Could the English Queen Elizabeth I be a man

The sensational version that the English Queen Elizabeth I could be a man appeared a century ago. The period of her reign went down in history as the golden age of England. Elizabeth was smart, decisive, was able to defeat the almighty Spanish fleet and was able to significantly strengthen the role of the country on the world stage. But the queen never married, did not leave any heirs and became the last representative of the Tudor dynasty on the English throne.

Indeed, the personality of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), who ruled England for 45 years, raises many questions among historians. She was courageous, decisive, kept her saddle perfectly, but at the same time she followed fashion trends and paid much attention to her appearance. Her face was covered with a thick layer of make-up, and lush lace collars flaunted her neck, which came into fashion precisely during her reign. According to the adherents of the theory about the queen’s male field, the powder masked the shaving marks, and the collar perfectly concealed the Adam's apple on the neck. In addition, the queen wore a wig, because after 40 years she lost most of her luxurious red hair. But the main argument of the supporters of this theory - the queen never got married, which was not at all characteristic of that era.

Despite the fact that the English Parliament immediately after the coronation urged Elizabeth to choose a spouse to ensure the continuation of the dynasty and take care of the heirs to the throne, the queen did not get married. She was the head of a prosperous state, so she did not feel a lack of suitors. Heir to the throne and future Spanish king Philip II, Crown Prince and future King of Sweden Eric XIV, Duke of Anjou, and Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible - they all married to the Queen of England. But Elizabeth I never got married and went down in history as a virgin queen. Elizabeth herself said that she was married to England.

But, according to historians, there is nothing strange in this, and Elizabeth most likely formed a persistent hostility to marriage even in times of difficult childhood. At an early age, the girl was involved in palace intrigues, and her father only officially was married 6 times. A bored wife was sent into exile or sentenced to death, and a little girl witnessed all this madness. The worst thing is that her mother Anna Boleyn was executed, as well as one of her stepmothers, to whom the young princess was very attached. Historians believe that it was this, as well as the reluctance to share power with someone, that caused Queen Elizabeth I to never get married.

But this is unusual for medieval Europe, there is another explanation. A number of researchers believe that Elizabeth I actually died in childhood, and her place was taken by a boy who was passed off as a princess and who eventually became the king of England under the guise of the legitimate heir to the Tudor dynasty.

According to Stocker, the real Elizabeth died at the age of 10 from the plague. This happened just in the town of Beasley, where the girl was brought from London, saving from an epidemic. But the princess nevertheless fell ill, she could not be saved, and the tutors assigned to her were in a panic when they learned that the king of England Henry VIII was going to visit his daughter. The governess, fearing the wrath of the king, decided to find a replacement for the girl, but no girl similar to her was found in the district, but a red-haired boy was found. The king and his close associates, who had not seen the princess for several years, did not notice the substitution, and after years, Elizabeth I Tudor ascended the throne. Contemporaries noted that the queen was incredibly close with her tutors from Brisley, who were always near her and held a high position at court. In addition, it is mentioned that the queen did not let anyone in, except for a personal doctor, and also forbade examining her body after death. It was believed that the Queen of England could not have children, as Spanish spies reported to their king without giving a reason.

But perhaps all these oddities were associated not with a direct substitution, but with a genetic disease that Elizabeth I suffered from. Canadian scientists from Simon Fraser University conducted their own investigation and came to the conclusion that Queen Elizabeth I of England could suffer from a rare genetic disease called testicular feminization. From a genetic point of view, such a person is a man, that is, has an X and Y chromosome, has no internal female genital organs, but at the same time looks like a woman. It is known that the mother of Elizabeth Anna Boleyn suffered from a rare genetic abnormality - polydactyly - and had 6 fingers on her hand. Given this fact, the girl could also be a carrier of a rare disease, such as testicular feminization, for example, being a man from a genetic point of view.

But opponents of this hypothesis indicate that the queen suffered smallpox and for this reason, having lost hair, was forced to wear a wig, and a thick layer of makeup concealed the scars on the skin remaining from the illness. It is also mentioned that the queen even had a favorite at court, Robert Dudley, and there were even rumors about her pregnancy and the birth of a child. Be that as it may, in the past of Queen Elizabeth I there are a lot of secrets. Of course, the identities of many famous people are shrouded in all kinds of rumors and speculation, but still not all queens are suspected of being men.

It is worth noting that the royal family rejected all attempts to understand this issue at the beginning of the 20th century, after the release of Stoker's book. Numerous requests from scientists for the autopsy and analysis of the remains of Elizabeth I stumble upon the refusal of the royal family to cooperate, which only fuels the interest of the public and scientists to the mysterious personality of the Queen Virgin.