Was Queen Elizabeth I actually a virgin?

Question

We all know Elizabeth I was called The Virgin Queen, but this was based on her lack of having been married by the time she died. However, was she actually a virgin, or did she take on lovers before her death?

Answer 1

Yes,of course she was a virgin and she remained a virgin right up to the time of her taking on her first lover.

Answer 2

I very much doubt she was a virgin when she died: in my opinion she had a string of favourites and these probably turned into a string of lovers. However, she had to keep these secret so that she could continue to 'entertain' suitors from other countries, to stay on good terms with them and make sure war didn't break out. Part of the reason for the Spanish Armada was because she rejected Phillip's offer of marriage.

Elizabeth I always insisted that she was married to England, anyway.

Anyway, no-one would have asked her because they'd have probably got chucked in the Tower of London for being so d*mn cheeky! lol

:)

Answer 3

When I visited the various castles and palaces in the UK belonging to various branches of the royal family, I was comforted by the number of hidden staircases I saw leading to various chambers.  The steps invariably looked well-worn.

Answer 4

how do we know? y r u asking that question?

Answer 5

She spent time with a battery of favorites. For some she expressed her affection. Chances are that there was more going on than mere flirtation. And why not? Victoria hadn't made the world a cold, flat cup of tea yet, and, during Elizabeth's time, the English who weren't starving, or dying of plague, were exploring human possibilities, such as romance and s*x and the man/woman thing. As Hamlet said it, the playwrights were holding a mirror up to nature. The 'virgin' idea was political and social and religious; you got to hope the lady lived a full life.

Answer 6

She couldn't openly take on lovers like a king would be able to as she was an unwed woman. She did have a rather 'interesting' friendship with two men,  Robert Dudley and Robert Devereux, and public rumour of the time was that she had had an affair with both men. When she came into the throne, she made Robert Dudley master of the horse, and was extremely flirtatious with him. Upon the death of his wife Amy, however, she publicly distanced herself from him, most likely to preserve her reputation, especially as it was rumoured that he had killed his wife to marry the queen. Elizabeth later reccomended Dudley to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, who turned him down on the basis that she would not take Elizabeth's lover.

Robert Devereux was also given the title of Master of the Horse by Elizabeth, and was later sent to Ireland to defend English interests. He failed abysmally, and returned home in disgrace, where he led a rebellion against Elizabeth's council. He claimed that her advisors sought to rule through her and he believed she was worthy of ruling on her own. The queen later ordered him to be beheaded.

So, whether she was actually the virgin she claimed is unknown. She claimed she never married because her people were her children and her family, and she had no desire for another to control her children. So, in this sense, it would make sense for her to take lovers and not marry them. My personal guess would be she was unlikely to be a virgin, but she knew how to play the courts, especially with her virginity, to her advantage.

Answer 7

I am relatively sure it was an honorary title.

Answer 8

Who knows? It was a powerful propaganda tool, whether true or not.

Answer 9

If she was really ugly, maybe.