Hello history community. My good friend (and godfather of my 3rd child) HCP and I come to you tonight with a bit of a thought experiment, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but nonetheless valid, critical analysis of the "traditional" lineage of English/British monarchs from William the Conquerer onwards through the lens of figuring how each and every one of these figures was either themselves queer, or queer-coded in one way or another.
I hope you all can get some enjoyment out of this, and maybe even join in on the deconstruction of the typical method of studying these historical people. Please note as I write this that I am queer myself, in case that's relevant to you.
I'll list the person, followed by whether which ones were queer (which should be obvious to all real students of history) and if they weren't queer, how they were queer-coded, with an explanation attached for those. Enjoy
William the Conquerer: queer-coded (French)
William Rufus: queer
Henry Beauclerc: queer-coded (kinslayer)
Empress Matilda: queer-coded (erased from history)
Stephen of Blois: queer-coded (widowed)
Henry II: queer-coded (son of Matilda & married to Eleanor of Aquitaine)
Richard Lionheart: queer
John: queer-coded (Robin Hood, ©1973 Walt Disney Productions)
Louis the Lion: queer-coded (French)
Henry III: queer-coded (antisemitic)
Edward Longshanks: queer-coded (nickname)
Edward II: queer
Edward III: queer-coded (anti-gay + went to France willingly)
Richard II: queer
Henry IV: queer-coded (won throne through trickery)
Henry V: queer-coded (Timothée Chalamet played him in the movie)
Henry VI: queer-coded (mentally ill + married to Margaret of Anjou)
Edward IV: queer-coded (respected wife)
Edward V: queer-coded (twink)
Richard III: queer-coded (evil)
Henry VII: queer-coded (son of Margaret Beaufort & married to Elizabeth of York)
Henry VIII: queer-coded (drama queen)
Edward VI: queer-coded (twink)
Lady Jane Grey: queer-coded (erased from history + educated humanist)
Bloody Mary: queer-coded (rightwing feminist icon)
Elizabeth I: queer-coded (sexual deviant [virgin])
James VI/I: queer
Charles I: queer-coded (overthrown in violent revolution)
Ollie Cromwell: queer-coded (anti-gay)
Queen Dick Cromwell: queer
Charles II: queer-coded (I don't think this one needs an explanation)
James VII/II: queer
Mary II: queer-coded (respected constitutional norms)
William of Orange: queer
Anne: queer
George I: queer-coded (mommy issues)
George II: queer-coded (daddy issues)
George III: queer-coded (mentally ill)
George IV: queer-coded (unfaithful)
William IV: queer-coded (sailor)
Victoria: queer-coded (overweight)
Edward VII: queer-coded (fashion icon)
George V: King George V is the only monarch who is neither queer nor queer-coded.
Edward VIII: queer-coded (fashion icon + Nazi sympathizer)
George VI: queer-coded (speech impediment)
Elizabeth II: queer-coded (surrounded by divorce)
Comment your thoughts down below
