Queen Elizabeth I: Goddess of War
“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…” (“Speech to the Troops at Tilbury” ln. 11-12). In her speech, “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”, Queen Elizabeth I demonstrated her strength, devotion and ability to rally. Even after describing herself as a “weak and feeble woman” she continued to speak and inspire the people of her country to fight. Queen Elizabeth I’s speech was shaped by many things including her upbringing, the politics throughout the world at the time, and the status of women. While her speech was not very long, it inspired her troops to fight and win against the Spanish Armada before they could even make it to land. …show more content…
The reason Queen Elizabeth I had to give her famous speech, “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury” was because of the conflict that had escalated between England and Spain. At this time Spain was one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in the world, run by King Philip II. On the other hand England was a small country with few allies and many enemies. When Queen Elizabeth I took the throne, she had every intention of returning England to the Church of England rather than Roman Catholicism. During this time religion was at the center of most conflicts. King Philip II disliked Queen Elizabeth I for many reasons, at the forefront of which was her straying from the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to disliking her religion, she had also turned down a marriage proposal from him and had encouraged English pirates to rob Spanish ships. Like their king, many Spanish people were very hostile towards Queen Elizabeth I believing she was illegitimate and was not entitled to the English throne. Neither King Philip II nor Spanish citizens attempted to hide their attempts to dethrone
“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…” (“Speech to the Troops at Tilbury” ln. 11-12). In her speech, “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”, Queen Elizabeth I demonstrated her strength, devotion and ability to rally. Even after describing herself as a “weak and feeble woman” she continued to speak and inspire the people of her country to fight. Queen Elizabeth I’s speech was shaped by many things including her upbringing, the politics throughout the world at the time, and the status of women. While her speech was not very long, it inspired her troops to fight and win against the Spanish Armada before they could even make it to land. …show more content…
The reason Queen Elizabeth I had to give her famous speech, “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury” was because of the conflict that had escalated between England and Spain. At this time Spain was one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in the world, run by King Philip II. On the other hand England was a small country with few allies and many enemies. When Queen Elizabeth I took the throne, she had every intention of returning England to the Church of England rather than Roman Catholicism. During this time religion was at the center of most conflicts. King Philip II disliked Queen Elizabeth I for many reasons, at the forefront of which was her straying from the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to disliking her religion, she had also turned down a marriage proposal from him and had encouraged English pirates to rob Spanish ships. Like their king, many Spanish people were very hostile towards Queen Elizabeth I believing she was illegitimate and was not entitled to the English throne. Neither King Philip II nor Spanish citizens attempted to hide their attempts to dethrone