The Liz Quiz

Question 8

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth was known, always affectionately, by several different names. Which of the names below was not applied to Elizabeth during her lifetime?

1. Darling Liz
2. Gloriana
3. Good Queen Bess
4. Sweet Bessy
5. The Virgin Queen

The answer is a. Darling Liz.

The epithet of "the Virgin Queen" was one Elizabeth herself originated when she was first dealing with the possibility of marriage. She was constantly reminded that she "must marry," and although she remained an enviable catch for a good 20 years, early on she professed, "And in the end, this shall be for me sufficient: that a marble stone shall declare that a Queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin."

Gloriana was a name that came about in the later years of her reign, when such artists and poets as Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Spenser flourished. Good Queen Bess was a popular name with the people (and Elizabeth herself was very popular with the people), and Sweet Bessy was even used in the early years of her reign.

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