Queen Elizabeth I and her teeth

Throughout her life, Elizabeth I encountered problems with her teeth or lack of them. The anecdote involving Bishop Aylmer in 1578, Strype's account of which being rarely, if ever, quoted in full, and Hentzner's description of her two decades later are well-known, but are by no means the only references to her personal dental history. In a number of biographical studies, the saga of her toothache has been treated as no more than an amusing anecdote, but secondary sources show frequent errors, through either patchwork, imaginativeness or omission. This paper seeks to present a more comprehensive picture of Elizabeth's dental history, so primary sources, quoted as fully as possible, have been allowed to speak for themselves. No assessment has been attempted of the effects of the clinical circumstances upon political decisions or indecision.