Not now, as it has been eradicated, but, yes, it was a killer. In a time where sunscreen was unheard of, skin problems and pox was a common thing smooth, unblemished skin was a rarity. Members urged the queen to marry or nominate an heir, to prevent a … Still, numerous individuals reported on her personal attractiveness. Sounds like it really left her debilitated since I’m sure she was not able to rest. Here's where you can learn more about her. That was compromised when Elizabeth was but 29 and contracted smallpox, a disease that created fever and pustules. Forgot password? Queen Elizabeth survived smallpox as a young woman, though none of the portraits of her show the scars she probably had from the disease. The dental care was minimalistic at the time and Elizabeth had some teeth removed. It probably wasn’t just for the fact that he would be King of England—after all, he didn’t want to marry Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, despite knowing that he may one day become king. Luckily for Elizabeth, she managed to fight the infection and went onto reign for another 41 years without any other serious illnesses. Elizabeth 1 wore her coronation ring on her wedding finger as a sign of her symbolic marriage to her country and subjects. It could be seen as quite surprising that Elizabeth would put so much trust in him knowing this but he also had England’s—well, the Protestant’s—best interests at heart. It’s unlikely there was the level of racial diversity the 2018 film portrays. Historical sources had no reason to hide interesting or remarkable information about courtiers, racism not being as developed then as it is now, as there were few people of obviously non European extraction spread throughout the nations of Britain. January 8, 2021 at 8:01 am. It's really neat to see that there is. He did love Elizabeth but he knew deep down that she was independent, strong and would never marry. After contracting the disease from the queen, Lady Mary was left so badly scarred that her husband wrote about how disfigured and ugly she was (charming!). Mary Sidney wurde durch das Pflegen von Elizabeth erst krank. In other words, the artists made some subtle (and in Elizabeth’s case, not so subtle) changes to make everyone look perfect. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. Did Mary Sydney ever have a special acknowledgement? As for why Elizabeth sported such an unnatural appearance, it was a result of her coming down with smallpox in 1562. On October 10, 29-year-old Elizabeth I was taken ill. At first, it seemed like it was just a bad cold but her temperature soon increased and it was clear that it was the more serious illness called smallpox. She carried the scars the rest of her life. It's nice to read about little known things about them. The Armada Portrait. It was thought that the queen would die, so there was panic over the succession, and it was at this point that Elizabeth chose Robert Dudley as “protector of the kingdom”. 11 October 1549 – The Arrest of Edward Seymo…, START YOUR FREE TRIAL RIGHT NOW - CLICK HERE. It is known however that she contracted smallpox in 1562 which left her face scarred. She encouraged the people at court to dress well and loved her jewels, clothes and boots. Yes, it’s such a sad story. William Cecil now focused his attention on the awkward problem of her marriage and the succession. I hope I can dig some more out in my research to share. From October 10, 1562, Elizabeth I didn’t have the flawless skin that portraits show. It causes a rash to appear along the skin and can lead to the hair falling out. I can always check. Unlike The Bubonic disease, this sickness had no nonhuman host. Anna Whitelock looks beyond Elizabeth I's carefully crafted image as an all-conquering Tudor beauty and finds a balding, frail woman, scarred by pox, crippled by headaches and plagued by bouts of depression June 1, 2013 at 10:15 am Elizabeth had a dubious pedigree, because legally she was illegitimate. Her brother, Robert Dudley, had a large house across the river at Kew. When the heiress of Haddon Hall eloped with her lover, Elizabethan society he... Elizabeth I - the greatest queen, the best book subject. Queen Elizabeth II caused 'shock' over QE2 name says expert. Elizabeth saw her every day while she was there. She was lucky to survive, but what a terrible cost, her beauty and her desire for life or company gone. extraction, there would not have been many visible. On 10th October 1562, twenty-nine year-old Queen Elizabeth I was taken ill at Hampton Court Palace, with what was thought to be a bad cold. There was a political fallout soon after this illness. That job fell on the one love in her life: Lord Robert Dudley. Mary, Queen of Scots, may have been the monarch who got her head chopped off, but she eventually proved triumphant in a roundabout way: After Elizabeth died … During her lifetime, Elizabeth would have 26 different marriage proposals to consider, of which about five of the suitors had multiple proposals, and … Smallpox. When you look at portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, you wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. On October 10, 29-year-old Elizabeth I was taken ill. At first, it seemed like it was just a bad cold but her temperature soon increased and it was clear that it … Our ancestors who survived serious disease could pass on a strengthened immune system allowing later generations to defeat these killers. The cellars of this house are to be found under the 17th century house now called Kew Palace in Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. I enjoyed reading this. Thankyou. Surprised no mention has been made of Sybil Penn, Lady of the Bed Chamber, who also nursed Elizabeth through the small pox and died of the disease on 6th November 1562. URL for this post : https://www.tudorsociety.com/10-october-1562-elizabeth-i-catches-smallpox/. The great irony is that Elizabeth I proved to be one of England’s best monarchs. Mary Sidney was Robert Dudley’s sister – there must have been a doubly strong bond because of that. However, Elizabeth actually had smallpox. Elizabeth had good strong genes and was able to survive. All that is known is that people feared she would die. Ordered by doctors to remain in her bed at Hampton Court Palace, it was soon clear that her illness was more than just a fever — she had the dreaded smallpox. Just seven days later, it was feared that the Queen would die. Author has 435 answers and 809.8K answer views Yes Elizabeth developed smallpox in 1562 while she was at Hampton Court. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are in lockdown at Sandringham and will remain there for the duration of the pandemic. I’ve never heard of her losing her hair. On this day in Tudor history, she contracted smallpox, a disease that was often fatal in the 16th century. She took to wearing white lead makeup to cover the scars. That is possibly something that led to his death in 1553, when he likely died of TB. This is what happened to Queen Elizabeth. Her teeth did rot as she aged, despite trying to care for them. I am interested in Queen Elizabeth as I have just finished reading The Royal Diaries series by Kathryn Lasky if anyone is interested. Rose: Read anything by Alison Weir and Sarah Griswold…..they are experts on the Tudors…both non-fiction and fiction. ... but because there had been an outbreak of mumps and chicken pox among the cadets it … I saw in a program quite some time ago that Elizabeth I doctor had her wrapped up in lots of red linen as he believed that this would draw the heat and fever out and cure her. Fortunately, Elizabeth survived the disease and was not too badly scarred, although her friend Lady Mary Sidney, who nursed Elizabeth through the illness, was terribly disfigured by the disease. While she recovered, there were reminders of the illness that she suffered. Thank you. What a loyal servant though. Brilliant. There is a new theory in epidemiology today that we lived through the plague and other killer diseases or rather our ancestors did and our genetic immunity built up over the generations and the gene to beat serious disease came with it. 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