10 English Queens Who Suffered Much – Listverse

Queens of England, or as some of them would be, queens of Britain, were undoubtedly under enormous pressure, whether they were consorts (queens because their husbands were kings), regents (who bore the title for their child, usually a son), or regnants (who keep the title for themselves, usually with a husband with the title 'prince'). One of the biggest pressures for any queen was producing an heir. As you will soon read, this caused a significant amount of suffering for many. Many of the queens on this list suffered the loss of someone they loved: a child or spouse.

It is important to remember that many of the queens on this list did great things and are remembered as strong and effective rulers. Whatever personal grief they suffered, they were brought into the public eye and severely criticized. Sometimes this meant that the public eye itself made them suffer. After all, some women are criticized even today for personal beliefs and choices that no one else should have any say over.

Related: Top 10 Royals Who Were Absolutely Crazy

10 Queen Anna

Queen Anne (1665–1714) was the first monarch of united Britain and a reigning queen, reigning from 1702 to 1714. Although being queen certainly had its perks, Anne never enjoyed good health and spent much of her government pregnant by – 17 times, that is. Sadly, only one of the 18 children she carried (yes, 18, one pregnancy was twins) survived into infancy, and a shocking 13 miscarried or were stillborn. It is thought she may have suffered from antiphospholipid syndrome, an immune disorder that causes an increased risk of blood clots, which would not lend itself well to successful pregnancies.

In addition to the horrific number of losses Anne suffered, she also suffered from persistent gout attacks. To add to her already mounting difficulties, her husband died five years into her reign as queen, and she had to be persuaded by friends to leave his bed after his death. She was described as being in “unspeakable grief.” Just a few years later, Anne succumbed to a series of strokes, bringing the Stuarts' reign to an end.^[1]

9 Margaret of Anjou

Margaret of Anjou (1430–1482) was queen consort of England twice, from 1445 to 1461 and from 1470 to 1471. She married King Henry VI, who was eight years her senior, at the age of 15, and the marriage was not popular. In 1453, her husband may have suffered an attack of catatonic schizophrenia, forcing a regent to rule in his place. Margaret attempted to gain this regency but failed and had an intense rivalry with the opposing style of government that emerged during the reign of Henry's cousin, the Duke of York.

Margaret would eventually regain power as her husband's health improved, but soon the War of the Roses broke out and Margaret would find herself fighting for her son, Edward, rightful claim to the throne. After years of such efforts, her son was captured and murdered. Like many queens on this list, she spent many of the last days of her life in prison. Ultimately, she was released to Louis XI to live out the rest of her days in exile in her native France.^[2]

8 Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501–1536) is a woman whose story has been told again and again; she was the second wife of Henry VIII and the 'reason' for the English break with the Catholic Church. She is often remembered as a seductress and for the tragic end to her life: beheading. However, it is important to recognize that she was an active and enthusiastic queen, willing to help shape the new Church of England. Unfortunately, in the end, all Henry really cared about was whether Anne could give him a son. After the birth of her daughter Elizabeth and two miscarriages, the pressure increased and Anne faced unimaginable levels of stress.

In 1536, everything fell apart… quickly. Anne was not only accused of several stories of adultery, but also of incest. To make matters worse, Anne had lost virtually all interest from the king, and Henry soon fell in love with his eventual next wife, Jane Seymour. After a trial that contained no real evidence other than testimony, Anne was sentenced to be burned at the stake, which was then commuted to beheading. In recent weeks she looked for any chance to save her position or even her life, but failed and her life ended in tragedy.^[3]

7 Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Queen Charlotte (1744–1818) was a beautiful German princess who did not know a word of English on her wedding day to King George III. However, she learned quickly and together they had fifteen children. The King and Queen lived happily for 25 years until George III became increasingly ill from his infamous madness.

George's inappropriate and ultimately violent behavior frightened Charlotte, and she increased the distance between them until they lived completely separate lives. She lost her partner to his illness, but once she overcame the loss of her happiness in her marriage, she was eventually able to find fulfillment in the sciences and literary arts, especially botany.^[4]

6 Henrietta Maria of France

Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669) became queen when she married Charles I and was heavily criticized throughout her reign for being a Catholic in Protestant-ruled England. Charles I is the one who ultimately lost his head, so as you can imagine, in the years before this disaster, Henrietta Maria was increasingly criticized for the choices she and her husband made when it came to running their businesses, even down to the ornate chapel she had built for herself.

Henrietta Maria had an image problem and from that moment on she could do little right. When Charles was executed in 1649, she began wearing only black and spent the rest of her life in the quiet background.^[5]

5 Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) was queen of both France and England during her lifetime. As Queen of France, she struggled with her husband during the Crusades until the stress of lack of success drove them apart. The marriage was annulled, but because Eleanor had inherited a large estate in her own name, she was an extremely desirable match and risked kidnapping attempts to force her into a new marriage. She longed to remain single, but soon married an English prince, the later Henry II of England.
The royal couple had eight children, but Eleanor was continually frustrated by his lack of interest in them. When one of her sons tried to overthrow the king, Eleanor happily supported him. Unfortunately, she ended up in prison for the next sixteen years when the plot failed. Only after her husband's death did she see freedom again, and amazingly she is remembered as a strong and able regent for her son as he fought in the distant Crusades.^[6]

4 Catherine Howard

Yes, that's right, another wife of Henry VIII made this list. But is it really that surprising? By the time Catherine Howard (c. 1523-1542) married Henry, he was almost 50, and she was barely 18. With the huge 30-year age difference and Henry's declining health, it is clear that Catherine had no intention of pursuing a relationship. to get. dazzling romance with the aging king. He openly expressed his attraction to her, but despite this, Catherine had very little freedom in the marriage and eventually began to seek the attention of younger men.

Catherine's extramarital affairs were widely discussed, and this naturally led to her downfall. Can she really be blamed for seeking out more suitable matches, or is she eternally the evil adulteress? One piece of evidence – a letter to her lover, Thomas Culpepper – is often used as proof that she deliberately committed adultery with him and truly loved him.

However, there is a suggestion that she was simply trying to stop his aggressive advances with sweet words. Henry himself initially refused to believe the accusations against Catherine, largely due to his affection for her, but more accusations piled up. After admitting to several sexual encounters, Catherine lost her head in 1542.^[7]

3 Matilda of Flanders

As queen consort of William I, also known as William the Conqueror, Matilda of Flanders (died 1083) was the first queen of England. But before she became queen, she was a young woman who would marry William, Duke of Normandy. He proposed to her from a distance, and she dared to refuse him, saying she wouldn't marry a bastard.

When he heard of her refusal, William rode straight towards her day and night, and when he met Matilda, he seized her by the hair, threw her to the ground and beat her mercilessly. He immediately left to return home, and after recovering for several days, Matilda finally announced that she would marry no other than William. There will be more later, but perhaps this speaks volumes about how their marriage would develop.^[8]

2 Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth Woodville (1437–1492) came on this list right after another queen consort, Margaret of Anjou. Elizabeth had no noble rank and was thus very unpopular when she became queen, especially because of her tendency to grant special favors to family members. She was the mother of the famous 'Princes in the Tower', who disappeared not long after being placed in the care of the infamous Richard III.

It is unknown how Elizabeth felt about the disappearance; however, she certainly suffered as her husband's heirs were slowly plucked away. Later, when Henry VII came to the throne, it was believed that Elizabeth was involved in a plot to overthrow the king. Without much investigation, she was sent away to a nunnery where she spent the rest of her life, far away. She died unceremoniously after several years of isolation.^[9]

1 Queen Maria I

Queen Mary I (1496–1558), or as she is sometimes called, “Bloody Mary,” is not who you would expect to be on the receiving end of any misery. She called for the brutal murder of a number of Protestants, but she herself had to remain Catholic. Only a few years into her life she was declared illegitimate by her father, Henry VIII, and close to the death of her brother, for whom she was intended as heir to the throne, she was completely removed from the line of succession.

Mary began her life as a respected princess, but was eventually forgotten and neglected due to the desires of the men around her. After she came to the throne in 1553, she knew she needed a Catholic heir to keep the country firmly Catholic, so she married the King of Spain. But again, Mary was almost completely neglected, as Philip II rarely visited, and she was never able to have a child.

Speaking of children, Queen Mary was so desperate for a child and heir that she had two false pregnancies, one of which lasted more than a year. It is certain that she experienced extreme stress surrounding the lack of an actual birth as she waited with a swollen belly, and was ridiculed in court for having a “delusion” that she was pregnant. She spent more than three months in a room awaiting a birth, and eventually had to come out. No child, and a mountain of disappointment not only with the public but also with herself.^[10]