Elizabeth I- revolt of the northern earls

Question 1

socio-economic causes- succession crisis

Answer 1

• Elizabeth unmarried –> fear of no heir and potential civil war
• northern earls wanted Mary, Queen of Scots named as successor
• Mary’s arrival in 1568 increased tensions; she had a strong claim and an heir

Question 2

political causes- court rivalries and displacement of nobility

Answer 2

• nobles wanted to remove Cecil from power
• traditional northern nobles (Northumberland, Westmorland) lost key positions to Protestants (Hudson, Forster, Sussex)
• Mary’s arrival complicated Elizabeth’s position diplomatically

Question 3

religious causes- Catholic grievances

Answer 3

• catholics viewed Elizabeth as illegitimate (Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn invalid in Catholic eyes)
• Catholic nobles opposed Elizabeth’s Protestant Religious Settlement (1559)
• appointment of James Pilkington (Protestant Bishop of Durham) worsened tensions

Question 4

preconditions

Answer 4

• existing Catholic resentment
• succession uncertainty
• Elizabeth’s policy of centralisation in the North

Question 5

catalysts

Answer 5

• Mary’s arrival (1568)
• court tensions with Cecil
• Elizabeth’s order summoning the Earls to court

Question 6

trigger

Answer 6

• Norfolk’s failed plan to marry Mary, Queen of Scots
• summoning of conspirators to court in 1569

Question 7

aims/legitimacy

Answer 7

• remove Cecil, name Mary as heir
• restore Catholic worship
• protest against Elizabeth’s religious and political policies

Question 8

leadership- Elizabeth I

Answer 8

• acted swiftly; ordered Earls to court
• suppressed rebellion with Sir John Forster and Earl of Sussex
• Northumberland executed at York

Question 9

leadership- Mart, Queen of Scots

Answer 9

• passive figurehead
• kept under house arrest to prevent rebel access

Question 10

leadership: Thomas Howard (Duke of Norfolk)

Answer 10

• devised marriage plan
• withdrew from rebellion early, did not organise revolt

Question 11

leadership- Westmorland and Northumberland

Answer 11

• Westmorland: key Catholic rebel, led local uprising
• Northumberland: hesitant, fled and was executed

Question 12

level of support

Answer 12

• 3,800 foot soldiers, 1,600 horsemen
• 6,000 total supporters
• limited foreign help; Spanish support never arrives
• support mostly from Northern nobles and Catholics

Question 13

military capability

Answer 13

• well-armed but disorganised
• controlled Hartlepool, Barnard Castle, Durham Cathedral
• royal army crushed rebellion

Question 14

repression

Answer 14

• swift suppression by Forster and Sussex
• rebels fled; leaders executed
• around 450 rebels executed as warning

Question 15

political consequences

Answer 15

• land confiscated and redistributed to loyal supporters
• Elizabeth’s authority strengthened
• Council of the North re-established (1572)

Question 16

religious consequences

Answer 16

• Protestantism further consolidated
• recusancy laws strictly enforced
• Papal Bull (1570) excommunicated Elizabeth –> complicated loyalty to Catholics