Explain why the issue of marriage was so important in the reign of Elizabeth I? Why do you think Elizabeth chose not to marry?

Explain why the issue of marriage was so important in the reign of Elizabeth I? Why do you think Elizabeth chose not to marry?

‘Pray God would send our mistress a husband.’ A statement made by Lord Cecil in 1566. During the reign of Elizabeth I it was commonly expected that Elizabeth would marry, for many reasons, but primarily to produce an heir to safeguard the future of the Tudor Dynasty, which would have been considered the duty of a Queen. Many historians have suggested that Elizabeth chose to remain unmarried, fairly early on in her reign. The historian Elton made this comment on the issue of Elizabeth’s marriage, ‘…Elizabeth privately determined never to marry.’ At the same time other historians have suggested that at no time in her reign did she rule out the prospect of marriage, ‘There is very little evidence to support the view,…that the Queen hade made a conscious decision to remain unwed…’, a statement made by the historian Susan Doran. With these co...