. However, she was later included among the potential heirs to the throne after her brother Edward and sister Maria. During the reign of Mary I Tudor, who restored the Catholic Church in England, Elizabeth, raised in Protestantism, was imprisoned in the Tower and had to convert to Catholicism. Elizabeth inherited the throne on the death of the childless Mary in 1558; the day of her accession - November 17 - eventually turned into a national holiday, celebrated until the 18th century as the triumph of Protestantism and the “birthday of the nation.” The coronation of the new queen took place in Westminster Abbey on January 16, 1559.

Having ascended the throne, Elizabeth restored the Anglican Church, becoming its head according to the “Act of Supremacy” (1559). Under her, a new symbol of faith was developed - “39 Articles”. At the beginning of her reign, she sought to maintain peace between Catholic and Protestant subjects, refusing to continue the Reformation in England in a Calvinist spirit. However, the confrontation with the Catholic powers (Spain and France) forced her to limit the rights of Catholics. At the same time, she resolutely suppressed the Puritans' attempts to criticize the official Anglican Church; persecution of the Puritans caused open protests in Parliament in 1580-1590.

Confrontation with Mary Stuart

In 1560, the Protestant lords of Scotland rebelled against the ardent Catholic regent Mary of Guise (see Guise), widow of the Scottish king James V Stuart. Her daughter, the Scottish queen Mary Stuart, was married to the French king Francis II of Valois and lived in France. In addition, Mary Stuart was a direct descendant of Henry VII Tudor and could formally lay claim to the English crown.

Elizabeth did not fail to intervene in the internal affairs of Scotland on the side of the Calvinists. At the same time, Mary Stuart returned to her homeland after the sudden death of Francis II. The conflict was settled by the conclusion of the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560, which was beneficial for England. But Elizabeth failed to get the Scottish queen to renounce her rights to the English throne, which marked the beginning of a long-term conflict between the two queens. In 1567, a new Calvinist uprising forced Mary Stuart to seek refuge in England, where she spent more than twenty years, first as an unwanted guest and then as a captive and imprisoned. Her intrigues and participation in conspiracies against Elizabeth led to the fact that in 1587 the Queen of England, with the approval of Parliament, signed her death warrant.

New mistress of the seas

In the 1560-1570s, Elizabeth skillfully took advantage of the fact that many monarchs of Europe were looking for her hand in the hope of receiving the English throne with her. She conducted marriage negotiations with Catholics - the Spanish king, the Austrian Archduke, the French king and princes from the house of Valois, and even with the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible . At the same time, she maintained a “balance” between rival France and Spain, so that the strengthening of one of the great powers was accompanied by an immediate rapprochement between England and the other.

In general, under Elizabeth I, England moved to trade and colonial expansion around the world. Conquest expeditions to Ireland were systematically carried out. England's relations with Spain became strained in the late 1560s and early 1570s due to attempts by English merchants to penetrate the Spanish colonies in the New World. Elizabeth's encouragement of her subjects led to the development of officially sanctioned piracy in the Atlantic and the undeclared Anglo-Spanish War along the ocean routes. Sensitive blows were dealt to the Spaniards by Francis Drake. After his round-the-world raid in 1577-1580, Elizabeth personally visited his ship and knighted Drake. She was a shareholder in many pirate anti-Spanish expeditions and significantly increased the size of the royal fleet.

Elizabeth provided tacit support to the Protestants who rebelled against the rule of Philip II of Habsburg in the Netherlands. In the late 1580s, Spain began preparing to invade England, but Drake's counterattack at Cadiz delayed it. In 1588, the Spanish fleet - the Invincible Armada - set out for the British Isles, but was defeated by the British. Elizabeth became famous for the fact that in a moment of danger she swore to the soldiers to fall “along with them in the thick of the battle.” The victory over the Armada earned her the fame of the new mistress of the seas and the leader of all the Protestant forces of Europe.

The Art of Management

Elizabeth made extensive use of contacts with the people during trips around the country, parliamentary sessions, solemn processions and holidays to demonstrate her love and care for her subjects. She repeated many times: “You may have a more outstanding sovereign, but you will never have a more loving one.” Consciously refusing marriage, Elizabeth declared that she was “betrothed to the nation.” By the end of the 1580s, the cult of the empress had formed: in the popular consciousness, the Virgin Queen was likened to the Virgin Mary and was considered the patroness of Protestant England. In the court environment she was glorified as Astraea, the goddess of eternal youth, love and beauty, the sun queen, in pastoral poetry - as Venus or Diana-Cynthia; The queen's favorite symbol was the pelican tearing pieces of meat from its own breast to feed the hungry chicks.

Under Elizabeth I, the royal administration was significantly strengthened and the financial department was streamlined. The Anglican Church, as a moderate form of Protestantism, established itself as the state religion. It was completely subordinated to the state and became an important support of absolutism. Elizabeth encouraged the development of new industries, attracted skilled emigrant craftsmen to the country, and patronized trading companies. With her support, the Moscow company established itself in the Russian market, the Estland company in the Baltic, the Barbary company in Africa, the Levantine company in the Middle East, the East India company in India; The first English colonies in America were founded: a settlement on Roanoke Island and Virginia, named after the Virgin Queen. But in the agrarian sphere, Elizabeth’s traditional Tudor policy of banning fencing and maintaining arable land ran counter to the interests of the so-called “new nobility.” Under Elizabeth I, new cruel laws were passed against vagrants and beggars.

The conflict with Spain and defense spending led to increased taxes in the 1580s and 1590s. Elizabeth made private monopolies on production and trade a means of replenishing the state's military budget, which, like taxes, caused discontent among trade and business circles by the end of the 16th century. Demonstrating her readiness to consult with parliament and using it to popularize official policy, Elizabeth at the same time forbade deputies to touch upon issues of succession to the throne, church structure and financial policy, considering them the exclusive prerogative of the crown. On this basis, in the 1590s, a conflict arose between royal power and parliament, in which demands began to be made to deepen the Reformation, abolish monopolies and ease taxes. By the end of the reign of Elizabeth I, English absolutism began to turn into a brake on the further development of the country. The protests that began under Elizabeth in defense of parliamentary privileges, against absolute power crowns became the prologue for the subsequent struggle of the parliamentary opposition against absolutism under the first Stuarts. The queen's political wisdom was manifested in the successful choice of ministers, favorites and statesmen who faithfully served the crown and England (W. Burley, F. Walsingham, W. Raleigh, R. Devereux, Earl of Essex, W. Cecil). Buried in Westminster Abbey in the chapel

Marx K., Chronological. extracts, Marx and Engels Archive, vol. 7, (L.), 1940, p. 378-98, vol. 8, (L.), 1946, p. 26-34;

Shtokmar V.V., Economic. politics english absolutism in its heyday, Leningrad, 1962;

Semenov V.F., Problem of politics. history of England in the 16th century. in modern lighting English bourgeois historians, "VI", 1959, No. 4;

Black J. V., The reign of Elizabeth 1558-1603, Oxf., 1936;

Neale J. E., Queen Elizabeth, L., 1934;

Neale J. E., Elizabeth I and her parliaments. 1559-1581, 1584-1601, v. 1-2, L., 1953-57;

Rowse A. L., The England of Elizabeth, the structure and society, L., 1951;

Rowse A. L., The expansion of Elizabethan England, L., 1955;

Elton G. R., England under the Tudors, N. Y., 1955.

Elizabeth I Tudor (b. September 7, 1533 - d. March 24, 1603) Queen of England, the last of the Tudor dynasty.

British philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon once said: “Women's rule has been rare in all times; successful rule is even more rare; a successful and at the same time long reign is a unique phenomenon.” This maxim applied to his contemporary, Queen Elizabeth Tudor, who ruled England for almost 45 years and was in many ways a truly extraordinary person. Therefore, only on the banks of the Thames since 1890, about 100 biographies of her have appeared, and there are countless studies of various kinds.

In the royal family, the birth of a daughter does not bring much joy. Elizabeth's father Henry VIII was waiting for the birth of an heir, for which he divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, with whom he had a daughter, Mary, and married his mistress. The country lived in anticipation of magnificent festivities, because all astrologers unanimously stated that a boy would be born. But that was not the case: on September 7, 1533, a girl was taken out of the royal bedroom... Less than three years had passed before the king decided to marry again. Anna was executed and her daughter was declared “illegitimate.”

True, all this played a good role in the education of the future Queen of England. Removed from the court, she was engaged in science, and did not observe palace intrigues. She was taught by the best teachers from Cambridge, and the princess mastered French, Italian, Latin and Greek in a very short time. At the age of 10, she began to read the works of Plato and Seneca, Thomas More and Erasmus of Rotterdam, and translated “Heptameron” by Margaret of Navarre. The fate of the mother served the princess good lesson. She became cautious early, behaved intelligently, and could skillfully demonstrate humility and the absence of any claims to the crown.

Years passed. When Elizabeth was 14 years old, her father died, leaving on the throne his only son, given to him by his third wife. Six years later, he died and the throne passed to Henry’s daughter, a staunch Catholic who earned the nickname “Bloody” for the cruel persecution of Protestants, which included her “illegitimate” sister.

Adhering to the canons of the Church of England, Elizabeth did not want to obey the queen and fell from grace, which turned to anger in early 1554, when Thomas Wyatt rebelled against the fanatical ruler. Although, apparently, Elizabeth had nothing to do with this, the rebels pinned great hopes on her name. Who, if not she, could defend the church recognized by the people? Unfortunately, the uprising was suppressed, and the princess spent 2 months in captivity.

After Mary's sudden death, 25-year-old Elizabeth Tudor found herself the sole heir to the throne and ascended to the English throne in November 1558. First of all, Elizabeth confirmed freedom of religion in the country: “I guarantee on my royal word in the presence of God himself that no disturbance will be caused to anyone, no interrogation, no investigation of their secret thoughts in matters relating exclusively to faith...”

The queen inherited a difficult legacy: the confrontation between Catholics and Protestants persisted, which was fraught with serious internal strife; there were wars with foreign powers, leading to economic recession and inflation; the administration was weak and the military uncontrollable. Gender and age also did not make the queen’s position easier - this gave the courtiers a reason to call her “just a woman” and not take her seriously.

But Elizabeth Tudor was already ready to rule the state. She decisively set out to restore order: she replaced 2/3 of the Privy Council with her relatives and political associates; released from prison all the Protestants arrested by Mary; gave out generous promises to improve the situation of the poorest segments of the population, etc. The style of Elizabeth I’s reign from the very beginning was distinguished by extraordinary flexibility, the ability to manipulate and subjugate people, and find compromises. She perfectly combined the features of a strong monarch and a “weak” woman.

One problem haunted members of Parliament: Elizabeth remained unmarried, although there was no end to worthy suitors for her hand. However, the queen understood that a marriage with a foreign prince could infringe on the interests of Britain. The question of marriage became especially acute after she suffered from smallpox and England almost lost its mistress. If she had died, a brutal struggle for the throne would have immediately begun. The lords’ petition only angered Elizabeth: “Why are you rushing me! The folds on my face are not wrinkles, but traces of smallpox, I am not yet 30 years old, and the Lord, I am sure, will send me offspring...”

However, celibacy helped her skillfully maneuver at the forefront of European politics. The Queen promised her heart to one or another “August”, thereby smoothing out many international problems. This, however, interfered with the resolution of domestic issues: once, to replenish the treasury, the queen wanted to introduce new taxes, but parliament refused to approve this decision until she found herself a husband. Then Elizabeth Tudor threatened that she would leave England altogether if they did not stop interfering in her personal affairs. After this statement, the House of Lords immediately abandoned their attacks, and she simply intimidated the House of Commons, inviting one by one deputies who did not agree with her policies to the Privy Council. As a result, all taxes were approved unconditionally.

Celibacy is celibacy, but there were many rumors among the people about the queen’s intimate life. It was rumored that her virginity was only a physical defect. However, she had favorites, and quite a few. Most ended their lives on the chopping block - Elizabeth did not forgive betrayals. In old age, she became a misogynist, could not tolerate rivals around her and acquired the character of a typical old maid - picky, angry and unbalanced: she could easily slap a courtier in the face or throw a shoe in his face.

As for ordinary subjects, the deification of the queen faded over the years, because her policy of dispossessing the peasants led to their impoverishment. Neither giving alms at the palace gates nor traveling around the country, during which she listened to complaints and distributed gifts, helped in raising Elizabeth’s prestige as a caring mother of her people. Everyone was so tired of the queen that her death was eagerly awaited. And she herself was mortally tired of life, in which she always had to play a role and be on the alert, under the threat of constant intrigue, rebellion and conspiracies.

The struggle to gain the queen's favor was the norm at court. This led to the creation of factions and parties that often led to armed clashes and brought Britain to the brink civil war. So, in 1571, a conspiracy was uncovered led by the most powerful magnate in all of East Anglia, the Duke of Norfolk, who was captured and executed. At the same time, Elizabeth faced a difficult choice and acted in her own spirit: she canceled the execution twice when the crowd was already gathering around the scaffold - after all, Norfolk was a representative of the titled elite, to whom the queen always favored. However, on the other hand, he posed a serious danger, so six months later she finally approved the court’s verdict.

The suppression of this rebellion taught Elizabeth Tudor a lot: she began to gradually reduce the number of court nobility, by the last decade of her reign she reduced the number of members of the Privy Council by four times, and did not really consult with those who remained. Elizabeth I perceived parliament as a grave necessity, therefore she convened sessions extremely rarely - only 13 times during all the years of her reign. She herself approved the laws, wrote her speeches and made it clear in every possible way that she was God’s chosen one, and her subjects must unquestioningly carry out her will. As a rule, no one objected, because the queen resolved all issues in preliminary personal conversations with the right people and achieved her goal using methods known only to her.

One of the most tragic pages in the history of the British aristocracy is associated with the name of Elizabeth Tudor - life and death. The Scottish queen, who by her grandfather is the heir to the English throne, in the pursuit of power, seems to have stopped at nothing, even before killing her own husband. As a result of the conflict that broke out with her entourage, Maria was forced to seek refuge in Britain, with her reigning sister, whose throne she had dreamed of only recently.

It should be noted that Mary was not limited to her dreams: uprisings broke out more than once in the north of England under her leadership. But despite the fact that all the evidence of the Catholic sister’s guilt was obvious, the queen was in no hurry to take retribution. Stewart tried to contact the Spanish court, the Vatican, but all her letters invariably ended up on the desk of Elizabeth I. Why did the queen hesitate - after all, her hands were already stained with the blood of many favorites who had fallen out of favor?.. It seemed that she was waiting for the natural death of Mary, who I was in very poor health.

...Mary Stuart spent 20 years in captivity. During one of the next political crises, on February 8, 1587, she was executed. It should be noted that until the last moment Elizabeth tried to shift responsibility for her sister’s death onto someone else’s shoulders. Having already signed the verdict, she dreamed that Maria would be killed “from around the corner”, quietly poisoned. No one agreed to such an atrocity. When the news of the execution reached the queen, she simply fell into hysterics: “I signed Mary’s death warrant only to eliminate the danger that threatened me and handed over this paper... not for execution, but for storage, because everything that happened was done without my knowledge and consent..."

1603, spring - Elizabeth I Tudor fell ill, refused treatment, and on March 24 the Virgin Queen died. The day before, she named the heir to the throne, who became King James I of Scotland, the son of the executed Mary Stuart.

For 400 years, Elizabeth 1 has remained the most extraordinary personality of any monarch who has ever reigned. The significance of this woman in the history of England is very great. Thanks to her, the Anglican Church was restored, which saved the country from religious wars, which European countries are so rich in history XVI century; she defeated Spain and colonized Ireland. Under her, a powerful fleet was created, the greatest geographical discoveries, and England became the first in a series of European powers. The era of Elizabeth Tudor's reign is the “golden age” of English literature. Not every male ruler was able to leave such a mark on history.

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Queen Elizabeth I ruled England with a strong hand for 45 long years. She never married, left no heirs, and the Tudor dynasty ended with her.

Strong-willed decisions, a sharp mind, an unfeminine grasp and the “substitution story” that surfaced thanks to the writer Bram Stoker made the public doubt that she belonged to the fair sex.

For a century now, the Virgin Queen has been suspected of being... a man.

The Queen introduced the fashion for puffy collars to hide her Adam's apple

An unexpected find

At the beginning of the 20th century, the English writer Bram Stoker and his friend actor Henry Irving were looking for a house for the summer in the picturesque places of the Cotswolds, in Gloucestershire. Arriving in the village of Bisley to inspect another cottage, the friends found themselves at a theatrical event called “Queen’s Day,” where the role of a young princess was played by a boy dressed in an Elizabethan costume. Having become interested in the young performer, the guests began to ask residents about the reason for the strange transformation of the boy into a girl - and heard an intriguing story.

The Legend of the Beasley Boy

According to legend, ten-year-old Elizabeth was taken to the Overcourt estate in the village of Bisley in 1543, away from the plague that was raging in London. But, by an unfortunate coincidence, the princess fell ill and soon died. The frightened governesses, awaiting the arrival of Henry VIII, feared that the cruel and impulsive king might throw them into prison for such news.

Having hidden the girl’s body, the princess’s servants rushed to the surrounding villages in search of a young villager who looked like her. They hoped to temporarily replace Elizabeth with another child and only after the king’s departure tell him the sad news. Perhaps then the monarch’s anger will not be strong and those who poorly guarded the princess will be able to avoid severe punishment.

However, there was still no suitable girl. And then, in the role of the deceased princess, it was decided to present her peer, a boy who lived in the same house, with whom she was friends and often played.

The choice of cunning governesses was not accidental. At that time, numerous royal bastards were accepted into the family and raised along with the legitimate children of the monarch, but were deprived of their rights to the throne. There is an opinion that Neville (that was the boy's name) was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. The external resemblance to Elizabeth - red hair, age, the same height - helped to carry out the plan.

The last time Henry saw his youngest daughter was at the age of three. According to witnesses, she was afraid of the king. There was no talk of a warm relationship between father and daughter. Be that as it may, the overlord did not notice the substitution. The plan worked so well that the king never learned the truth during his lifetime.

Facts and gossip

Bram Stoker included this story in the book “Famous Impostors,” which was published in 1910, causing serious resonance. In 1911, The New York Times published a scathing review, accusing Stoker of popularizing nonsense. However, many were in no hurry to agree with the opinion of the American newspaper columnist - there were too many secrets in the life of Queen Elizabeth I Tudor of England.

Strange for the morals of the court, Elizabeth’s close relationship with the tutors who were assigned to her in Bisley remained even after she ceased to need their guardianship.

Sir Robert Turwitt wrote to Edward Seymour in 1549: "I am sure there is a secret between the Lady, Mistress Kate Ashley (Elizabeth's governess), Sir Thomas Perry and Blanche Perry, which they will not confess to their death." Elizabeth kept them close to her and showered them with favors in every possible way. Kat Ashley became the Queen's chambermaid, who was later replaced by Blanche Perry.

Elizabeth's appearance raises questions. It is known that she wore a thick layer of makeup, perhaps to hide rough skin and shaving marks. She wore a wig because, having reached middle age, she went bald. Losing hair by the age of forty is not uncommon in men, but is unprecedented for women of that age.

Elizabeth introduced into fashion a high collar consisting of many folds of fabric. He lay on his shoulders like a millstone, well hiding... his Adam's apple. In portraits, the queen was almost always depicted in closed clothes and with abundant jewelry around her neck. By the way, in her will she forbade inspection of her body after death.

The main argument of supporters of the hypothesis that the queen was a man in disguise is celibacy. Having ascended the throne at the age of 25, Elizabeth could choose a foreigner or an English nobleman as her wife, give birth to an heir and continue the Tudor dynasty. This is exactly what her father dreamed of.

But time passed, and she remained husbandless. Rumors circulated in European courts that Elizabeth could not have children. In April 1559, the Spanish envoy Count Feria wrote: “If my spies do not lie, and I believe that they do not, for a certain reason, which they recently told me, I understood that she (Elizabeth) will not have children.” .

In 1588, as the Spanish Invincible Armada headed for the British Isles, Elizabeth addressed the troops: “I know that my body is the body of a weak woman, but my heart is the heart of the King of England!”

After 1543, the handwriting and style of expressing thoughts in the princess's manuscripts changed. A letter from Roger Esham, a teacher and scientist, to the rector of the University of Strasbourg, dated 1550, has survived. He wrote that the princess's mind was miraculously freed from feminine weakness, and she was endowed with a masculine character. The scientist noted Elizabeth's incredible successes in French, Italian, Greek and Latin. He emphasized with pleasure that the young lady was completely indifferent to jewelry and external splendor and in her entire way of life she was more reminiscent of a boy than a girl.

What Bram Stoker Didn't Know

At the end of the 19th century, something happened that Bram Stoker did not know about, but which serves as indirect evidence of his assumption. In 1870, the new owners of the neglected garden on the Overcourt estate decided to get rid of the old stones and slabs. Construction workers lifted the top stone of a box-like structure that had stood untouched for several centuries and was completely covered with moss. Suddenly, the remains of a teenage girl appeared before them. Fragments of clothing made of fine silk and brocade have been preserved.

After examining the contents of the niche, it became clear that the girl lived during the Tudor era and that she was approximately 11 years old at the time of her death. It is noteworthy that the stone sarcophagus stood in the garden under the window of the room in which the princess usually slept. The Reverend Thomas Cable, who was present at his autopsy, a man not given to jokes and pranks, was sure that the ashes of the real daughter of Henry VIII were revealed to his eyes. The priest reburied the remains, but over time the new grave of the original Elizabeth (?) was lost.

After the publication of Bram Stoker's book, voices were heard demanding that the ashes of Elizabeth I, resting in Westminster Abbey, be exhumed in order to conduct an appropriate examination. However, the royal family categorically prohibited any research, leaving wide scope for rumors and speculation.

After the death of the queen and the accession of Mary Stuart's son to the throne, there was a popular saying: “Elizabeth was king, and James became queen.” The masculinity of his predecessor, her celibacy, enhanced by legend, give strong reasons to think that Queen Elizabeth I Tudor of England was not a representative of the fairer sex. Or maybe, with the help of the “substitution story,” adherents of such a theory are trying to explain the “impossible” female rule, which was carried out brilliantly?

The time will come - and the secret will be revealed, but for now the above is perceived by most historians as a scandalous fiction.

Marina UDENCOVA
"Secrets of the 20th century" July 2012