Babington plot Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Revolt of the Northern Earls
A
- First serious act of rebellion from English Catholics (November 1569)
- Led by the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland.
- Aimed to replace Elizabeth with Mary, QoS and restore Catholicism.
2
Q
Revolt of the Northern Earls: Events:
A
November 9-15: Earls ordered their tenants to march south to end Elizabeth’s rule and restore the Catholic religion. Initially, large numbers of men joined the earls and the men stormed into Durham Cathedral and celebrated Catholic mass in the traditional Latin.
- Nov 22-30 The rebels marched south to rescue Mary, QoS but she had been moved to a more southern prison near Coventry.
- Elizabeth’s gov also kept control of all major towns and the rebels fled when it became clear that no foreign support was going to arrive and that a royal army of 10,000 men was blocking their path.
3
Q
What caused the revolt?
A
- Religion: the Earls were Catholic and claimed they wanted to restore the Catholic faith. At the start of there volt they stormed into Durham Cathedral and held a Catholic service.
- Politics: both Westmorland and Northumberland had lost political power as Elizabeth had weakened their power in the North e.g. Northumberland had lost an important position defending the border against Scotland putting Mary on the throne would have likely restored the men s’ political power.
- Personal grievances: Elizabeth had taken land from the nobles e.g. Northumberland had lost copper mines and lots of money -other earls in the North were facing financial hardship.
4
Q
Was the revolt a significant threat?:
A
It had no effective leadership: Northumberland and Westmorland simply panicked and fled upon the arrival of a royal army
- It had no clear aims: did the rebels want to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with Mary or just free Mary from prison?
- It had limited support from other English Catholics as most support came from tenants of the two Earls.
- It had no foreign support from the French, Spanish or the Pope
- Elizabeth’s government dealt with the problem swiftly and efficiently - she raised an army, executed hundreds of rebels and prevented rebels from capturing important towns.
- However, the revolt was a turning point in the treatment of English Catholics
- prompted harsher treason laws and the papal bull excommunicating Elizabeth.
5
Q
Ridolfi Plot: Aims and Events:
A
- 1571 plot led by Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi and the Duke of Norfolk- Mary, QoS used Ridolfi to carry messages to the Duke of Alva in the Netherlands asking the Pope and Phillip II to organise an invasion of England.
- Aims were to overthrow Elizabeth, replace her with Mary and restore the Catholic religion
- Plot failed because Philip refused to invade England until Elizabeth was overthrown and Elizabeth’s government unravelled the plot before it ever reached the public arena.
6
Q
Ridolfi Plot: Consequences:
A
- Duke of Norfolk was beheaded in June 1572- Elizabeth expelled the Spanish ambassador (not serious action)
- Gave Protestant MPs an excuse to put pressure on Elizabeth to be harsher to Catholics
- Elizabeth passed an Act saying anyone who claimed she was not rightful Queen was a traitor.
- Increased fears of further Catholic attack in England.
7
Q
Throckmorton Plot: Aims and Events:
A
- 1583 plot led by Francis Throckmorton who was the carrier of letters for Mary, QoS and the French and Spanish ambassadors
- Throckmorton confessed under torture that there had been a plan for a popular uprising in the North of England, coinciding with an invasion from the French Duke of Guise and supported by Philip II. However, plot failed because money promised by Philip II had not arrived and again, E’s government unravelled details of the plot using her spy network.
- Aims: free Mary, restore Catholicism and overthrow Elizabeth.
8
Q
Throckmorton Plot: Consequences
A
- Bond of Association (1584) was passed pledging that Mary was to be executed if Elizabeth’s life was threatened.
- Throckmorton was executed at Tyburn
- Increased suspicion that English Catholics were simply waiting for a signal from the Pope and military support to rebel against Elizabeth.
- Councillors focused on finding concrete evidence to incriminate Mary, QoS.
9
Q
Babington Plot: Aims and Events
A
- 1586 plot led by Anthony Babington, a 25 y/o English Catholic
- Carried letters from Mary QoS and had been encouraged by his friends to taken part in serious plotting against the Queen.
- Plotters aimed, and put in writing, their intention to kill Elizabeth and make Mary queen.
- Mary responded to the plotters’ letters, smuggling her responses in beer barrels and approving plans for the assassination of Elizabeth these letters were intercepted by Francis Walsingham and sealed her fate.
10
Q
Babington Plot: Consequences:
A
- Babington and other conspirators were condemned to death.
- Mary, Queen of Scots was moved to Fotheringay Castle in September 1586 and then put on trial in October.
- She was found guilty and then executed in February 1587.
11
Q
How were the plotters caught?
A
Francis Walsingham was Secretary of State from 1573, but is more commonly known as ‘spy master’.
- Intercepting coded letters and messages e.g. used a code breaker to decipher Babington plot code.
- Employed a network of spies and agents e.g. double agents who would take part in plots and then send information back to Walsingham
- Acts of Parliament e.g. Walsingham increased penalties against Catholics throughout the 1570s. The 1584 Bond of Association pledged that in the event of Elizabeth’s life being threatened, Mary would be executed.
12
Q
Why was Mary executed?
A
She was a Catholic and attracted support of some Catholics who were opposed to Elizabeth’s religious settlement
- She was Elizabeth’s cousin and so had a strong claim to the English throne e.g. granddaughter of Henry VIII and heir
- The plots increased the sense of danger to Elizabeth e.g. following excommunication, councillors thought English Catholics were simply waiting on support from Spain in order to rebel, with these plots focusing on Mary
13
Q
Why did England and Spain go to war: Religious Rivalry:
A
Elizabeth set up the Protestant Church in 1559, and, from the 1570s began to increase penalties against Catholics
- When Jesuit priests began arriving in England, Elizabeth’s harsh treatment of them increased Protestant-Catholic tensions.
- However, Philip took no action post religious settlement nor following excommunication he had suffered religious differences for over 25 years so it does not explain why war broke out in 1585.
14
Q
Why did England and Spain go to war: Political Rivalry
A
- Philip did not want any other country to challenge Spanish power, but political rivalry does not seem to have been a major reason for war.
- Philip was anxious about the power of France and did not like the idea of a Scottish-English-French empire, so was reluctant to support Mary’s claim to the throne, despite differences in religion.
15
Q
Why did England and Spain go to war: Trade and commercial rivalry:
A
The collapse of England’s main market in 1550s, the cloth trade at Antwerp, led to desire to set up new markets overseas
- Elizabethan explorers set up markets in Russia and India, but New World (owned by Spain) was more lucrative
- Trading with colonists in the New World required a licence from Spain, which they refused to give.
- Any trading with colonists from the New World or attacked Spanish ships amounted to piracy and Elizabeth knew about, and promoted this activity because the financial rewards were so great.
