Wednesday, August 4, 2010

No Henry Lee's

"But I'm afraid when I hear stories about a husband and wife,

There's no happy endings, no Henry Lee"
Sir Henry Lee KG (1533 – 12 February 1611), of Ditchley, was Master of the Ordnance under Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Lee became Queen Elizabeth I’s champion in 1570 and was appointed Master of the Royal Armouries in 1580, an office which he held until his death. As Queen's Champion, Lee devised the Accession Day tilts held annually on 17 November, the most important Elizabethan court festival from the 1580s. He retired as Queen's Champion in 1590, and his poems "His Golden Locks" and "Time's Eldest Son" were set to music by John Dowland and performed at the lavish retirement pageant. He was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1597.
Sir Henry, like most courtiers of the day, had a portrait painted by a leading artist. In Lee's picture, his sleeves are decorated with armillary spheres, a symbol of wisdom and also his device as queen's champion. His sleeves are also decorated with lovers knots which, combined with the armillary spheres can be seen to represent his love for learning (the wisdom of the armillary spheres) and for the Queen (his symbol as her champion). Lee also wears several rings tied to his arm, and has his finger through a third ring around his neck. This may represent his marriages, and the third ring, which is not quite on his finger, may represent his relationship with Anne Vavasour.





For it was Henry Lee who although had other relationships, and marriages, was proud enough of his love for the queen, not just because she was queen, but because he was truly in love with her, to have his painting portrayed in this way, knowing this would spark controversy among the courts for centuries to come. Although Disney is a liar and fairytales never really do happen, what gal doesn't want a guy that's proud enough of his love for her to not only openly admit it, but have one of the few items left portraying him, have his affection displayed for all to see. Chivalry must be dead. I'll anticipate the day I'm smiling thinking to myself, "this is my happy ending, my Henry Lee."

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