Redhead of the Week

Why did this woman never marry?

Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most admired rulers of all time, a legend in her own lifetime, famed for kicking some serious Spanish butt when Spain tried to invade England. But Elizabeth is also an enigma.

Why did she never marry?

The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533 at Greenwich Palace. Her birth was possibly the greatest disappointment of her father's life. He had wanted a son and heir to succeed him as he already had a daughter, Mary, by his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.

Since Elizabeth's mother failed to provide the King with a son, Anne Boleyn was executed on charges of incest and adultery in 1536. (It took Henry a few years to work up the courage.) Anne's marriage to the King was declared null and void, and Elizabeth, like her half-sister, Mary, was declared illegitimate and deprived of succession.

How she eventually won the crown is another story, but illustrative of redheads. You don't want to cross'em.

Theories on why Elizabeth never married: Lots of women died in childbirth back then, including one of her stepmothers. If you don't want children, why get married? Some historians say the right sort of partner never showed, a worthy match. Others point out that her father executed half a dozen wives. Would you want to be a wife?

I have another theory. I think maybe Liz and I met in another lifetime somewhere, we fell in love, and she could never bring herself to marry anyone but Austin Carr. I wonder if The Famous Author would go for this as the story line in book four or five--Time Traveling Austin Carr Seduces Famous Queen.

Maybe I'll get him to throw in a vampire cat, too.

Thanks to the monarchy and queenelizabethI.org