Soon
after Elizabeth
became
queen of England, Protestants gained full control of Parliament. It
now became very important to Parliament that Elizabeth should marry
and produce a Protestant heir to the throne. Parliament was worried
that if Elizabeth died childless, Mary
Stuart, a Catholic, would probably become queen of England. They
feared that if that happened, all Protestants who held power under
Elizabeth would be persecuted.
Elizabeth
had many favourites in her own court. At various times rumours circulated
that Elizabeth would marry men such as Robert
Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Sir Charles
Hatton, and Thomas Howard, Duke
of Norfolk.
In
October 1562 Elizabeth caught smallpox.
For a while, doctors thought that Elizabeth would die. This illness
made Parliament realise how
dangerous the situation was. Therefore, after she recovered, they
asked her once again to consider marriage. Elizabeth replied that
she would think about it but she refused to make a decision.
In 1566 members of Parliament
tried to force Elizabeth
into action by discussing the subject in the House
of Lords and the House of Commons.
Elizabeth was furious with Parliament for doing this. She ordered
thirty members from each House to attend a meeting at Whitehall Palace.
Elizabeth read out a long speech where she pointed out that whether
she got married or not was something that she would decide. She added
that for Parliament to decide this question was like "the feet
directing the head".
The members of Parliament
at the meeting agreed not to mention the issue again. However, some
members were unwilling to remain quiet on the subject. One politician,
Peter Wentworth, claimed that members
of Parliament had the right to discuss any subject they wanted. Elizabeth
responded by ordering him to be sent to the Tower
of London.
In 1579 Elizabeth
began having talks about the possibility of marrying the Duke of Anjou
from France. John Stubbs wrote a pamphlet
criticizing the proposed marriage. Stubbs objected to the fact that
the Duke of Anjou was a Catholic. He also argued that, at forty-six,
Elizabeth was too old to have children and so had no need to get married.
Elizabeth was furious
and ordered that Stubbs and the publisher of the pamphlet should be
arrested. At first Elizabeth wanted the men to be hanged, but eventually
she decided that the men should have their right hands cut off. Elizabeth
did not marry the Duke of Anjou. Nor did she marry anyone else. When
Elizabeth died at the age of sixty-nine the Tudor dynasty came to
an end.
(1)
William Camden, The History of Queen
Elizabeth (1617)
Stubbs and Page had their right hands cut off with a cleaver,
driven through the wrist by the force of a mallet, upon a scaffold
in the market-place at Westminster... I remember that Stubbs, after
his right hand was cut off, took off his hat with his left, and said
with a loud voice, "God Save the Queen"; the crowd standing
about was deeply silent: either out of horror at this new punishment;
or else out of sadness.
(2)
Sir James Melville, Scottish Ambassador to England in conversation
with Elizabeth (1564)
You will never marry... the Queen of England is too proud
to suffer a commander... you think if you were married, you would
only be Queen of England, and now you are king and queen both.
(3)
Count Feria, report to Philip
II of Spain (1559)
I understand that she (Elizabeth)
can not have children.
(4)
In March 1579, William
Cecil, Queen Elizabeth's chief minister,
reported to other members of the Privy Council.
By judgement of physicians acquainted with her Majesty's
body... she can have children. The investigation... proves that her
Majesty to be very apt for the procreation of children.
(5)
H.
Amold-Forster, A History of England (1898)
Who was
the queen's husband to be, and what power was he to have over the
government of the country? ... If he were a foreigner there was no
knowing what power he might get over the queen, power which he would
very likely use for the good of a foreign country, and not for the
good of England. On the other hand, if he were an Englishman, he must
be chosen from among the queen's subjects, and then it was certain
that there would be jealousy and strife among all the great nobles
in the country when they saw one of their number picked out and made
king over them.
(6)
Queen Elizabeth, comments
to
Lord Maitland in April 1561.
As long
as I live, I shall be Queen of England. When I am dead they shall
succeed me who have the most right... I know the English people, how
they always dislike the present government and have their eyes fixed
upon that person who is next to succeed.
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