Queen Elizabeth I ruled England with a firm hand for 45 long years. She never married, left no heirs, and the Tudor dynasty ended with her.
The queen introduced a fashion for puffy collars to hide the Adam's apple
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 her belonging to the fair sex. For a century now, the virgin queen has been suspected of being … a man.
An unexpected find
At the beginning of the 20th century, the English writer Bram Stoker, together with his friend actor Henry Irving, were looking for a summer home in the picturesque Cotswolds, Gloucestershire. Arriving in the village of Beasley to inspect the next cottage, the friends got to the theatrical holiday "Queen's Day", where the role of the young princess was played by a boy dressed in an Elizabethan costume. Having become interested in the young performer, the guests began to ask the residents about the reason for the strange reincarnation of the youth into a girl - and heard an intriguing story.
The Legend of the Beasley Boy
Promotional video:
According to legend, ten-year-old Elizabeth was taken to the Overcourt estate in the village of Beasley in 1543, away from the plague that raged 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 for such news the cruel and impulsive king might throw them into prison. Hiding the girl's body, the princess's servants rushed to the surrounding villages in search of a young villager like her.
They counted on the time to replace Elizabeth with another child and only after the king's departure to 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 the cunning governess was not accidental. At that time, numerous royal bastards were adopted into the family and brought up together with the legitimate children of the monarch, but they were deprived of the right to the throne. It is believed that Neville (that was the name of the boy) was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. The external resemblance to Elizabeth - red hair, age, the same height - helped to carry out the plan.
Heinrich last saw his youngest daughter at the age of three. According to witnesses, she was afraid of the king. There was no question 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 devastating 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 of England Tudor.
Strange for the morals of the court, Elizabeth's close relationship with the governors who were assigned to her at Beasley survived even after she no longer needed their care. Sir Robert Terwitt wrote to Edward Seymour in 1549: "I am sure there is a secret between Lady, Mrs. Kat Ashley (Elizabeth's governess), Sir Thomas Perry and Blanche Perry, which they will not confess until their death." Elizabeth kept them by her side and showered them with favors in every possible way. Kat Ashley became the Queen's maid, later succeeded by Blanche Perry.
Elizabeth's appearance raises questions. She is known to have used a thick layer of makeup, perhaps to hide rough skin and shaving marks. She wore a wig as she became bald when she reached middle age. Hair loss by the age of forty is not uncommon for men, for women of this age it is unprecedented. Elizabeth introduced a high collar, consisting of many folds of fabric, into fashion. He lay on his shoulders like a millstone, well hiding … the 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 examining her body after death.
The main argument of the 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 spouse, give birth to an heir and continue the Tudor dynasty. This is what her father dreamed of. But as time went on, she remained unmarried. 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 realized that she (Elizabeth) would not have children." …
In 1588, when the Spanish Invincible Armada was heading for the British Isles, Elizabeth turned to 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 princess's handwriting and writing style changed. There is a letter from Roger Esham, a teacher and scientist, to the rector of the University of Strasbourg, dated 1550. He wrote that the mind of the princess was miraculously freed from female weakness, and she was endowed with a masculine character. The scientist noted the incredible successes of Elizabeth in French, Italian, Greek and Latin. I was pleased to emphasize that the young lady was completely indifferent to jewelry and external brilliance and, in all her way of life, rather resembled a young man 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 proof of his assumption. In 1870, the new owners of the neglected garden at 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 centuries and was covered in moss. Suddenly, the remains of a teenage girl appeared before them. Fragments of fine silk and brocade clothing have survived.
After inspecting the contents of the niche, it became clear that the girl lived in the Tudor era and that at the time of her death she was approximately 11 years old. 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 Cabl, who was present at its autopsy, a man not inclined to jokes and practical jokes, was sure that the ashes of the real daughter of Henry VIII had opened to his eyes. The priest reburied the remains, but over time, the new grave of the real Elizabeth (?) Was lost.
After the release of Bram Stoker's book, voices were heard demanding the exhumation of the ashes of Elizabeth I. resting in Westminster Abbey in order to conduct an appropriate examination. However, the royal family categorically banned any research, leaving a wide field for rumors and speculation.
After the death of the queen and the accession to the throne of the son of Mary Stuart, there was a saying among the people: "Elizabeth was king, and James became queen." The masculinity of his predecessor, her celibacy, multiplied by legend, give strong reasons to think that Queen Elizabeth I of England Tudor was not a representative of the weaker sex. Or maybe with the help of the "story of substitution" 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 so far the above is perceived by most historians as a scandalous fiction.
Marina UDENTSOVA
"Secrets of the XX century" July 2012