The Alencon courtship was her last political courtship. It was certain now that Elizabeth would never marry. Her statesmen must have been relieved that the often gruelling negotiations for her hand were over, but the dangers the lack of an heir posed could not be ignored, and must have weighed heavily on the minds of her more far-sighted advisors. The woman who early in her reign had declared that it would please her immensely if on her grave it was written A queen having lived and reigned such and such a time, lived and died a virgin would have her wish come true, and be known for ever more as The Virgin Queen . This list gives the names of the principal suitors to the Queen over the course of her life.
Some individuals appear more than once as their suit was considered and reconsidered.
Those suitors that were given serious consideration by the Queen's government or whose desire for her hand in marriage had a profound influence upon the Queen's personal and political life, have been highlighted. 1585 Francis, Duke of Alencon, later Anjou.