Instead she earned the nickname The Virgin Queen, although historians agree that it is unlikely Elizabeth was actually a virgin. There have been many theories put forward on how she came by this title and here are the most popular.

Crowned into Turmoil
First of all, it is important to know a little about Tudor England during Elizabeth's reign. Following the death of her father Henry VIII the country was a hotbed of political and religious turmoil. Her half sister, Mary, was Henry's daughter from his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and reigned as Queen before Elizabeth.

More importantly, Mary was a staunch Catholic and was so threatened by Elizabeth's Protestant beliefs that she had her sister imprisoned. It was only when Mary died prematurely that Elizabeth took the throne, but by then she had just as many enemies as she did supporters. It also didn't help that Tudor England was still not comfortable with the notion of a ruling Queen.

And so socially, politically and religiously, Elizabeth had to tread very carefully in order to keep order in England and whom she married would have a serious impact on an already fragile and divided country.

A Woman's Role
During the 16th and 17th Centuries the role of the sexes in English society was perceived very differently, even amongst royalty. It has been argued then, that this greatly affected Elizabeth's decision to never marry.

While a king was expected to keep a mistress or concubine it would have been politically dangerous for a queen to do the same. So it follows that Elizabeth may have wanted to present herself as chaste and pure enough to lead her country.

Political Power
A similar argument is that by being married, Elizabeth may risk her political supremacy. In those days many would have expected of her to defer to her husband in the event of marriage and take no part in political matters.

Because religious conflict was still rife in the royal court, it could have been seen by her many Protestant supporters to be catastrophic if she married to one of the Catholic princes that were lurking around her court.

It is agreed by historians that marrying anyone would have cost Elizabeth large amounts of money and independence for all of the estates and incomes she inherited from her father, because they were hers only until she tied the knot, regardless of who it was to.

It makes sense then, that for Elizabeth to show her people that she did not favour one political or religious group over another she would remain neutral and the best way to do this was by not marrying.

International Power
It was also important for Elizabeth to be a true representative of a unified England to other countries. If she had chosen a foreign prince for a husband, it is likely that he would have drawn England into foreign policies for his own advantages; her sister Mary's disastrous marriage to Philip of Spain being a prime example of this.

Mary's marriage had compromised England and involved it in unprofitable and unpopular wars. This was something that Elizabeth was shrewd enough to avoid and again, the best way to do this was to stand firm, alone and triumphant.

The Rumour Mill Turns...
Aside from these arguments, over the centuries there have been other theories as to why she became known as the Virgin Queen that are a little more personal. It has been suggested that Elizabeth may have been repulsed by her father's mistreatment of woman and his flagrant abuse of the sanctity of marriage.

It has also been speculated at the time that Elizabeth shied away from sexual encounters because she had suffered from a physical defect that she was afraid to reveal, perhaps scarring from smallpox. However, the most famous reason was that she had had her heart broken by Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester.

Dudley's Love
The story goes that during the early stages of her life she was deeply in love with Dudley and disclosed to her close aids that if she were to marry, it would only be to him. We do know that she appointed him her Master of the Queen's Horse. However until 1560 Dudley was married to Amy Robsart.

When Robsart died in suspicious circumstances, Elizabeth's council refused to sanction a marriage between the queen and Dudley, because of his status as a commoner and his family's past history - his grandfather had been executed by Henry VIII. Some believe Elizabeth decided that if she could not have Dudley, she would not marry at all.

Childhood Abuse
Another theory is that Elizabeth was psychologically scarred by her rumoured relationship with Lord Thomas Seymour, who was older brother of Jane Seymour - the third wife of Henry VIII and with whom she lived in Chelsea after her own mother's death.

Many believe that Thomas made unhealthy advances toward Elizabeth, sneaking into her bedchamber at night and engaging in sexual acts with the young princess, despite several attempts by Elizabeth's governess Kat Ashley to persuade Thomas to stop. It's not inconceivable to think this would have had an affect on Elizabeth as she grew into an adult.

Married to England
Of course there is no hard evidence to confirm these many theories and it is highly possible that she became The Virgin Queen due to a combination of all these factors.

What is known is that Elizabeth pledged her devotion to her country with a passion rarely seen in an English monarch. Elizabeth decided to 'marry' her country, putting aside personal happiness, and causing her family dynasty to lose the throne forever.

Late in her reign, she addressed Parliament in the so-called "Golden Speech" of 1601 when she told MPs: "there is no jewel, be it of never so high a price, which I set before this jewel; I mean your love." With this dedication, no man would ever stand a chance with the Virgin Queen!