Elizabeth I is considered one of the greatest queens to have ever reigned, and the Tudor
Monarch was a fierce lady who knew what she wanted.
She was strong willed, and many people would think twice about crossing her, but early
into her reign she suffered from a bout of a very deadly illness that had been around
in England for some time.
Smallpox over the years killed millions around the globe, but it even affected the English
throne as Elizabeth I believed at one point she would succumb to the deadly disease.
But this plunged England into crisis as at the time there were no plans drawn up for
her successor.
Elizabeth did eventually recover, but she was haunted and reminded of her battle with
smallpox every single day.
But what is the story of the deadly disease that almost killed Elizabeth I?
Elizabeth I’s bout of near fatal illness of 1562 exposed how vulnerable England was
with a female monarch who did not have any children or heirs.
This left the country vulnerable to attack and invasion, and for a brief two week period
where the Queen was suffering, the governance of the country was shaky and tenuous.
In the autumn of 1562, Elizabeth I was moving towards her fourth anniversary of her accession
as Queen and was already one of the most powerful women across the continent.
She had restored the Protestant faith across the country and many European bachelors wanted
to marry her, which many believed would help secure the security and throne of England,
and then provide heirs for the Tudor dynasty.
But there were many rumours that Elizabeth wanted to marry one of her own subjects, Robert
Dudley the Earl of Leicester.
Many in her royal court were shocked at this and they believed Elizabeth would be marrying
below her station, and would not get any alliances or extra power from a marriage.
Also Dudley’s wife had recently died in suspicious circumstances, and her husband
was alleged to have been involved in this.
But around this time, The Queen was staying at Hampton Court Palace, the favoured residence
of her father Henry VIII, and she became intrigued that her cousin Mary Queen of Scots had returned
to Scotland, but she was taken ill.
She had a fever and chills, and following writing to Mary she then had a hot bath to
make herself feel better.
But this was not just a common cold, or a mild illness and after a visit from the royal
doctors Elizabeth I was diagnosed with smallpox.
This was a disease which had been circulating around court, and a number of female courtiers
had fallen ill, but most of them survived.
There was no cure for this disease at the time, and 30% of adults who contracted it
would die.
Sufferers had many different symptoms including headaches and sore throats, but the biggest
indicator of the disease was pus filled sores that appeared all over the skin.
Many of those who survived the illness would then be left with these scars on their body,
and contact with the scabs was also a way that the disease could be spread.
The Queen was ill for a number of days before these marks erupted on her skin, and at first
they were small spots but then they turned into blisters which scabbed over.
She was attended on by her closest female attendants and ladies, and she also was administered
many different treatments.
One was the red treatment which was Japanese and was used since the 12th century.
The Queen was wrapped from the neck down in red cloth, and it was hoped that this cloth
would prevent the skin from scarring, which the Queen greatly worried about.
She wanted to maintain her image of virtue and beauty, and at the time she was 29 and
looking for a husband, and she was worried that the pox scars would get in the way of
her search for a husband, and she was worried men would not find her attractive which would
then cause a problem with the succession.
Elizabeth was the final surviving legitimate child of Henry VIII, and with this it was
down to her to continue the Tudor dynasty.
It wasn’t certain who would reign after her, but after smallpox it was believed to
have been a point of contention and debate at court.
Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth’s catholic cousin was the natural hereditary heir for
Elizabeth, but she was Catholic and her entire family the Stuarts had been barred from the
line of succession established by Henry VIII.
Only Catholics at court favoured this, but others turned towards Protestant alternatives
including Catherine Grey, the Sister of Lady Jane Grey the 9 Day Queen, who was a decendent
of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Elizabeth’s father.
Many believed she had the best claim, but was put into the Tower of London as she married
without the Queen’s permission.
But Elizabeth I believed she would die from smallpox as she was other ill, and she wanted
to protect England as best as she could.
She tried to give the power to Robert Dudley to protect the realm, and she demanded that
the council make Dudley the Lord Protector of England with an income of £20,000 a year
which would be around 5 million pounds in todays money.
She believed Dudley would be able to sort the succession out and save England from danger,
and she also mentioned that her relationship with Dudley had never been improper.
But after 10 days of being incredibly ill, the Queen began to recover from smallpox,
and her concerns for England were relieved as she got better.
But she now had another large problem, and it was how to avoid too much damage to her
face and her skin caused by the smallpox blisters.
Many women were left very scarred by the marks, and Elizabeth was determined that she would
not be one of these.
It was said that after a period of ‘only attending to the marks on her face to avoid
disfigurement,’ Elizabeth returned to court and covered up the worst of the damage to
her face and skin with the striking white lead make up which she is shown in many portraits.
There were many women who could not afford this, and suffered greatly for example Lady
Mary Sidney one of her closest attendants withdrew from court as, ‘foul a ladies as
the small pox could make her,’ alluding to her scars.
Her husband would also say of his wife’s ordeal nursing Elizabeth that, ‘When I went
to Newhaven, I left her a full fair lady in mine eye at least the fairest, and when I
returned I found her as foul a lady as the small pox could make her, which she did take
by continue attendence of her majesties most precious person, who was sick of the same
disease.
The scars of which to her resolute discomfort ever sins hath don and do remain on her face,
so as she lies solitarily like a night ravening the house, more to my charge then if we boarded
together as we did before that evil accident happened.’
With this it’s interesting to consider that Henry Sidney was disgusted with the impact
smallpox caused on his wife.
He also mentioned that she caught it from the Queen herself, as his wife was nursing
her and that shows us how it could have affected Elizabeth.
But despite Elizabeth I’s life being spared and saved as it was possible she could have
been killed, she continued to struggle with her smallpox scars for the rest of her life.
She was very self conscious and image conscious as at the time she had complete control over
her portraits and she would order painters to repaint images to make her look more attractive.
Her skin it’s said was covered with a few smallpox scars, but this was the ever lasting
impact that the Queen was left with.
Despite being one of the greatest Queens in history, Elizabeth I did have her insecurities
and worries, especially with regards to her appearance and beauty.
But the situation in 1562 was very dangerous, as she could have easily died from the disease
and many feared that the Queen would die at court.
It was a tough time for court as the young monarch was gravely ill, but she would pull
through and go on to become one of the greatest rulers in history.
Thanks for watching
To support please subscribe.