The queen and her moor
Despite the fact that Walsingham likely saved the queen’s life countless times by thwarting conspiracies aimed to eliminate her, their relationship was complicated. It is no great secret that Elizabeth was a larger-than-life personality — loud, brash and outspoken — and she didn’t mince her words. Although she famously never married, Elizabeth was particularly fond of men and her support structure was composed pretty much entirely of them. She liked men who cooed over her, and especially ones who said what she wanted to hear. Walsingham, however, was not one of them.
The two of them frequently disagreed on policy. Walsingham was very direct, honest and rather passionate about his opinions. For one, he was convinced that a marriage that Elizabeth sought between herself and Francis, the duke of Anjou, was not a wise idea. In fact, he opposed the union so adamantly that when he failed to secure it, Elizabeth furiously dismissed him from court for several months.
Despite these fiery encounters, Elizabeth was not a fool — she saw how talented and vital Walsingham was to her court and gave him role after role of pivotal responsibility in both domestic and foreign affairs, even trusting him to talk on her behalf with foreign ambassadors.
Elizabeth often mocked Walsingham’s zealous beliefs and sober demeanour, even calling him a rank Puritan. But she did give him one of her nicknames, calling him her “moor” due to his dark appearance. The queen’s nicknames, though often appearing derivative, were saved solely for those she was fondest of, so it is clear she had some affection for Walsingham.
Although their relationship may have been rocky, the queen valued him for his trustworthiness, honesty and council and even his dry humour. Over time, rather than fighting against him, Elizabeth accepted her spymaster for who he was — “her Moor [who] cannot change his colour.”