On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1601, sixty-eight-year-old Queen Elizabeth I delivered her famous Golden Speech to the House of Commons.
In this final speech to Parliament, Elizabeth spoke of her position as Queen and her love and respect for her realm, her people, and for her members of Parliament. It was a speech that brought many of those listening to tears. It was obviously a very heartfelt speech by a queen who truly loved her people.
In today’s talk, I share Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech along with some beautiful portraits of the queen.
Also on this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1529, the feast of St Andrew, Henry VIII was reproached by the two women in his life: his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the woman he wanted to marry, Anne Boleyn.
Catherine of Aragon was not impressed by the way her husband was treating her, and Anne Boleyn didn’t like the fact that the king was letting Catherine get the upper hand.
They both told the king exactly what they thought.
Find out what happened in this video…
Beautiful speech indeed heartfelt and honest no wonder it was called her golden speech, and moved many of her men to tears, certain words stand out, to wear a crown is more desirable to those that do not wear it than to those that do, was she thinking of the men she had known from youth whose ambition had led them to the scaffold, maybe she was thinking of her tragic mother who lost her life because she dared to barter for the crown? The other words she spoke where she told them she was beholden to them more than they to her was gracious and humble, indeed she was telling them of the great service they did to her their loyalty and patience, monarchs need wise counsel and she had had many faithful servants, from her most trusted adviser William Cecil Lord Burghley, his son who continued to serve Elizabeth when he had died, her spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and many others, and with her mischievous spirit she had nicknames for her favourites, it was a long speech, maybe she knew she was nearing the end of her life and wished to tell them of the deep love and faith she had always had for them, Elizabeth was a powerful orator like her father before her, who when he spoke often held people spellbound, his tall dazzling presence Elizabeth also possessed even when she grew old and more frail, her other famous speech was at Tilbury when she rallied the troops mounted on horseback in armour, like a latter day Boudicca, it also was lovely seeing the many portraits of Elizabeth to, there were a few I had never seen, out of all the portraits though I prefer the one where she was a young girl, a teenager on the brink of womanhood, where she stands in front of some heavy drapes holding a book, with those famous long slender fingers splayed over the cover, a russet pink gown with the fashionable square cut neckline and French hood showing her glorious red hair to perfection, she looks serious and there is none of the merry irrepressible flirt in her countenance, and which was so very much a part of her nature which she had inherited from Anne Boleyn, her later pictures commissioned when she was queen show a distant autocratic woman queenly regal and like her father, draped in costly jewels and magnificent flamboyant outfits, with her last speech aptly named ‘her golden speech’ Parliament were all too aware this probably would be her last, like many years before, Henry V111 had addressed his Parliament yet the words and tone were completely different, in his last speech grown ever more suspicious and paranoid, he had chided them for their mistrust and ambitious machinations whereas Elizabeth’s was full of love, I must add Claire you spoke the queens speech beautifully, you are clear and articulate and a pleasure to listen to, so never apologise you did Good Queen Bess proud! I am sure she also would approve of you.