Duke of Anjou

Elizabeth’s Favorite Men

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Queen Elizabeth was a single woman with a kingdom (or two) at her disposal. Many men wished to marry the Queen to advance their own status. Some came closer than others.  In this article we're going to focus on two men (other than Robert Dudley) who came closest to marrying the Queen. Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon Francis Valois was the son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici -- he was born in 1555.  Francis was considered attractive as a child, however [More]

Lettice Knollys: Cousin vs Queen (Part 3)

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Guest article by Karlie aka History Gal Lettice Knollys’ flirtation and subsequent marriage to Queen Elizabeth’s favorite, Robert Dudley, saw her banished from court in 1569 and again in 1579.  Lettice had been forgiven once, but the Queen was not inclined to forgive her cousin again. Dudley, on the other hand, was summoned back to court in a matter of weeks since Elizabeth banished him to Wanstead Hall (his estate in Essex). His favor with the Queen restored, [More]

Queen Elizabeth’s Marriage Prospects

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  For Queen Elizabeth to find a husband seemed critical to those in her council. On the other-hand, we here at Tudors Dynasty feel that Elizabeth came to the conclusion well before becoming queen that she would not wed - especially when she saw what it did to her sister Mary's reign. The biggest factor for Elizabeth was that she did not want a foreign ruler, nor any man to rule her kingdom over herself. She was, after-all Queen of England. In this article we [More]