While stories of the Queen having borne illegitimate children have been told for centuries, there is no reason to believe they are true. If the Queen had borne as many illegitimate children as stories have told, she would have been constantly pregnant! In the sixteenth century, a woman's most important asset was her reputation. A woman was expected to be a model of virtue, and if she bore a child out of wedlock, she would lose her good name.This could mean prison, no work, no home, and no hope of marrying a respectable man in the future. The Queen's opponents thus tried to discredit her by saying she was not really a  virtuous virgin Queen but one who had secret lovers and secret children. They believed that if they could persuade people the Queen was immoral, they could win people over to their cause. In 1587, a young man turned up in Spain claiming to be the Queen's son, but he was most likely an imposter. He said his name was Arthur Dudley and that his father was the Queen's favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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