Hello, and welcome to Western SIEV Episode two hundred and ninety six, The Virgin Queen. There was no issue more important throughout the early years of Elizabeth's reign than whom she would marry. It was assumed she would, but as we will see today, Elizabeth would quite literally shocked the world when she determined to remain unmarried throughout her reign, with major repercussions later on. Well, those repercussions are for a future episode. For now, let's get back to
our story where we left off the coronation. On the morning of her coronation eve, Queen Elizabeth was wearing a robe made of twenty three yards of cloth of gold and silver, trimmed with ermine and overlain with gold lace, one of the four she had ordered for her coronation. On her head, she had a golden cap ringed with a princess's crown. Outside, light flakes of snow were drifting down. The sky, as always in London, was a leaden gray, but the corti airs in the Queen's vast retinue glowed in rich
satins and velvets, glittering with jewels. The magnificent procession formed with over a thousand mounted dignitary, and Elizabeth walked to her waiting litter, which was lined with white satin and trimmed with gold. Before climbing in, she prayed aloud, quote, Oh, Almighty and Everlasting God, I give thee most hearty thanks that thou hast been so merciful unto me to spare me to behold this
joyful day. Thou hast dealt as wonderful and as mercifully with me as thou didst with Daniel, whom thou delivered out of the den from the cruelty of the raging lions. Even so was I overwhelmed, and only by THEE delivered end quote. It was an apt prayer, by the way, as lions in the tower menagerie were just then making their presence known by roars and growls.
Having reiterated her conviction that God himself had brought her to the throne, the queen finally entered his litter and made herself comfortable on eight enormous cushions. The whole event had been planned as a propaganda ex sized, intended to cement the harmonious relationship between Elizabeth and her people and Harold the New Age that was beginning. As the Queen's entourage made its way through the city, she was met with a variety of specially designed pageants at every turn and stop. Many
of these took almost direct jabs at Queen Mary and her Catholic leanings. London, after all, was a Protestant bastion. Elizabeth greeted these displays with smiles and approval. It was clear to all whose side she was on. Throughout the pageants and processions. It was also clear that Elizabeth was intimately interested in her subjects. She would converse with those who took part in the pageants afterwards,
and even gasp, listen to their complaints. To many present, this was being a bit too comfortable for a monarch, but it made the common people love her evermore. By days end, Elizabeth was exult, lost it and collapsed into her bed at Westminster, where she slept that night. Elizabeth's coronation day was January fifteenth, fifteen fifty nine. Her coronation was remarkable, both for its opulence and the fact that it was the last in England's history
to be conducted in London. All of the major peers of the realm were present, and everyone was in high spirits. After the ceremonies were all ended, there was a traditional Lavish banquet at Westminster the next day. Elizabeth remained in bed, exhausted from the festivities. The scheduled tournament went ahead anyway. Now that she was firmly established on the throne, Elizabeth turned her attention to
the urgent matters of state that we debated in her first Parliament. Two issues seemed likely to dominate the session, the controversial always subject of religion, and the more delicate matter of the Queen's marriage. For most people, it wasn't a question of whether she would marry, but whom she would marry. Link to this was of course, the ongoing issue the tutor succession, which had existed in politicians' minds for four decades now, because it wasn't clear who would
succeed in the event of Elizabeth's early death. On the political front, there were hopes that a peace would be concluded with France, thereby frustrating those who wished to support the Dauphenine Mary Stuart dynastic claims and removing the necessity for French troops to remain in Scotland. Such a peace was rendered all the more necessary by the news that on the sixteenth of January, Mary and her husband had
begun styling themselves the King and Queen of England. Yet it was also necessary that England maintained its friendship with Spain in order to safeguard lucrative trading links between the two powers, and of course, to obtain protection against French ambitions. It was obvious to the Queen from the first that her sin success in the field of diplomacy would depend on playing off those two bitter enemies, France and Spain. Lack of money was a major problem that would have to be addressed.
Elizabeth's annual income was about two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, out of which she had to finance the needs of court and government and pay off Queen Mary's debts two hundred and sixty six thousand pounds. Prices arising all the time, Elizabeth so set herself to live within her means and practiced the most stringent economy and selling off multiple crown lands. As a result, her annual expenditure
never once exceeded three hundred pounds throughout her entire reign. Elizabeth was finally able to open Parliament on the twenty fifth of January. Back in Mary's reign, one of her first acts in Parliament as queen had been to declare herself legitimate. Elizabeth wondered whether she should do the same. After all, Henry, her father, had divorced her mother as well, but Elizabeth did not. She was declared the rightful claimant to the throne in Henry the Eighth's Will,
and so for now she let those sleeping dogs lie. The succession was another sensitive issue. The Tutors were not a fertile family, and there was a relative paucity of suitable heirs to replace the Queen should she die childless. The fifteen forty four Act and Henry the Eighth's Will provided that after Elizabeth, the crown should pass to the heirs of his younger sister, Mary, Duchess of
Suffolk. Mary had left two daughters, Francis and Eleanor Brandon. The elder Francis had produced three daughters, one of whom had been the ill fated Lady Jane Gray. The two other daughters were Lady Catherine and Lady Mary Gray, aged nineteen and fourteen in fifteen fifty nine. Both were Protestants, but Elizabeth really disliked them, especially Catherine. It was said, quote the Queen could
not abide the sight of her end quote. She was particularly suspicious of their dynastic pretensions, and perhaps with cause, for in fifteen fifty nine there were rumors that King Philip, aware that Lady Catherine Gray had the strongest claim to the English succession, was plotting to abduct her and make her the wife of his heir, the insane Don Carlos that we met a few episodes ago.
Catherine was well aware of Elizabeth's dislike, and in March fifteen fifty nine revealed to the Spanish ambassador that she knew her cousin did not wish her to succeed. Nor was the Queen much more enamored of Lady Mary Gray, who she referred to as a hunchback dwarf. Many people frankly shared Elizabeth's antipathy towards the Gray sisters, and some argued that their father's treason in supporting Northumberland had rendered their claim to a place in the succession forfeit. Anyway, so none of
this matter. Next in the Suffolk line, after the Gray sisters came Margaret, the only child of Eleanor Brandon, who was married to Henry Lord Strange, later Earl of Derby. In Queen Mary's time, some people had viewed Margaret as a likely successor to the throne, in view of the fact that, unlike the Gray family, she had not taken part in Northumberland's treacherous coup back in fifteen fifty three, when he tried to supplant Lady Jane for Queen
Mary. Despite the fact that Margaret had no desire at all to be Queen, Elizabeth insisted on her coming to court often quote as one very near in blood to us end quote, but really to keep an eye on her. Another possible claimant was Henry Hastings, descended from Edward the third. Henry never once raised his claim, however, he served Elizabeth faithfully his entire life.
Of course, there was another claimant, France and its King, Henry the Second, believed that Mary Stuart Mary Queen of Scots, was the rightful heir to the English throne. In reality, however, she had no legitimate claim to the throne for a number of reasons. Not that that mattered. Of course, Elizabeth was never going to let that happen. Elizabeth, in fact hated discussing the succession, which I suppose makes sense given that that would mean
discussing her death. Elizabeth also knew that if she named an heir, all she was likely doing was appointing the figurehead of her next revolt, and she Elizabeth would often remark, had enough of those as it was. Of course, the obvious illusion to all of this was for Elizabeth to marry and have children. On February fourth, in fact, Parliament drafted a resolution asking the
Queen to marry as soon as possible. The petition reminded Elizabeth that it'd be better for her and quote her kingdom if she were to take a consort who might relieve her of those labors which are only fit for men end quote. When she heard these words, the Queen was plainly astonished at the boldness approaching such a delicate issue. She heard and recovered herself and responded graciously, saying, quote in a manner most unpleasing pleasing to me is the apparent goodwill of
you and my people end quote. She then went on to state that she had decided to stay single, despite being offered marriage by quote end quote, the most potent of princes. She considered that she already had her kingdom, who was both her husband and her child. She stated, quote, I am already bound unto a husband, which is the Kingdom of England. End quote. She went on to assure her comments that she would do as God directed her. She had never been inclined toward marriage, but wouldn't rule it
out completely. If she did marry, she would not do anything prejudicial ever to the commonwealth, and she would choose only a husband who quote would be as careful for the preservation of the realm as she was herself end quote. As for the succession, the queen promised that the realm would have an heir.
Yet who that air was she did not specify. If she remained single, she continued, she was certain quote that God would so direct mine and your counsels, that ye shall not need to doubt of a successor who may be more beneficial to the commonwealth than he who may be born of me,
considering that the issue of the best princes many times degenerate end quote. All of this, she was implying that any son of her body might conspire to overthrow her a mere woman, a thing which probably few among her patriarchal advisors. Would even lift a finger to prevent. At best, frankly, pressure
might be put upon her to abdicate in favor of any son. Concluding, then, she declared, quote in the end, this shall be for me sufficient that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin quote. And thus it was from this statement that was born the legend of the Virgin Queen, upon which Elizabeth would capitalize to full advantage, and which would achieve essentially cult status in the years
to come. Six days later, a copy of Elizabeth's response was read to Parliament. The Commons was aghast. If Elizabeth did not Mary, then there would be no answer to the succession issue, and if that were the case, then the tenuous religious compromise might be undone. If Elizabeth wanted to protect her Protestant subjects, William Cecil told her that she needed to marry. Cecil, in fact, remained wary of the idea of a woman ruling the kingdom.
He believed she should marry and start having children. That was proper. Her husband could rule in her name as was natural. But to a large extent, Elizabeth was just being careful she had witnessed the major headaches Mary's marriage to Philip had brought. There were political advantages to staying single. Sure, a foreign prince might protect England, but he might also view England as a mere satellite, as a means to pay for continental wars, or as a
pawn in a game against a larger opponent. Regardless of the reason, Elizabeth assumed, probably rightly, that any husband would see her and her kingdom as second tier entities and spend much of his time elsewhere. What she wondered would be the point of that. Of course, she could marry an Englishman, but that avenue had pitfalls of its own. Marrying someone from court would buy necessity, elevate that man's family. Factions would form, as they had throughout
the later years of Henry the Eighth's reign. If those factions grew in power, it might be right back to the Wars of the Roses. And if everyone could agree on at least one thing, it was that no one wanted to go back to the Wars of the Roses. But most of all, Elizabeth didn't want to lose her freedom. Keep in mind that Elizabeth had just finally gained her autonomy after living in forced seclusion for years, she didn't want
to go back to the shadows. Elizabeth was highly intelligent. Wives were supposed to be obedient and subservient to their husbands, Yet Elizabeth was also supposed to be the queen of her kingdom, and that wouldn't be an easy dance to pull off. Philip had been frustrated when Mary did not follow his advice. The whole situation seemed to guarantee either a total loss of autonomy for Elizabeth or a guarantee of marital strife the queen wanted neither. Writers have endlessly speculated that
there was a more fundamental reason for Elizabeth's hesitation to marriage. Robert Dudley later told a French ambassador that from the age of eight, the queen had declared that she would never marry. She had been eight when Henry the Eighth's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, had been executed for adultery, and this may have
awakened a painful awareness of how her father had similarly killed her mother. When she was fifteen, the man who had probably been her i'll say first least love interest or maybe lust interest, Admiral Seymour, had gone to the chopping block. It's possible that these events so traumatized her that she could only equate marriage and even courtship with death. She herself told the Scott's Envoy in fifteen sixty one that certain events in her youth made it impossible for her to regard
marriage with anything like security. She blamed this on the marital problems of her father and her sisters. She wrote, quote, some say that this marriage was unlawful, that one was a bastard, and some other to and fro as they favored or misliked. So many doubts of marriage was in all hands that I am in awe of myself to enter into marriage fearing the controversy end
quote. In addition to this, of course, the tragic experience of her sister Mary, and the unhappy example of many marriages amongst the various peers of England cannot have failed to deter the Queen. This was an age of arranged marriages, and many well born persons suffered in incompatible unions. Some, such as the Earls of Worcester, Derby and Shrewsbury, even separated from their wives. In each case, Elizabeth was acted as an unofficial marriage guidance counselor insisting
without success on reconciliation. Fear of childbirth might also have played a role. Two of Elizabeth's stepmothers, Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr, died as a result of childbirth. Time and time again, Elizabeth would flirt with the idea of marriage, only to back away, often at the last minute. It has been argued that Elizabeth's aversion to marriage was that she couldn't medically bear children,
but there's no direct evidence to support that contention. Elizabeth was consistently flirtatious with the men of her court throughout her reign. Rumors consistently flew around the Queen that she had numerous lovers. Some even suggested that she had secret children hidden away in different locations. There's no credible evidence to support these assertions. Even the most foreign ambassadors, the most opposed to Elizabeth, did not believe the
Slanders. The Queen's much vaunted virginity was a matter not of personal choice but of state policy, and in many ways it cost her, condemning her to a lifetime of lonely isolation, emotional deprivation, and enforced chastity. She did indeed make a virtue of what she sought to be a necessity, and sometimes the strain showed on her. She may have teased her lovers and allowed them
certain liberties, but never more than that. It may be that the sex act itself to frighten her in some way, that she was psychologically unable to part anticipate. But even if this were true, it didn't alter the fact that she felt more invincible being this persona, this idea, this virgin queen. To remain invincible, she must not only bear the name, but also play the part with conviction. And that meant illicit sexual intercourse was always strictly
forbidden, whatever her private feelings might have been about it. Many people believed, and some still do, that because Elizabeth loved courtship and flirtation, she was in some way immoral, But in fact she was hardly ever alone. In fact, she herself would later write, quote I am always surrounded by my ladies at the bedchamber and maids of honor end quote who slept in her bedroom with her. Furthermore, she would write, quote, my life is
in the open, and I have so many witnesses. I cannot understand how so bad a judgment can be formed of me. End quote. Now hardly anyone took Elizabeth at her word when she expressed her wish to say single. Both Parliament and the Council would behave as if the only choice of husband was an issue, and foreign ambassadors would press the suits of various masters with good
hopes of success. Elizabeth always played along with the game. She loved nothing more than masculine attention and flattery, and she did revel in the ritual of courtship at least in fact, so well did she play her part that most people were deceived into thinking that she had in fact changed her mind about remaining celibate, and that it was only a matter of time and a matter of choice. This view was given credence by Elizabeth's fondness for discussing her possible nuptials
or declaring that quote. She was but human and not insensible to human emotions, and when it became a question of the well being of her kingdom, or might be for other reasons, her heart might change end quote. Prove advantageous for her to have European princes competing for her hand in England's friendship at a time when the country was weak and impoverished well, they believed that they stood a chance of marrying her, they were unlikely to stir up trouble.
In late February, the Spanish ambassador finally put Philip's marriage proposal before the Queen. She politely declined then and there. He responded by saying that would result in Mary, Queen of Scott's, inevitably seizing the throne. At some point. This assertion caused Elizabeth to fly into a rage, so much so that when she was done, she collapsed into a chair and told the ambassador she'd need to think about it. She told him the next day that she was
inclined to accept, but needed to consult Parliament. Cecil was appalled, as Elizabeth no doubt knew he would be. Parliament did not want Philip part two. They hadn't wanted him the first time around. Elizabeth certainly knew that. As we will see, Elizabeth was very skilled at giving responses that would in the moment make the person she was conversing with optimistic, even though she knew in the long run all she had really done was reject their request. Of
course, the other major issue facing Elizabeth upon her ascension was religion. England had now vacillated wildly between the Catholic and Evangelical faiths. Elizabeth would prove much more moderate. She had been taught by Protestant tutors, but she also loved the pageantry of the old faith. Famously, she once summed up her views on religion as follows. Quote, there is only one Jesus Christ. The rest is all a dispute over trifles. Quote Catherine de Medici will say much
the same thing. Elizabeth was not Mary. She was no fanatic. In fact, she despised extremists on both sides of the isle, Protestant and Catholic. For her, the arguments of theologians and the divines were quote as ropes of sand or sea slime leading to the moon. End quote. She told Parliament in fifteen ninety I see many over bold, with the God Almighty making too many subtle scannings of his blessings will, as lawyers do with human testaments.
If I were not certain that mine were the true way to God's will, God forbid that I should live to prescribe it to you. End quote. Early in her reign, she confided in several ambassadors that she just differed very little from Catholics in her beliefs. She believed in the sacrament and only dissented in a couple of things in the Mass. But we might want to discount this because she said it at a time when she needed spain support.
She was quite capable of criticizing the Old Faith. In fifteen seventy seven, she referred to it in a letter to German Protestants as quote the darkness and filth of popery end quote. When she learned that King Philip was persecuting Protestants in the Netherlands, she wrote to ask him why he cared so much what they believed, And even later in her reign, she refused to allow Sir Walter Raleigh's alleged atheism to be investigated. Because of all this, some accused
her of being an atheist herself. Yet she read the Bible regularly, keeping faith in her own and very private way. She believed very much in the strong hand of Providence. When England was threatened by Spain in the fifteen eighties, she famously said that God has not yet decided that England shall cease to stand. More than anything, Elizabeth hated many aspects of official religion, especially the sermons. If a preacher went on for too long, it was not
unusual at all for her to shout at him to be quiet. There were practical reasons, too, for her to dislike these sermons. They often serves as subtle means for men to criticize her. This was especially true of the radical Protestant group that would later be known as the Puritans. She consistently irritated them by supporting the arts throughout her reign, even going so far as to form her own company of actors known as the Queen's Men. Lucky for us,
though this was, after all, the age of Shakespeare. Elizabeth despised clergy who married, and would often simply refuse to acknowledge their wives in public. Now, Queen Mary had repealed Henry the Eighth's Act of Supremacy, and when Elizabeth succeeded to the thrown, England was still technically a Catholic kingdom under
the jurisdiction of the Pope. However, most people expected the royal supremacy to be restored by Parliament, just as some kind of Protestant religious settlement was anticipated. Since her ascension, Elizabeth had given only hints as to her intentions regarding the crucial issue of religion. But those hints had led people to believe that England would once again become independent of the Catholic Church. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, there could be only one head of the Church in England,
and that was the monarch. She believed she had been called on by the deity to bring about quote the according and unity of these people of the Realm into a uniform order of religion, to the honor and glory of God, the establishing of the Church, and the tranquility of the Realm end quote. One of her chief concerns was that public worship should be conducted in the correct form in English, and she was to insist, much to the discos of
her stricter Protestant subjects, upon retaining some forms of Catholic ritual. She kept candles as well as crucifixes in her private chapel, and insisted that her clergy wear caps, capes and surpluses. She nevertheless abandoned the more elaborate ceremonies that smacked of Rome, such as a belief in miracles, indulgences, and the veneration of the Virgin Mary. In fact, she losed the scent of incense in churches, but the peeria tends all the same still found much to complain
about. They kind of have a tendency to do that no matter what. Elizabeth encouraged the worship of Saint George, though mostly to encourage nationalistic sentiments. Though Catholics were viciously persecuted throughout her reign, Elizabeth held no personal animosity toward them. She had a few Catholics in her household. In fact, all these persecutions, they were political in nature, not religious. The priests who were executed were put to death, as we will see, because of treason's
behavior, not because of what they've believed. So long as you accepted her as the rightful Queen of England, Elizabeth was content to let you be. In the end, she wanted loyalty and outward conformity. That was all. On February the ninth, fifteen fifty nine, Parliament finally moved forward on the religion issue. The first goal was to restore royal supremacy, but the first
bill was hopelessly flawed and it failed miserably. Then on February sixteenth, the Pope in Rome declared non Catholic rulers might be lawfully deposed by their Catholic subjects or by other Catholic rulers. This only raised further fears of a French sponsored invasion with the aim of placing Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne. Elizabeth wanted a middle road. England would be Protestant, but it would not be Puritan. The byword of her reign would be compromise. Now the
sticking point at first was all semantics. Some members of Parliament did not feel that a woman could be the supreme head of the English Church, so with Elizabeth's approval, they changed the name to Supreme Governor, and so it was. On March the eighteenth, Parliament passed a new Bill of Supremacy declaring Elizabeth Supreme Governor. The following week, Elizabeth restored the Book of Common Prayer that
had been used under Edward. Of course, throughout the early parts of fifteen fifty nine, various ambassadors continued to press Elizabeth on the question of her marriage. The Holy Roman Emperor sent ambassadors to see if she might wed one of her sons, But on March fourteenth, when the Religious settlement plus a peace treaty with France seemed all but done. She finally summoned Philip's ambassador. She told him firmly that the answer was no, Well, she would not marry
Philip. She gave two reasons. One she felt that Philip was a heretic. Two she didn't want to. The ambassador subsequently reported the news back to his master, who was doubtless relieved. Spain, too, was moving toward peace with France. In fact, just weeks later, Philip announced his marriage to one of Henry the Second's daughters. Philip, though for now, did not give up on the goal of bringing Elizabeth and hence England back into the
Catholic fold. He began casting about for various habsburgs that might fit the bill. Evidently, Philip had not been listening closely when Elizabeth said there were two reasons she didn't want to get married, one of them that she didn't want to. Early in April, England and France signed the peace treaty I just alluded to. The terms were quite simple. Calai was to remain in French hands for eight years. After that, all bets were off. Throughout her
reign. Elizabeth was confident she could regain England's last territorial possession on the continent. It was her only real delusion. France and Spain signed a separate treaty, and for a moment at least the major European powers were at peace. Elizabeth now felt more secure and more able to proclaim England's position in Europe as a Protestant nation. Over the Easter holidays, the Queen thrashed out the new settlement with her lords, both spiritual and temporal, and in the end managed
to reach a compromise with the more pre Britanical reformers. Elizabeth was to have the title Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and an act of uniformity was to restore by law Edward's Book of Common Prayer of fifteen fifty two. The Mass was outlawed and all services were to be in English. Transubstantiation was denied. Anglican communicants were instead instructed to feed on Jesus Christ in their hearts
with faith, church ornaments. Investments were subject to the Queen's own discretion. Every subject over sixteen was to be required to attend church on Sundays or be fined twelve pence for non attendance. These fines would of course be paid mainly by Catholic recusants, who were not otherwise molested in practice. In a few years some were subject to petty harassment for attending or celebrating mass. Elizabeth took time away from these negotiations and on the twenty third of April took a boat
and rowed up and down the River Thames. Hundreds of boats and barges were rowing about her, and thousands of people were thronging at the waterside to look upon her majesty. For the trumpets, blue drums, beat, flutes played, guns were discharged, and squibs hurled up into the air as the Queen moved from place to place, and thus continued until ten o'clock at night,
when the Queen departed at home. By these means, showing herself so freely and condescendingly onto her people, she made herself dear and acceptable to them end quote. The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity were passed in Parliament on April twenty ninth, fifteen fifty nine. On the eighth of May, Elizabeth approved them, making Protestantism the official religion of the state, and establishing a form of
worship that in essence, is still in practice in England today. Of course, both Catholics and Calvinists wanted the reforms to go further, albeit in different directions, but the vast majority of Elizabeth's subjects applauded this compromise. Now England just needed a spiritual leader, you see, the position of Archbishop of Canterbury had been vacant since the death of Stephen Gardner at the end of Mary's reign. Elizabeth wanted to offer the job to Matthew Parker, who had been her
mother Anne Milynn's personal chaplain. He didn't want it, and it took him five months, but eventually he succumbed to the pressure and accepted. While all this was going on, Imperial diplomats continued to press the idea of marriage into the Habsburg family. The Emperor now intended to marry his son Charles to Elizabeth, but the plan was flawed from the start. The Emperor assumed that Elizabeth would convert to Catholicism after the marriage, while the English negotiators assumed Charles would
convert to Protestantism. Clearly, the two sides were not seeing eye to eye. It only got worse from there. The Imperial Master went ahead with a marriage proposal directly to Elizabeth. Anyway, she demurred, indicating that she did not intend to marry, But she replied she might consider Charles if he personally came to England to meet her. To us, that probably makes sense.
It sounds like no thing at all out of the ordinary. But in the sixteenth century that kind of request was a non starter, and Elizabeth knew it. The Emperor would never risk the humiliation that his son might go and then be rejected. Moreover, Charles himself had no interest in going to England unless the marriage was a done deal. Meanwhile, two English candidates had by that May emerged as potential suitors. One was the forty seven year old Henry Fitzalan.
Elizabeth remembers twenty five. He is described as follows quote a flighty man of no ability, rather silly and loudish end quote. Ouch. Elizabeth did not take his courtship seriously. The other was the forty two year old William Pickering, a former ambassador who just returned from abroad. He had been Elizabeth's friend and confidant since Mary's reign. He was the most popular choice amongst those in the Privy Council. Indeed, at this point he seemed like the only
serious choice. Elizabeth never seriously considered him, though in fact, that spring, unbeknownst to everyone, at least at first, a third potential suitor had emerged. He was the most serious contender of all, and probably the only man Elizabeth ever loved. His name was Robert Dudley.