History walsingham and plots

• The Ridolfi Plot in 1571 involved the Duke of Norfolk seeking support from Spain to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots
• The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570, leading to Catholics no longer feeling obliged to obey her
• Roberto Ridolfi, an Italian banker, arranged meetings with The Pope and Phillip II of Spain to plan for 10,000 Spanish troops to invade England and establish Catholicism
• Spain delayed acting on the plot until Elizabeth was removed, leading to its discovery by Francis Walsingham's spy network
• The Duke of Norfolk was executed for his involvement in the plot, but Mary, Queen of Scots, was spared
• Spanish ambassadors in England were expelled, and a new law was passed to monitor Catholics closely
• The Ridolfi Plot highlighted the threat posed by Spanish troops in the Netherlands, prompting Elizabeth I to focus on improving relations with France
• The Throckmorton Plot of 1583:

  • Francis Throckmorton, a young English Catholic, preached anti-Elizabeth sentiments
  • Plan: incite an uprising in the North, joined by the French Duke of Guise with Spanish money
  • Throckmorton carried letters between Spanish and French ambassadors in London, leading to his capture and confession under torture
  • Consequences:

  1. Throckmorton was executed in 1584

  2. Mary, Queen of Scots, seen as a real threat, faced increased surveillance and suspicion

  3. Catholics faced harsher treatment, with a 1585 law making it treason to house any Catholic priests and around 11,000 Catholics imprisoned
• Causes of the Throckmorton Plot:

  • From 1574, the Pope sent Catholic priests into England
  • In 1581, a law was passed making converting to Catholicism treason
  • Support for Mary, Queen of Scots, increased in the North
• Events & What Went Wrong in the Throckmorton Plot:

  • Throckmorton's actions brought him to the attention of Walsingham, leading to his arrest
  • Phillip II did not send the promised money
  • Throckmorton's house was searched, leading to his capture and confession under torture
• The Babington Plot in 1586 was supported by Anthony Babington and was influenced by the failures of previous plots, Catholic rebels, and Elizabeth's harsh treatment of the Catholic population after Throckmorton's plot
• Mary, who had been in jail for 19 years, was a central figure in the Babington Plot
• In the Babington Plot, Babington wrote to Mary with six ways he would put her on the throne, including the Duke of Guise invading from France with 60,000 troops, Spanish money, and support from the Pope and Phillip
• Spies within Mary's house intercepted the letters in the Babington Plot, leading to the discovery of the plot
• Mary was finally implicated in the Babington Plot by writing the final letter where she agreed to the plan to kill Elizabeth and escape from prison
• The consequences of the Babington Plot included the plotters being rounded up and tried, Elizabeth wanting to crush the Catholics in England, and the foreign situation for England becoming more dangerous due to being at war with Spain
• 1. 15th November: The Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland instructed tenants on Elizabeth's land to join the army and bring back Catholicism; some men joined the earls, leading to the revolt of the northern earls
• During the revolt, a cathedral was destroyed, books and prayer items like the Bible were burnt, but some nobles stayed loyal to Elizabeth and escaped execution
• 22-30th November: The rebels marched to Bromham near York, hoping for foreign support that never came, and the Protestant nobles remained loyal to Elizabeth
• The rebels moved to major towns for a rescue but were unsuccessful, and the government regained control over the north as the rebels fled
• 16-19th December: The rebels crossed the Tees and fled to Scotland; Elizabeth ordered the pursuit of 700 rebels, but only 450 were found, and the Spanish army reached the rebels