Today’s Courageous Canbacer is Queen Elizabeth I. No, you don’t need your eyes testing and I haven’t totally lost the plot: well not quite yet. There a number of people lining up to share their Courageous Canbacer stories: however, they all wanted a little time to get used to the word, the new mindset before they started to write something for “The Canbace Diaries”. So rather than not have an inspirational story to share today I decided to look back in history. When thinking about who to write about my first thought was Elizabeth I. For years, whenever I have been asked about inspirational childless women in history she’s always been my first choice. Now it my chance to share with you why Good Queen Bess is a Courageous Canbacer.
This Courageous Canbacer’s Life in three sentences
The Princess Elizabeth was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Upon her mother’s execution in 1536 Elizabeth was declared illegitimate and the crown settled on the future children of Henry’s new wife Jane Seymour. In the 14 years between her mother’s beheading and her father’s death Elizabeth had THREE stepmothers.
So, let’s have a look at the evidence about why I think Queen Elizabeth I was a courageous Canbacer….
In her book “Living the Life Unexpected” Jody Day writes about the fifty ways not to be a mother. #6 in the list starts with “being scared of having children because of our own difficult childhood”. Well I think we’re all agree that Elizabeth certainly had a “difficult childhood”. In less than three years she went from being an adored daughter by both mother and father to the discarded daughters of a father who had beheaded her mother. I think by anyone’s standards that “difficult” and might put you off having children of your own.
However, I think Elizabeth’s fear has more layers to it than only a fear of repeating your parent’s mistakes when raising your own children. I think an obvious element must be the role-model she had for marriage. When she was growing up Elizabeth would have been taught about her family’s history. She would have learned that her father had divorced his first wife because she had not been a “true maid” at the time of their marriage. Not only would she have heard the rumours of her own mother’s “treason” she would probably have had the sins of her mother rammed down her throat in the hope that she didn’t turn to sin herself. At the age of nearly three, her father suddenly stops showing her affection and she gains a new step-brother fairly quickly by a step-mother who the whole world puts on the pedestal that she used to “own”.
Having become accustomed to Jane Seymour she then watches her father’s grief turn into a succession of other failed marriages. Anne of Cleves being divorced almost before the ink on the marriage certificate had dried, Catherine Howard being executed for adultery (“let Catherine’s fate be another warning to you and a reminder of your own mother’s fate”) and finally marriage to Catherine Parr. Four marriages within 14 years: no wonder that Elizabeth wasn’t keen on the idea.
Added to her probably distrust of the married-state there was also her position to consider. When her elder half-sister Mary I died Elizabeth was already 26. This was quite old for a woman still to be unmarried: however, I can understand why this is. As a Princess she was a pawn and any possible marriage was a political and strategic alliance and not something to be taken lightly. There were numerous possible husbands considered whilst she was growing up, yet none of these negotiations came to fruition. Was this purely fate, or luck, or were the powerful hands behind the thrown making their influence known. In the six years that Mary was Queen there were numerous plots to in the country of her Catholic rule. Were the delays in marrying Elizabeth a cunning move? After all, having a marriage to a Queen was going to be far more attractive and give far more leverage than marriage to a Princess who may never succeed to the throne.
We may never know about the political machinations surrounding the earlier attempts to marry Elizabeth off to the highest bidder: however, we do know why Elizabeth didn’t marry later. There can be no doubt that Elizabeth was like her father: you only have to look at that gorgeous flaming red hair and determined face to recognise strong family traits. She would probably have wanted to emulate him in many ways: not suffer fools gladly, be master of her own destiny. Whilst she may have wanted a husband and children, she may have wanted to “do her duty” and produce an heir this would have caused her a huge dilemma. Who could she marry? What man would she have found acceptable?
A courageous canbacer in a world of men
She was living in a time when a woman was a commodity. You belonged to your father whilst you were still single and then to you husband after your marriage. Not only that, for Elizabeth, marriage meant that she would no longer be Queen in her own right. Her husband would be KING. She would be his subject. He would have authority over her. The men in power, both Kings and governments, believed that a woman was not capable of ruling a country. So, if she were to marry, her husband would rule over the country just as he would rule her. Not a pleasant thought when you have Henry VIII as your role-model. If she was going to have to submit to a man, then she would have wanted him to be of the same social rank as herself. This limited the potential suiters quite considerably. It was narrowed even further when you consider the “religious question”. Her mother, who she adored, had been a Protestant. Her father had “broken with Rome” and become the head of the Church of England in order to marry her mother. During Mary’s reign the official religion of the country had reverted back to Catholicism and Protestants had been persecuted. Given all of this, should we be surprised if Elizabeth would have preferred a Protestant husband. After all, if your marriage means giving up your thrown and being ruled like any other subject surely, you’d want your husband to be of your faith. That net of acceptable suitors has suddenly shrunk again.
If could be argued that Elizabeth chose not to have children as it was consequence of her choosing not to marry. However, did she really have a choice in that matter? Elizabeth was an intelligent woman and very highly educated even for a man in those days, let along a woman. She was also very much her father’s daughter in temperament and spirit. If she wanted to fulfil her destiny to be Queen of England, then she had no choice at all even though it meant that she couldn’t have had the children that she wanted.
In my opinion that’s someone who is definitely Childless by circumstance and her 45 years as one of England’s greatest monarchs shows that she was a Courageous Canbacer too.
Be kind to yourself …
In CANBACE friendship!
If anything I have written resonates I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I appreciate that this can be a difficult subject to speak openly about. If you don’t want me to publish your comment on the website please let me know. I will keep your words private.
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