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ELIZABETH I MARRIAGE DEBATE - Coggle Diagram
ELIZABETH I MARRIAGE DEBATE
REASONS TO MARRY
alliance with a foreign power
placate the nervy court, ensure stability for the reign
have the authority of a man in power - 'women can't think for themselves'
have an heir to continue the dynasty
ISSUES WITH MARRIAGE
needed a royal, Protestant, English suitor - DOESN'T EXIST
risked ceding power to a man/to a foreign power
xenophobic English public likely opposed to foreign ruler - e.g. Wyatt Rebellion
risked being dragged into a European wars
ELIZABETH'S USE OF MARRIAGE
diplomacy with foreign powers
got good favour from Phillip II of Spain - didn't invade until 1585 and prevented Papal Excommunication in 1561 and 1563
benefitted greatly from the gifts bestowed by Eric of Sweden
CONCLUSIONS
beyond not wanted to jeopardise her royal authority in England by ceding control to a foreign monarch and a man, Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry also allowed her to continue to be a marketable pawn in foreign affairs until the 1570s
As the prospect of marriage into the Hapsburg empire diminished into the 1570s as Elizabeth grew older, the relations with Phillip II deteriorated
SUITORS
FOREIGN
Phillip II - he wanted to ensure that France didn't gain influence over England through MQOS
Eric of Sweden - offered little in terms of political advantage but a lot in terms of gifts
Duc d'Anjou, then when he became king, Duc d'Alencon
ENGLISH
Robert Dudley - a close companion of Elizabeth's, but after his wife died in 1560 having broken her neck at the bottom of a flight of stairs, he was an unsafe choice