The Virgin Queen's Biggest Secret

The Ruthless History Of Queen Elizabeth I, The Vicious Virgin Queen
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
✕
ADVERTISE
PARTNER
FAQ
CAREERS
PRIVACY
TERMS OF USE
CONTRIBUTE
ABOUT
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
LGBTQ
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
Glorious Facts About Queen Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen
Dec 1
PEOPLE
Miles Brucker
Schemer. Seducer. Tyrant? Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most famous—and notorious—monarchs of England, but few people know her dark history. As the daughter of the equally infamous King Henry VIII and his executed queen Anne Boleyn, let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Queen Elizabeth I Facts
Born Into Infamy
In 1533, Elizabeth was born into the biggest scandal of her time. Her mother, Anne Boleyn , had seduced her way into King Henry VIII ’s bedroom and triggered his monumental divorce to Catherine of Aragon —you know, it was the scandal that started the English Reformation. But that was really just the beginning.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Focus Features
Advertisement
Game of Thrones
Not very many people can say that their own father executed their mother, but that’s exactly what happened to poor Elizabeth. Anne Boleyn fell out of King Henry’s favor, and he beheaded his queen on May 19, 1536, when Elizabeth was just over two years old. If this sounds like a recipe for disaster…well, it kind of was.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
The Virgin Queen
Today, Elizabeth is famous as “The Virgin Queen” because she refused to marry. Of course, as we’ll see, this didn’t mean she didn’t get into plenty of bedroom dalliances.
Wikipedia
Advertisement
Red-Hot Rages
Elizabeth was sharp and clever, but she didn't suffer fools gladly. Once, one of her councillors urged the queen that she must go to bed. An enraged Elizabeth snapped back,“'Must' is not a word to use to princes, little man". And if you think that's the last scathing comment Elizabeth ever made, you don't know the Virgin Queen at all.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Universal Pictures
Advertisement
Meet Your New Mom
As if your dad killing your mom in cold blood wasn’t enough, the baby Elizabeth also had to deal with a new stepmom very soon after Anne Boleyn went to the gallows. Henry’s third queen, Jane Seymour , moved into the palace just 11 days after the execution. Then, there was yet another plot twist.
Wikipedia
Advertisement
The Favorite Child
In 1537, just a year after Seymour married King Henry VIII, Elizabeth had a new baby brother, Edward. But he wasn’t just any baby brother. Though Elizabeth had an older sister, Mary, King Henry still lacked an official male heir to the throne. Well, now he had one, and—if fate hadn’t intervened—Elizabeth might have played second fiddle to him all her life.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
Motherly Love
Although she kept it on the down-low for political reasons, Elizabeth loved her mother Anne Boleyn very much. She quietly honored her and her family by taking care of their positions at court, and always kept her mother's portrait in a locket on her necklace.
Getty Images
Advertisement
It's All Looks
Elizabeth I was always careful to present her best self. This meant wearing heavy makeup— but the cosmetics had a dark side. Elizabethan makeup was made of abrasive and even poisonous products like lead and vinegar, which probably did more damage to Elizabeth's skin than helped it. She also used beeswax and kohl in her beauty regimen.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Universal Pictures
Advertisement
That’s No Way for a Girl to Talk
Like her father King Henry VIII, Elizabeth apparently swore and cursed like nobody's business.
Flickr
Advertisement
History's most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily.
SUBSCRIBE
Thank you!
Error, please try again.
A Ward of the State
Tragedy and drama seemed to follow Elizabeth wherever she went. When she was still a teenager, her father King Henry finally passed, leaving Elizabeth an orphan in the care of her stepmother, Catherine Parr. Parr almost immediately married a nobleman named Thomas Seymour, integrating the princess into her household. It ended up being a disastrous move.
Wikipedia
Advertisement
Creepy Step-Dad
Almost as soon as Princess Elizabeth moved in with her foster parents, the 40-year-old Seymour started ramping up increasingly disturbing behaviors. First, he would creep into her bedroom in his nightgown and tickle her. He even progressed to slapping her on her rear. Sadly, before it got better, it got a whole lot worse.
Getty Images
Advertisement
Getting in on the "Fun"
According to records from the time, Elizabeth’s stepmother Catherine Parr did nothing to stop these inappropriate romps—in fact, she even participated in them. At least twice, she helped her husband tickle Elizabeth, and in a particularly alarming incident, she held the princess down as Seymour ripped the girl’s dress into pieces. Then, it all reached a frightening crescendo.
The Tudors, BBC Two
Advertisement
Too Close for Comfort
Sometime around May 1548, Catherine Parr made a chilling discovery. She stumbled across Seymour and the teenaged Elizabeth locked in an embrace, indicating that the romps were quickly moving into romance. Whether from jealousy or fear for the girl, Parr sent the princess away soon after. If only that were the last Elizabeth saw of Seymour…
Advertisement
Sensible Shoes
Despite her love of fashion, Elizabeth I didn't wear her first pair of high heels until she was 62.
Needpix
Advertisement
Alone and Vulnerable
Mere months after discovering her husband and her ward together, Catherine Parr perished in childbirth. Now the exiled Elizabeth was truly alone, and the human garbage fire that was Thomas Seymour wasted no time taking advantage of her vulnerability. With his wife conveniently out of the way, the “mourning” Seymour turned his attentions back to the princess. This time, it would be his downfall.
The Tudors, BBC Two
Advertisement
He Had It Coming
By this point, even the royal council had had enough of Seymour’s creepy scheming, and they charged him with treason for his plots to marry Elizabeth. The princess’s tormentor was finally executed on March 20, 1549. To put this all in perspective for you, at this point even years later, Elizabeth was still barely into her teen years.
Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
The Beggar Queen
When one of Elizabeth's imperial envoys pushed the "Virgin Queen" about marrying, her response was legendary. Elizabeth reportedly sniped at him, “Beggar-woman and single, far rather than queen and married". In other words, there was no way she was giving up her immense money and power for just any old man.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Universal Pictures
Advertisement
The Boy King Is Dead
On July 6, 1553, Elizabeth’s brother Edward, who had become King in Henry’s stead, expired young, throwing the kingdom into chaos. For one, he named the upstart Jane Grey—not his sisters Elizabeth or Mary—as his successor. Suddenly, Mary and Elizabeth found themselves fighting for their birthright, and they joined forces to overthrow the usurping queen.
Wikipedia
Advertisement
The Nine Days Queen
In the end, Lady Jane Grey was only the “Nine Days Queen”; Elizabeth and Mary proved too powerful for her. The sisters had her summarily executed, and in August 1553, the elder Mary rode into London to officially reclaim her throne. It could have been a triumphant moment of sisterly love, but that’s not quite how it went down.
Wikipedia
Advertisemen…

Text scraped from the landing page for research purposes. © respective owners. This text is sourced from the advertiser's public landing page; for removal, contact dmca@luba.media.