The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

Author:Alison Weir [Weir, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-83460-7
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2013-04-16T16:00:00+00:00

Security around the Queen was tight. She was theoretically guarded by twenty honorary Serjeants-at-Arms, but was in fact protected by the Yeomen of the Guard, founded by Henry VII, and by a body of mounted Gentlemen Pensioners, founded by Henry VIII. The latter, whose captains included Sir Christopher Hatton and Sir Walter Raleigh, were famous for being invariably tall and good looking. Despite all these guards, the Queen’s advisers feared that her security was inadequate and might be breached in an attempt on her life, of which there were several during her reign. Cecil feared poison rather than violence, and drew up a memorandum advising on ‘Certain Cautions for the Queen’s Apparel and Diet’, warning her against suspect gifts of perfume, gloves and food. The Queen herself had a relaxed attitude towards her own safety, and was fond of taking risks, placing confidence in the love of her people – much to the dismay of her fraught ministers.

Although the royal household was large, and cost several hundred pounds a week to run, Elizabeth kept far fewer personal servants than her forebears: as well as her ladies, she had a couple of gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, ten grooms, and an Esquire of the Body who was responsible for guarding the Presence Chamber after the ‘Good Night’ ceremony. The Queen also employed the Greens, a family of jesters, Ippolita the Tartarian, ‘our dearly beloved woman’ dwarf, Thomasina, an Italian dwarf, and Monarcho, an Italian fool, who is mentioned by Shakespeare in Love’s Labour’s Lost. Then there were footmen of the Privy Chamber, and a little black boy who went about dressed in a jacket of black taffeta and gold tinsel above wide breeches.

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