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Monday, December 26, 2011

Last Day of our Tudor Giveaway

Day 11 winner is Victoria

Please send your mailing address to newroyalreviews at yahoo dot com

Today is the last Tudor giveaway and to close out our 12 Days of a Tudor Christmas it seemed fitting to end our giveaway with a theme pack for the last of the Tudor’s, so I bring to you our Elizabeth I Packet!

Gisele Alv- I know that Elizabeth never got married but is there any information about if she at least once, fell in love?

Although Elizabeth I never married, it is believed that she fell in love with two men. The first was her lifelong friend, Robert Dudley. Many Tudor enthusiasts have heard of the love she held for Robert or “Robin” as Elizabeth called him.

It is the second man that many do not know about. You may be tempted to say that she fell in love with Robert Dudley’s stepson, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex and while it is widely acknowledged that she did hold Essex is high regard, it is another man who she loved. That man happens to be the charismatic Sir Walter Raleigh.

If you happen to be in Williamsburg, Virginia it would be well worth your time to stop at the College of William & Mary and visit the Wren Building. There you will find a docent, either a history major or professor, who will inform you about the relationship between Raleigh and Elizabeth-just make sure to ask.

    Carol L.- I wonder if her and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester were ever involved or were in love?

This is the question that most definitely divides the historians. While all Tudor historians agree that she did indeed love Robert, the extent of their relationship is often questioned. Although, according to State papers, their contemporaries were all in agreement that they two were indeed a couple.

Cecil had often voiced his fears that Elizabeth would marry Robert. Even Philip of Spain wrote that “Elizabeth was so in love with Robert that she will marry no other”.  In fact, Cecil was so fearful that the two would marry he convinced Elizabeth that her cousin the widowed Mary, Queen of Scots was such a threat to the English throne it would be best to send one of her closest and most faithful courtiers to Scotland as a husband for the Queen, so Elizabeth could stay apprised of her actions. There was only one man Elizabeth trusted not to betray her, Cecil knew this as well, thus Elizabeth commanded Robert to marry Mary, Queen of Scots. Robert refused and Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief that she would not be parted from her dear Robin.

At this point in history the two had grown closer than ever before. It was acknowledged throughout London that the two were waiting on Robert’s wife, Amy Robsart to die of the disease that was afflicting her, (It is believed that Amy had a form of breast cancer.), so the two could marry. Amy did in fact die, unfortunately her death was rather mysterious leading many to believe that Robert murdered his wife to marry the Queen. Other’s voiced the theory that the Queen murdered Amy to marry Robert.

Robert was now a free man, a free man who happened to come with the stigma of murder attached to him. Because of this he was no longer an acceptable candidate for a husband to the Queen of England. Even those who thought he was innocent, still believed that Amy’s death had been orchestrated so that the two could marry. Thus Robert Dudley’s name had been permanently removed from the Queen’s list of suitable suitors.

Knowing that marrying Elizabeth was no longer an option, he married the her cousin, Lettice Knollys without Elizabeth’s approval, which earned them both a banishment from court.

Elizabeth could not bear to be parted from her Robin for too long and soon he was welcomed back from court.

While it can be stated that the two were in love, no one will ever know the extent of their relationship. The Queen did order for matching portraits or her and Robert to be made, although  they did not get finished beyond the sketches.

220px-Robert_Dudley_Earl_of_Leicester_drawing_by_Zuccaro_1575 eli

 

 

Our last giveaway is:

The Elizabeth Pack:

elibet lifeof imagesCAPE3Q01 imagesCAIUH113 imagesCAP7UARH HRPTowerLondonThumb

Which includes the following:

1 Copy of Elizabeth & Leicester by Sarah Gristwood
1 Copy of  The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
1 Copy of The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir (fiction)
1 Copy of Death and The Virgin Queen by Chris Skidmore
1 Elizabeth I James Sadler Tea Pot
1 tin of Harney and Sons Tower of London Tea with a tagalong tin.

Today’s Rules:

1. Leave a comment with your name and an answer to the questions:

For our last question,

What is the most random, or oddest Tudor fact that you have heard?

2. Giveaway Worldwide. (Just a heads up if you live in Canada or Australia  you will not be receiving the tea as it is against the new shipping restrictions to ship tea to those countries.) 

3. You do not need to leave your email address as the winner will be announced the next day. The winner will also be announced on the right side of the blog under the Royal Winners banner. You have until the 23rd to respond with your shipping address. You may want to subscribe to Royal Reviews via feed burner which is located in left side of the blog so that the winners and new giveaways will be sent directly to your inbox.

4. Followers will receive an extra entry so make sure you let us know if you follow us. You will also receive an extra entry if you post about the giveaway.

19 comments:

Celticlady's Reviews said...

I love this one....

"The Queen forgives....
The Earl of Oxford (Edward de Vere) making of his low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth, happened to let a fart at which he was so abashed that he went to travel for seven years. At his returne the queen welcomed him home and sayd, "My Lord, I had forgot the fart".
source The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes edited by Elizabeth Longford.

I am a long time follower. Thank you.

Wendy said...

Quite random but Henry VIII had a remarkable memory and could remember the names of every single servant employed in the Royal households.

I am a long time follower. Thank you for the entry.

miki said...

Sure it's random but his memory was remarkable ( at that time it was rare it seems)

I'm happy to live in europe where tea can be shipped. i would love this prize

thanks you a lot

gfc follower: isabelle frisch ( or miki)

Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid Reader said...

What a great giveaway! Weird about the tea shipping restrictions...I wonder why that is?

Here is the oddest fact I'm aware of: Rubbing a rope used to hang a criminal was said to be a cure for a headache during Tudor times.

confessions(dot)avidreader(at)gmail(dot)com

I'm a follower

Linda said...

I don't know any obscure facts about the Tudors. I am however amazed by the fact that Elizabeth even considered, let alone acted on, the plan to marry Dudley to Mary Queen of Scots.
This is an awesome giveaway. thanks.

I am a follower.

Colleen Turner said...

The most random or oddest fact I have heard (really a rumor) is that Henry had an affair with not only Anne Boleyn's sister Mary but their mother as well. Crazy life!

I am a follower as well. Thanks for all the fin!

Literary Chanteuse said...

An odd fact is that Queen Elizabeth condoned piracy. She was all for it if it meant English ships were attacking Spanish ones. When James became King after her he was against piracy and was disgusted that she had allowed it to go on apparently.

Thank you for the lovely giveaways!

Carol L. said...

Saw something on the Discovery Channel about a locket ring Elizabeth wore and after she died they realized it opened to hold 2 miniatures of her and her Mother Anne Boleyn inside. And supposedly she never really mentioned her Mother during her life.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

petite said...

Henry was a composer and an author. Well educated.

I am a subscriber.

traveler said...

Aside from his numerous marriages he had many scret liaisons which took place in the king's river-side mansion.

I subscribe.

brokenteepee said...

While Elizabeth reigned one in four girls were named Elizabeth in her honor.

I follow
thank you for all of the fun of the 12 days of Tudor

Mystica said...

The six wives are remembered thus!

Divorced, Beheaded, Died,
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived


I am a GFC follower

Unknown said...

King Henry's Groom of the Stool always gets me! What a horrible job, especially as Henry ballooned!
I follow!

Gigi said...

Catholic Queen Mary I was given the nickname Bloody Mary because of the number of Protestant Tudors who were executed during her reign.

I'm GFC follower.

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

I've always thought the sixth finger of Anne Boleyn was kind of weird. I always wonder if it was true or not.

Thanks for the giveaway!

I'm a GFC follower and email subscriber.

buddyt said...

Thanks for the giveaway.

We tend to think of the people of the times as not being very concerned with personal hygiene and using perfumes etc. to deal with bad smells so I was intrigued to read that in an age, where few people bathed regularly, Henry was ahead of his time as he was fastidious and obsessed with cleaning due to his fear of germs.

Carol T

buddytho {at} gmail DOT com

I Follow via GFC - buddyt

Anonymous said...

Henry VIII created the bayonet!

I am an email follower & Follow on twitter.

Kimm

Maureen said...

Queen Elizabeth I never met her cousin Mary Queen of Scots is one I've read.
I am a follower.

Cheryl Esselman said...

I find it interesting that Elizabeth I never did marry in a day and age where marriage and producing an heir was almost her duty.