This one is for Louis and the pigs

Who were the gay kings and queens of England?
There have been many "queens" in British history and culture -- but
there have also been several British monarchs whose lives gay
historians now read as queer.
Both Renaissance playwright Christopher Marlowe and 20th-century
filmmaker Derek Jarman produced works that explored the queerness of
King Edward II, who was born in 1284.
He had a favorite, Piers Gaveston, a knight from France who came to
court while Edward was still Prince of Wales. The two young men became
so close that Edward's father expelled the Frenchman from court. But
when Edward assumed the throne in 1307, he brought Gaveston back as his
trusted adviser.
As king, Edward relied on Gaveston more heavily than he did on British
advisers, angering many nobles. In 1312, a group of them kidnapped
Gaveston, beheaded him, and ran a sword through his body. Though Edward
ruled another 15 years, he was eventually deposed by Parliament and
also brutally murdered.
Over two centuries later, in 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to
heronly child, James. When Protestant Scottish lords forced the Roman
Catholic Mary from the throne, James succeeded her as king of Scotland
at the age of 13 months. In 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I died
childless, he became king of England, too, as James I. He later gave
his name to the translation of the Bible that we know as the "King
James Version."
Though he married and fathered seven children, James' deepest
affections were reserved for a succession of male favorites. The first
was Esme Stuart, a cousin, who captured the teenage king's heart in
1579. James gave Stuart, who was in his thirties, money, land, and a
series of impressive titles, including Duke of Lennox.
The duke was viewed by Elizabeth and by many Scottish lords with
suspicion because he was both French and Catholic. In 1582, a group of
powerful nobles forced the 16-year-old James to dismiss Lennox, which
he did. But throughout his reign, the king continued to find favorites
on whom to lavish titles and privilege.
One of these was the handsome George Villiers, who came to court at the
age of 23 in 1614. Created the Duke of Buckingham, Villiers held a
series of powerful posts, including "Gentleman of the Bedchamber,"
which required his close attendance on James. He was eventually
expelled from office by Parliament after James's death in 1625.
Queens, too, had their favorites. Anne, the great-granddaughter of
James I, was born in 1665. She and her older sister Mary, who were
Protestant, acquiesced in the deposing of their Catholic father, James
II, in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688.
From childhood, Anne had a passionate friendship with Sarah Jennings.
Despite the fact that both young women married -- Anne to Prince George
of Denmark, with whom she had 17 children, and Sarah to John Churchill,
a forebear of Winston -- Anne displayed a fierce devotion to Sarah that
bordered on obsession.
During Mary's reign, John Churchill was accused of treason and he and
Sarah were expelled from court, despite Anne's feverish protests to her
sister: "There is no misery that I cannot readily resolve to suffer
rather than the thoughts of parting with [Sarah]." When Anne succeeded
Mary to the throne in 1702, she quickly brought the Churchills back
from exile as her advisers, making them the Duke and Duchess of
Marlborough.
All three of these monarchs lived long before there was a conscious gay
identity. But their passionate devotion to favorites of their own
gender makes them stand out as queer ancestors.

And this just the tip of the iceberg.

Middle Stump

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: This one is for Louis and the pigs
    ... King Edward II, ... As king, Edward relied on Gaveston more heavily than he did on British ... James succeeded her as king of Scotland ... series of impressive titles, including Duke of Lennox. ...
    (alt.talk.royalty)
  • Re: Charles I - Regicides
    ... 3.Sir John Bourchier 1595-1660 descendant of King Edward III and ancestor of Dukes of Richmond, ...
    (soc.genealogy.medieval)
  • Re: Aethelflaed, Alfreds daughter
    ... >>> the Vikings, whereby Guthrum the Dane became a Christian and the ... Edward also built forts, furthering their joint plan to use ... >> led the Viking attack from the Danelaw. ... >> Neots as "king of the Danes and king of the pagans was killed, ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Q/K Brangelina?
    ... anoint a Queen and King of America to divert the drama queens' attention. ... The national campaign to get President Barack Obama to emote, throw crockery at oil executives, and jump up and down in fury has failed. ... If we can just get over George III, our new constitutional monarchs could serve as National Hand-Holders, Morale-Boosters-in-Chief and Founts of American Indignation. ...
    (alt.gathering.rainbow)
  • Re: Prince Hal vindicated.
    ... How would Edward IV or Richard III fared had The News of the World been around ... Officials at the Palace were silent tonight, following reports that Richard, ... King Edward, seemed 'unimpressed', and commented that he had done far better, ... When pressed, Sir Richard refused to comment further, saying that the matter was ...
    (soc.history.medieval)