The Virgin Queen

Why was Queen Elizabeth I called the Virgin Queen?

Queen Elizabeth I was called the Virgin Queen because she preferred to remain single and throughout her entire life, Queen Elizabeth I was very proud of her well preserved chastity. Hence she was known as The Virgin Queen.

Queen Elizabeth I may be the Virgin Queen but there was certainly nothing cold or puritanical about her. Queen Elizabeth I was coquettish and vain, had her father's fiery temper, spent a fortune on her lavish wardrobe and jewels, loved to dance, was a skilled sportswoman with a particular taste for falconry and stag hunting, and was a scholar and a charming conversationalist. Queen Elizabeth I could also, when the occasion arose, swear like a sailor. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth I was pretty, as her mother had been - flaming hair, fair white skin, and golden eyes. Men were attracted to her, not just for her position, but for who she was.

The Virgin Queen and her lovers

Elizabeth treated her lovers with affection and generosity but she never allowed them to forget her position. Once, when Robert Dudley stepped over the line, she was heard to say: "God's death! My Lord, I will have here but one mistress and no master." Queen Elizabeth I was too bright not to realize that a husband, even a commoner, would try to usurp some of her power. But more importantly, as the Virgin Queen herself said many times, she considered herself to be the bride, the mother, and the daughter of England.