Background to Speech 1: Queen Elizabeth's First Speech Before Parliament, February 10, 1559.

Background in a Nutshell

The Full Background Story:

Before her first speech to Parliament, some members from the House of Commons sent an official request  to the new queen.  They wanted her to: (1) Get married soon (2) Not to marry a foreigner.

The Commons wanted to ensure the safety of England through having a clear heir to the throne.  They also wanted to make sure no foreign powers had a claim to the throne.

Timeline: Elizabeth's first few months as queen:

November 17, 1558 Mary I died.  Elizabeth declared queen.  

Elizabeth changed the official religion of England back to Protestanism.

January 15, 1559 Elizabeth coronated  Queen of England

Commons sends official request for Elizabeth to marry

Feburary 10, 1559 Elizabeth's First Speech before Parliament  

The image below shows a meeting Parliament during Elizabeth's reign.  In her first speech, she would have addressed a group of older, more politically experienced men like those seen below.  


Description | Source
Elizabeth probably delivered her first speech in a room like this to an assembly that looked like this. This painting shows Elizabeth's advisor William Cecil and the Court of Wards and Liveries circa 1560-1590
This painting shows one of Elizabeth's chief advisors, William Cecil, leading a meeting of the Court of Wards and Liveries. The image shows 12 men in dark, formal robes, dark hats, and lace collars sitting around a table. The table has books, papers, and writing implements. More men stand in the periphery behind a partition watching the men at the table. The scene takes place in a tall stone room. Light comes in through two recessed glass windows high in the walls. Queen Elizabeth's royal coat of arms, a lion and a dragon holding onto a red and blue shield, is displayed above Cecil's head.Cecil Court of Wards (Public Domain) Scanned from Horizon Book of the Elizabethan World by Lacey Baldwin Smith, New York: American Heritage Publishing, 1967.