Troubles at Home & Abroad

Northern Rebellion. 1569

Causes: Catholic support for MQS, Liz stopped Duke of Norfolk marrying MQS, Norfolk left court which people saw as a sign

Events: Took control of Durham Cathedral & held illegal Catholic Mass, marched south with 4600 men, Liz helped by Earl of Sussex raising an army, rebels disbanded

Consequences: Leaders fled to Scotland, Northumberland executed, Norfolk sent to Tower

Ridolfi Plot, 1571

Causes: Norfolk spent ten months in the Tower of London but was released & placed under house arrest. Quickly became involved in another plot

Events: Ridolfi was able to travel freely across Europe building support. The plan was for the Netherlands to invade England at the same time as another northern rebellion. Elizabeth would then marry Norfolk

Consequences: Spy network found letters, Norfolk confessed & was executed

Essex Rebellion, 1601

Causes: Competition with Cecil. Devereux was very popular with the Queen. Was given a sweet wine monopoly and made a privy councillor. Turned his back on the Queen, she hit him, he went o raise his sword. Liz put him under house arrest. Later made him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, failed at crushing the rebellion, went against the Queen’s orders. She took away the wine

Events: Essex took 4 privy councillors hostage and 200 followers marched them to London. Cecil responded quickly - labelled Essex as a traitor - many of the rebels abandoned the march. Essex returned to his house where he found other hostages who had been released by his supporters who abandoned the cause

Consequences: Essex executed in 1601

Why Rebellions failed

Network of Spies: Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s chief minister, Oversaw the network. Everyone from nobles, who might have the trust of plotters, to innkeepers and servants, who could overhear whispered conversations, could potentially be kept in Walsingham’s pay

Unconvincing alternatives: Regardless of their religion, most people preferred an English Queen over the alternatives - Mary Queen of Scots or King Philip

Punishments: Elizabeth took swift action against traitors. Rebels were tortured and put to death

Sir Francis Drake

• English hero but the Spanish saw him as a pirate

• Although he circumnavigated the globe, he didn’t set out to do so - wanted revenge for what the Spanish did

• When he returned he had so much gold on board, that the half he gave the Queen was more than the entire royal income of the previous year

• Knighted in 1581

• In 1588, he led the successful defeat of the Spanish Armada

Trade

Able to trade with the Far East - spies could be bought

The Muscovy Company was created in 1555 and given the monopoly of trade with the city of Moscow so that no other company could trade in this area

The East India Company was established in 1600 to oversee the trade

Bought products to England that had rarely been seen before, such as spies silks and porcelain

Slave Trade

1564 with authorisation from the queen, John Hawkins, with his cousin Drake, kidnapped several hundred West Africans, shipped to South America coast where they were sold as slaves

First time Englishmen had carried out the entire proess

Throughout Elizabeth’s reign, England’s involvement in the slave trade grew and many more slave traders made their fortunes

Demand grew for slaves to work the land in the Americans and produce the materials to bring back

Walter Raleigh

• Born into a Protestant Family and had struggled to survive the reign of Mary I

• Very loyal to Elizabeth and spent years in Ireland fighting the Catholic rebels

• Became a favourite of the Queen

• Embarked on voyages to South America in search of the city of gold. Funded an attempt to establish a colony in North America

• Secret marriage to one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting led to a jealous Elizabeth, banning him from her court for 5 years in 1592

Religious Changes

Papal Bull: 1570 - Pope excommunicated Elizabeth

New Approach: Had to show that challenges to the queen wouldn’t be tolerated, she had allowed private Catholic worship but new law in 1581 made it treason to attend Catholic Mass

Jesuits: Hoped to bring back the Catholic religion, seen as a threat by Liz. Act in 1585 called for all to be driven out of England or executed

Puritans: Strict protestants, criticised Liz’s Church, seen as dangerous by Liz

Mary Queen of Scots

• Elizabeth’s cousin

• A Catholic

• Maintained she was the rightful Queen of England

• Suggested she was involved in the murder of her 2^nd husband, forced to flee to England - scared protestants, Liz imprisoned her

• Babington Plot - plan to kill Liz & rescue Mary from prison & put her on the throne, Letters were put in beer barrels, Walsingham & spies failed the plot, It was clear MQS was involved

• MQS put on trial, sentenced to death, Liz was reluctant to have her cousin executed

Spanish Armarda

Causes: Liz rejected Philips proposal, Drake had been raiding Spanish ships, MQS executed without Pope’s permission, Liz sent resources to the Netherlands to help Right Catholics

Events: Philip wanted to send an Armada consisting of 151 ships, English led by Drake, set ships on fire and sent them in the direction of Spanish, Armada also battered by storms

Consequences: England win, Philip humiliated, showed God was on the side of Protestants