Conspiracy: was Elizabeth I a man?
Tudor historian Tracy Borman explores the conspiracy theory that the future Elizabeth I had been replaced by a young boy in her childhood

Published: January 18, 2024 at 11:40 AM
In her most famous speech, delivered on 9 August 1588, Queen Elizabeth I declared that she had the "heart and stomach of a king". Was that just rhetoric? Or could England’s iconic Tudor queen actually have been a man masquerading as a woman? In this new episode of Conspiracy, Tudor historian Tracy Borman speaks to Rob Attar about the bizarre 'Bisley Boy' conspiracy theory that was popularised by none other than Dracula author Bram Stoker.
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Authors

Rob AttarEditor, BBC History Magazine
Rob Attar is editor of BBC History Magazine and also works across the HistoryExtra podcast and website, as well as hosting several BBC History Magazine events.
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