Thu, Mar 09
|Agecroft Hall & Gardens
Courting the Queen: The Royal Romances of Elizabeth I
Scholar Carol Ann Lloyd looks at the men who tried to marry the Queen and explores Elizabeth’s possible motives for claiming and keeping her title of Virgin Queen.
Time & Location
Mar 09, 2023, 7:00 PM EST
Agecroft Hall & Gardens, 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond, VA 23221, USA
About The Event
Only the second crowned regnant Queen of England, Elizabeth I’s love life was no private matter. It was serious political business. According to Count de Feria, the Spanish Ambassador, “Everything depends upon the husband this woman may take.”
Most people thought a leading candidate was Elizabeth’s long-time friend and suitor Robert Dudley. Their relationship was the cause of international speculation and gossip that likely dulled the interest of some foreign prospects. But Dudley wasn’t the only man trying to win the Queen’s heart and hand. With suitors from all over Europe, and plenty of willing candidates right at home, Elizabeth conducted domestic and international business by considering and gently declining marriage proposals. Did she ever plan to marry? Or did she spend her reign winning the game of courtly love, playing the men against each other, and remaining the ever-unattainable object of desire?
Scholar Carol Ann Lloyd looks at the men who tried to marry the Queen and explores Elizabeth’s possible motives for claiming and keeping her title of Virgin Queen.
Fee: $15 per person