Elizabeth

• The Scottish Protestant lords' rebellion begins in Scotland

  1559
• King Francis Il of France dies

  1559
• Mary returns to Scotland after the death of her husband, King Francis Il of France


  1559
• Mary marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley


  1565
• Mary gives birth to a son, James

  1566
• Lord Darnley is murdered and Mary marries the Earl of Bothwell


  1567
• The Scottish Protestant lords rebel against Mary


  1567
• Mary is forced to abdicate and is imprisoned


  1567
• Mary escapes and raises an army against the Scottish Protestant lords but is defeated


  1568
• Mary flees to England

  1568
• Mary is implicated in a plot against Elizabeth I, and is placed under house arrest in England


  1569
• The Treaty of Edinburgh


  1560
• The Treaty of Edinburgh 1560


  Mary, Queen of Scots, would give up her claim to the English throne
• Darnley was murdered, probably by the Earl of Bothwell


  1567
• Mary married Bothwell after Darnley's death

  1567
• Mary's forces were defeated at Langside

  1568
• A court was convened to hear the case against Mary, Queen of Scots


  1568-1569
• The Revolt of the Northern Earls

  1569
• Reasons for the Revolt of the Northern Earls


  • The earls and their followers wanted Catholicism restored in England
  • The earls had lost a great deal of their influence at court
  • Elizabeth refused to name an heir creating uncertainty about England's future
  • Mary, Queen of Scots, in captivity in England, was a figurehead who could replace Elizabeth and, in doing so, resolve the other issues the earls had
• Key players in the Revolt of the Northern Earls

  • Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland was Catholic
  • Charles Neville, Earl of Westmorland, was from an important Catholic family in the north of England
  • Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, was one of England's most senior nobles and a Protestant, although he had close links to old, northern Catholic families
• Role of religion


  • Elizabeth appointed James Pilkington, a Protestant, archbishop of Durham in 1561
  • Pilkington's efforts to impose Protestantism were very unpopular and only succeeded in turning many northerners against him and against England's new religion
• Role of politics

  • Northumberland resented an up-and-coming rival northern family, the Forsters
  • Northern earls resented newcomers like William Cecil and Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester) who had a lot of influence over Elizabeth
• Mary, Queen of Scots, and the succession

  • If Elizabeth I died before declaring an heir, England could be thrown into confusion
  • The marriage of the Duke of Norfolk and Mary, Queen of Scots, would solve the problem of the succession and provide Protestant heirs
• Plan for the Revolt of the Northern Earls


  1. The earls of Northumberland and Westmorland to raise rebel forces from their lands in the north of England and take control of Durham

  2. The rebels to march south towards London to join with the Duke of Norfolk

  3. Several thousand Spanish will land in Hartlepool to support the rebel forces

  4. The Duke of Norfolk and the rebel forces will seize control of the government in London and overthrow Elizabeth I

  5. Any resistance will be overthrown by the Spanish troops

  6. Mary QoS be freed, marry the Duke of Norfolk and take the English throne
• Key events of the revolt

  • Once Elizabeth knew about the plot, Norfolk was arrested
  • The rebels took control of the Durham cathedral and celebrated mass
  • Spain's supporting troops never arrived
  • Elizabeth managed to raise an army of 14,000 men for her cause
  • After the revolt was crushed, approximately 450 rebels were executed
  • Westmorland escaped but Northumberland was captured and executed
• In 1570, the Pope issued a papal bull that excommunicated Elizabeth and called on all Catholics to depose her
• In 1571, parliament passed Acts widening the definition of treason
• Significance of the Revolt of the Northern Earls

  • The first, and most serious, rebellious act by English Catholics against Elizabeth I
  • The treason laws became harsher and the definition of treason was widened
  • Ended the power of the Percy and Neville families in the north of England
  • It prompted harsher treatment of Catholics
• Significance of the papal bull

  The papal bull put England's Catholics in a difficult position: did they obey the head of their church or their queen?