Marriage and succession
The personal is political
Concerns about who would succeed Elizabeth meant that Parliament began petitioning her to marry and produce an heir as soon as she succeeded to the throne. Early in her reign she proclaimed that she would not marry because she was 'already bound unto a husband which is the Kingdom of England’. Nevertheless, numerous candidates were mooted over the next two decades but Elizabeth found each unsuitable for one reason or another.
Elizabeth seriously considered marriage twice. Early in her reign, her choice was the ambitious and dashing Lord Robert Dudley. The match was opposed by many, who thought that it was inappropriate for Elizabeth to marry a subject and feared the power and influence that Dudley would obtain as her husband. He was also already married, until his wife died in suspicious circumstances in 1560. Although Dudley was cleared of any involvement, rumours persisted and his reputation was tainted. Elizabeth realized she could not marry him. She made him Earl of Leicester in 1564 and the two remained close until Dudley's death in 1588.
The second suitor whom Elizabeth seriously considered was Francis, Duke of Anjou, brother of King Henry III of France. Although this suit had international political aspects as much as being one of the heart, Elizabeth was genuinely attracted to the much younger Duke and eager to marry him. Her council, however, was deeply divided about the proposed Anglo-French alliance and marriage to a Catholic, and the English were adamantly and vociferously opposed to it. In 1581 Elizabeth bowed to the pressure and called off the negotiations.
Unable to marry the man of her choice (Dudley) without tarnishing her reputation or causing national divisions, or to find an alternative that was acceptable to her, the government and the public, Elizabeth remained single. She also steadfastly refused to allow discussion about the succession. As early as 1559 she had made her reasons clear in a message to the House of Commons:
Assuredly, if my successor were known to the world, I would never esteem my state to be safe.
Elizabeth sacrificed her personal happiness for the good of the state. At her death in 1603, Dudley's last letter, written to her six days before his own in September 1588, was found in a small casket by her bed, a poignant reminder of her sacrifice and what might have been.
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley (1532–88) was one of Elizabeth's favourites, a long-term suitor and believed by many to have been her one true love. Elizabeth's fondness for Dudley and his proximity to her as Master of the Horse and Privy Councillor made him influential and envied for his access to the Queen. She called Dudley her 'Eyes' and 'sweet Robyn' and once commented:
You are like my little dog; when people see you, they know I am nearby.
Cecil's and Dudley's close relationships with Elizabeth, and their differing opinions on military and religious matters, meant that they were often at loggerheads.