Challenges at Home and Abroad, 1569-1588

• 1. Why were the Northern Earls unhappy?

  • Many northern nobles were still committed Catholics - they wanted to see the restoration of Catholicism in England under a Catholic monarch - the arrival of Mary QoS in 1568 gave them hope that Elizabeth could be replaced with Mary
  • Elizabeth had confiscated large areas of land from the Earl of Northumberland and shared them between Northumberland's main rival in the north and a southern Protestant
  • Northumberland was also angry that Elizabeth had claimed all the profits from the copper mines discovered on his estates
• 2. Why were the Northern Earls unhappy? (2)

  • Elizabeth had reduced the power of the northern nobles and increased her control in the north - in part, she did this through the Council of the North, which helped to govern the region - under Elizabeth, the Council was controlled by Southern Protestants - the Northern nobles deeply resented this
  • The northern nobles blamed Elizabeth's advisors for these policies - they believed that some privy councillors, especially William Cecil, had become too powerful - they wanted to remove these 'evil-counsellors' and replace them with more sympathetic men
• 3. What was the Revolt of the Northern Earls? (1)

  • in 1569, the Duke of Norfolk (wealthiest landowner in England) hatched a plan to marry Mary QoS and have her recognised as Elizabeth's heir - this plan was supported by Catholic nobles, including Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, because it meant that Elizabeth would be succeeded by a Catholic queen
  • When the plan was uncovered, the Earls feared they would be executed for their involvement - in a desperate attempt to escape punishment, they rebelled and tried to overthrow Elizabeth
• 4. What was the Revolt of the Northern Earls? (2)

  • In November 1569, the Earls captured Durham, where they celebrated Catholic Mass in the cathedral
  • Then they marched south, probably making for Tutbury in Derbyshire, where Mary was imprisoned
  • Before the rebels reached Tutbury, a large royal army forced them to retreat - many of their troops deserted, and the two Earls fled to Scotland
  • Elizabeth showed the rebels little mercy - Westmorland fled abroad, but Northumberland was executed, as were 400 rebel troops
• 5. Why was the revolt a serious threat to Elizabeth's rule?

  • It was the most serious rebellion of her reign - it posed a major threat ti Elizabeth's rule and showed the danger that Mary QoS, represented as a rallying point for English Catholics
  • News of the revolt created fear among English Protestants about Catholic plots and revenge - these fears were fuelled by memories of the harsh persecution of Protestants during Mary I's reign
• 6. Excommunication of Elizabeth:

  • In 1570, Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth - this was supposed to strengthen the revolt, but news of it didn't arrive until after the rebels had fled
  • The excommunication did make the Catholic threat seem more serious, because it meant that Catholics no longer had to obey the Queen and were encouraged to overthrow her
• 7. How did the Revolt and excommunication change Elizabeth's attitude?

  • The Revolt of the Northern Earls and the papal excommunication changed Elizabeth's attitude towards Catholics, who were now seen as potential traitors
  • From 1570, Elizabeth became less tolerant of recusancy and took increasingly harsh measures against English Catholics
• 8.

  • There was little support for the revolt among the rest of the Catholic Nobility and ordinary people - when faced with a choice between Elizabeth and their religion, most Catholics chose to support the Queen
  • 1569-70 was the last time English Catholics tried to remove Elizabeth by force
• 9. What was the Ridolfi Plot?

  • Roberto di Ridolfi was an Italian banker who had played a small part in the Revolt of the Northern Earls
  • In 1571 he used his Catholic contacts in England and Europe to develop a plot to overthrow Elizabeth
  • He planned to assassinate her, then marry Mary to the Duke of Norfolk and make her queen - he was supported by the Pope, and by King Phillip II, who agreed to provide troops for a Spanish invasion
• 10. What was the outcome of the Ridolfi Plot?


  • The plot failed, largely because Elizabeth's allies passed the names of the main conspirators to her - they also intercepted letters sent by Mary, which implicated her and Norfolk in the plot
  • Norfolk was arrested and executed - Mary was not punished, although her supervision was made tighter
• 11. What was the Throckmorton Plot?

  • The Throckmorton Plot of 1583 aimed to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with Mary - the conspirators planned for an invasion of French troops, financed by Philip II of Spain and the Pope
  • A leading figure in the plot was Francis Throckmorton, a young Catholic man who carried messages between Mary and Catholic conspirators abroad - the plot was uncovered by Walsingham who placed Throckmorton under surveillance for several months
• 12. What was the outcome of the Throckmorton Plot?


  • In response to the Throckmorton Plot, Elizabeth's closest advisors drafted the Bond of Association, which aimed to prevent any more such plots
  • The Bond, which was signed by the English nobility and gentry, required the signatories to execute anyone who attempted to overthrow the Queen
• 13. Who was Francis Walsingham?


  • Francis Walsingham was Elizabeth's principal secretary and spymaster
  • He established a large spy network in England and Europe
  • Walsingham intercepted the letters of Catholic conspirators and worked with an expert cryptographer to decode them - he also used double agents to infiltrate Catholic networks
• 14. Why did the Catholic Plots pose a Real threat to Elizabeth?

  • Mary's presence in England and her strong claim to the throne made the plots seem credible and meant that they posed a real threat to Elizabeth's rule - many people were afraid that they would be successful
  • As the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope could rally support for the plots - for some Catholics, obedience to the Pope was more important that obedience to Elizabeth
  • Foreign powers, like France and Spain were involved, so there was a danger they would lead to a foreign invasion
• 15. What were the weaknesses of the plots?

  • Elizabeth was a popular ruler and the conspirators lacked public support - as the failure of the Revolt of the Northern Earls had shown, there was little appetite in England for a Catholic Revolution
  • Philip II was reluctant to destroy his alliance with Elizabeth - as a result, his support for the Catholic plots was half-hearted - although he promised to help the conspirators, he rarely followed through on his promise
  • Elizabeth's informants, and later Walsingham's spy network, ensured that the plots were uncovered before they were fully developed
• 16. What was the Babington Plot

  • Another conspiracy involving France and Spain
  • Planned to assassinate Elizabeth and give the throne to Mary with the support of a joint Franco-Spanish invasion force
  • Anthony Babington was one of the key conspirators - he was responsible for sending information to Mary from her supporters in England and Europe, and passing back replies
• 17. What was the outcome of the Babington plot?

  • Through his spy network, Walsingham followed every stage of the plot - using a spy agent he managed to secretly intercept all letters sent to and from Mary, and have them decoded
  • One of Mary's letters approved ins to assassinate the Queen and free Mary from prison
  • By August 1586, Walsingham had all the evidence he needed to break the plot - Babington and the other conspirators were arrested, tried and executed for treason
• 18. Mary's execution:

  • Mary had been implicated in Catholic plots before, but Elizabeth had always been reluctant to take action against her
  • The evidence gathered by Walsingham finally persuaded her to put Mary on trial
  • In October 1586, Mary was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death
  • After hesitating for several months, Elizabeth eventually signed Mary's death warrant
  • The execution took place on 8th February 1587
• 19. How did Mary's execution reduce the threat from Catholics at home?

  • The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, removed the long-standing Catholic threat to Elizabeth at home
  • English Catholics now had no-one to rally around and they lost hope of ever overthrowing Elizabeth and reversing the religious settlement
  • There were no more Catholic plots during Elizabeth's reign
• 20. How did her execution increase threat from abroad?

  • Mary's execution inflamed Catholic opposition abroad and increased the threat of foreign invasion
  • In 1587, relations with Spain were at a low point - the two countries wee at war over the Netherlands, and King Philip II had been preparing for an attack o England since 1585
  • Mary's execution made the situation worse - he was determined to invade
  • Danger of James VI of Scotland - may seek revenge for mother's death - he could form alliance with other Catholics and invade
• 21. Why were England and Spain Rivals?

  • King Philip II married to Mary I - England and Spain fought together against France - when it ended Elizabeth ad Philip tried to stay on good terms
  • Spain's great imperial power - it rolled Spain, Netherlands and parts of Italy, also having a great empire in North and South America - in 1581 he became king of Portugal
  • In 1570s, England wanted an empire of its own and hoped to become an imperial power like Spain
  • Philip was a devout Catholic and disliked the religious settlement
• 22. Why was there commercial rivalry between Spain and England?

  • English exports to Europe were vital to its economy - many goods reached the European market via Dutch ports, especially Antwerp
  • Because Spain ruled the Netherlands, Philip could limit English access to these vital ports
  • In 1568, Spanish ships holding gold bullion took refuge in English ports to escape weather - Elizabeth seized the gold for herself, enraging Philip
  • In response, he banned trade with the Netherlands, damaging English economy and caused hardship
• 23. Who was Francis Drake?

  • Francis Drake was a leading privateer
  • He was involved in several expeditions in the Americas in the late 1560s and 1570s
  • Between 1577 and 1580, Drake sailed around the world
  • He carried out a number of raids on Spanish settlements and ships, returning with huge amounts of treasure
• 24. Elizabeth's income from the Americas:

  • Trade with Spain's colonists in the Americas was very profitable but foreigners couldn't trade there without a license
  • Elizabeth encouraged privateers to trade illegally there, raid Spanish ships and attack treasure fleets carrying gold and silver from Americas to Spain
  • Because privateers were 'independent' Elizabeth could deny responsibility for their activities - helping prevent open conflict
  • Elizabeth received some profits - it was an important source of income
• 25. Drake's quest:

  • After signing the Treaty of Nonsuch - Philip began preparing a huge fleet (Armada) as he saw it as a declaration of war with Spain
  • Elizabeth was aware of Philip's plans - in 1587, she sent Francis Drake to spy on Spanish preparations ad attack their ships and supplies