Why Is Elizabeth Never Married

Another reason Elizabeth never married was the issue of succession and religion. The specific focus was on her producing an heir to the throne, and also the religion of the male heir. The constant pressure on Elizabeth to marry was rooted in the national obession over the issue of succession. This was significant in a country that was divided by Catholicism and Protestantism. The previous reign of Mary I, who was a devout Catholic, had brought with it widespread persecution of Protestants. The bloodshed of that period was still fresh in the minds of Elizabeth 's subjects, particularly her Protestant nobles. As such, the pressure exerted by those nobles to avoid a marriage to a Catholic suitor was great. While her marriage to a man might bring about a rightful male heir to the throne, the religion of

On the other hand, the Protestant suitors that she personally favored (Robert Dudley), were opposed by key players in the English Court (William Cecil). According to Susan Doran, these councillors were suspicious of Dudley 's attempts to obtain the political backing of the Catholic king Philip II of Spain. Furthermore, Dudley 's claim as a potential match for the queen was tainted by his father 's previous attempt to elevate his other son Guilford to the status of king, through marriage to a queen (Lady Jane Grey). Nevertheless, Dudley became Elizabeth 's favorite suitor and during her near-death brush with smallpox in 1562, she implored her councillors to make him protector of the realm in the event of her death. A year before, Dudley was chosen to rule the Christmas kingdom of the Inner Temple celebrations, and the Templars urged Elizabeth to settle the matter of succession and present him to the court as the perfect Protestant prince. The image of Dudley as a model marriage candidate might appear contradictory to his attempt at gaining Spanish political support, but