Images of Elizabeth Tudor have captivated audiences for centuries and continue to do so today. The notions of the great “Gloriana” and the patriotic “Virgin Queen” are still alive in our popular consciousness and widely studied by 21st century historians. Elizabeth's popularity has contributed to the creation of a complex collection of images surrounding her and, as a result, one of the greatest challenges researchers face is separating the real Elizabeth from the legend. In my research I will focus on the Queen's Speech at Tilbury in 1588, a speech delivered to English troops as they awaited an imminent attack from the Spanish Armada. The Tilbury speech is one of Elizabeth's most frequently cited speeches, despite recurring debates as to its authenticity. The speech offers an alternative understanding of Elizabeth's role as a female ruler, as it depicts the queen on the battlefield as opposed to the royal court. Elizabeth I's speech at Tilbury, whether fact or legend, provides historians with important clues about the imagery surrounding the queen, as well as the opportunities, limitations and expectations faced by a 16th century female ruler. Elizabeth's speech at Tilbury was recorded by Dr Leonel Sharp in a letter to the Duke of Buckingham in 1623. Sharp's version first appeared in print in 1654 and is the most commonly cited version of the speech . An even earlier version of Tilbury's speech was printed in 1612 and written by William Leigh. However, this version is quite different and has received less popular and scholarly attention. Nonetheless, these two printed recordings will be invaluable to my research, as they both provide a picture of Elizabeth as a warrior queen who supports...... middle of paper ...... the speech of Elizabeth at Tilbury has been referenced in this first stage of research, I hope that my sources will validate the following provisional thesis: Elizabeth's speech at Tilbury in 1588 provoked a new imagery of the queen which served to unify the 'England. people under a single monarch, a monarch who embodied both masculine and feminine virtues and who also came to symbolize Protestantism in England. Like all historians, I will be at the mercy of my sources, and my thesis is very likely to change over the course of history. research. Yet, I want to focus on the gendered aspects of Elizabeth's speech and how gender concepts can manipulate acts of representation. I also hope to explore how gender relates to religion and how images of Elizabeth could be manipulated to promote Protestantism in England..