The Aftermath and Reaction to Elizabeth I's Birth

Despite being one of England's most successful and respected monarchs, Elizabeth I came into the world undesired partly because her parents wanted her to be born male, and others resented her for what she represented.

While Elizabeth had to grow up with the harsh knowledge that she was unwanted, outwardly at least, she was treated with the reverence and dignity befitting her station. However, behind her back was a different story.

This article will relay the varied public perception and welcome Elizabeth received shortly following her birth on September 7, 1533.

I  

While not being the anticipated and longed-for prince, Princess Elizabeth was doted on and adored by her parents, Henry VIII and, in particular, Anne Boleyn.

Historian Tracy Borman's biography 'Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I' cites a contemporary chronicler at the Tudor court in 1533 who observed shortly after Elizabeth's birth that Anne "day and night would not let this daughter of hers out of sight. Whenever the Queen came out in the royal palace where the canopy was, she had a cushion placed underneath for her child to sit upon." ¹

The 17th-century Italian historian and satirist Gregorio Leti is responsible for the rumor that Anne wished to break royal protocol and breastfeed the infant Elizabeth and that Henry had forbidden her to. However, many historians, such as David Starkey, have refuted this claim, citing a lack of contemporary evidence. ²

The job of wet nurse ultimately was appointed by a close associate of Anne's named Lady Herbert of Troy, who assigned Mrs. Pendred for the task. ³

II

In addition to having a wet nurse, Elizabeth received round-the-clock care and attention by.a litany of servants in the grand royal nursery at Greenwich Palace.

However, outside the confines of Greenwich, a large segment of the country openly despised and mocked Elizabeth for being the product of a union that caused a tremendous religious divide and the daughter of the much-loathed Anne Boleyn.

This sentiment was confirmed by the Imperial Ambassador to Spain, Eustace Chapuys, a sworn enemy of Anne's and a staunch supporter of the ousted Queen Katherine of Aragon. The esteemed ambassador wrote that the English people were "doubly glad that it is a daughter rather than a son." ⁴

Chapuys' report was further corroborated shortly after Elizabeth's christening on September 10, 1533, when two friars were apprehended for saying that the water she had been baptized in was "hot, but it was not hot enough." ⁵

As for the christening ceremony, Chapuys described it as a "cold and disagreeable affair and was met with such to the rest of the court and throughout the city." ⁶

Chapuys also did not spare the princess from insulting jabs, frequently referring to her in letters as a 'little bastard' and 'the King's other daughter,' ⁷

 

Likewise, the Spanish court also looked unfavorably upon Princess Elizabeth, mocking her gender and calling her names such as 'the concubine's daughter'. ⁸

Like Spain, Henry VIII's many other foreign enemies made light of his long-standing fertility issues. They considered Elizabeth's birth divine punishment for the King's controversial annulment from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. ⁹

III

However, not everyone was adverse to Elizabeth, even if they mainly consisted of kin and other courtiers who primarily depended on her mother's status and successes as Queen. 

After the christening, Elizabeth was showered with lavish gifts by her godparents, which included Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exter, Elizabeth Stafford, Duchess of Norfolk, and Margaret Wotton, Dowager Marchioness of Dorset. 

Among the many lavish gifts given to the infant princess were standing cups of gold. ¹⁰

Additionally, back when a son was anticipated to be born, Henry had asked his on-again, off-again nemesis and comrade, King Francis I of France, to be the godparent. But since the prince turned out to be a princess, it didn't come to fruition. 

However, Francis seemed no less willing to remain cordial with Henry as the new French ambassador to the Tudor court, Jean de Dinteiville, was reportedly anxious to fulfill his duties on behalf of his master and Princess Elizabeth. ¹¹

IV

Elizabeth was established with her own household three months after her birth in December 1533. 

Her father chose Hatfield House in Hertfordshire partly because it was safe from areas where the plague was known to run rampant in London. 

Meanwhile, her mother took charge of hand-selecting most of the household staff and ensured they were loyal or were kin to her Boleyn and Howard lineage.

Among the litany of noblemen and women stationed at Hatfield House, chief amongst them was Elizabeth's teenage half-sister, Lady Mary. 

In early 1533, Mary was declared illegitimate by parliament and, as such, made to serve as a lady in waiting for Elizabeth by her father and stepmother.

Naturally, the once beloved and cherished daughter of Henry VIII, whom he once called his 'greatest pearl', was resentful of her lowly status.

Initially, Mary isolated herself from the rest of the court at Hatfield by retreating to her room, where she succumbed to bouts of melancholy and outwardly defied her role and duties. 

Rather than acknowledging her sister as superior, Mary is quoted as saying to a courier that she "knew of no princess in England but herself," and instead, she referred to Elizabeth as "the daughter of Madame Pembroke" and affirmed the former was "no princess at all." 

Mary added that she accepted Elizabeth as her sister in the same way that she considered her father's 'bastard son', Henry Fitzroy, as her brother. ¹²

Image Source:

iStock.com/Artist's Gwengoat

References:

1, 10 Borman, T. (2023). Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Forever Changed British History. United States: Grove Atlantic.

2 Ridgeway, C. (March 30, 2014). "Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I. The Anne Boleyn Files. Retrieved November 26, 2024. from https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/anne-boleyn-mother/#google_vignette

 

3 Richardson, R. E. (n.d.). Lady Troy – Lady Mistress to Elizabeth I. On the Tudor Trail. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/resources/biographies/lady-troy-lady-mistress-to-elizabeth-i/

4 Lindsay, K. (2020, June 17). The birth of Elizabeth I. Exploring the Tudors. https://exploringthetudors.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/the-birth-of-elizabeth-i/

5, 6 7 Matusiak, J. (2013). Henry VIII: The Life and Rule of England's Nero. United Kingdom: History Press.

8 Borman, T. (2010). Elizabeth's Women: Friends, Rivals, and Foes Who Shaped the Virgin Queen. United States: Random House Publishing Group.

9 Historic Royal Palaces. (n.d.). Elizabeth I, the last Tudor: From Tower prisoner to English queen. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/elizabeth-i/#gs.iremre

11 Lough, K. (2013, June 18). Announcing Elizabeth’s birth. Elizabeth Regina. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://elizregina.com/2013/06/18/announcing-elizabeths-birth/

12 Jones, P. (2017). Elizabeth: Virgin Queen?. United States: Fox Chapel Publishing.