the northern rebellion

key events leading to the northern rebellion 1596

May 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, fled to England.

• Summer 1568 – Mary was taken into English custody and held at Carlisle Castle, then moved to Bolton Castle.

• 4th February 1569 – Mary was moved to Tutbury Castle (Staffordshire). Political and religious situation so tense she couldn’t be allowed to stay anywhere near London or the Scottish border.

• Early 1569 – Catholic nobles began plotting to marry Mary to the Duke of Norfolk to secure a Catholic heir.

key events leading to the northern rebellion 1596

September 1569 – Elizabeth heard about plan – furious and forbade any further discussion of the marriage.

• Dudley and Norfolk submitted to the Queen and admitted their part in the plot. However, Norfolk’s actions aroused suspicions among Queen’s advisers that there was more to the plan. Norfolk’s actions and links with disgruntled members of the nobility such as Northumberland and Westmoreland, was enough to put him under suspicion at Court.

• 26th September 1569 – Norfolk decided to leave Court at London. Luckily for Elizabeth, Norfolk decided not to go North to raise rebellion with Westmoreland and Northumberland. Instead, he went to his estates at Kenninghall (Norfolk) while he decided what to do. undermined the seriousness as norfolk wasnt directly involved

• 1st October – Norfolk decided his best option was to remain loyal to Elizabeth and wrote to Westmoreland telling him not to rebel.

• Queen summoned Norfolk to Court and Elizabeth ordered Norfolk’s arrest; he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

[Handwritten note: undermines seriousness]

key events leading to the northern rebellion 1596

Norfolk’s actions in 1568-1569 an indirect cause of rebellion of 1569.

• His leadership in the Court plot had opened up resentment of men such as Northumberland and Westmoreland.

• In 1569, Norfolk’s decision to remain loyal to Elizabeth undermined potential threat of the Northern Rising and left Westmoreland and Northumberland feeling increasingly isolated.

early tensions and rumours

• 26th September 1569 – Norfolk withdrew from Court in London to his estates at Kenninghall. Confident that Norfolk was planning to rebel, Westmorland and Northumberland planned their own rising.

• 1st October – Norfolk decided his best option was to remain loyal to Elizabeth and wrote to Westmorland telling him not to rebel.

• By the time news of Norfolk’s surrender reached them, the Earls’ plans for a rebellion that was to begin on 6th October were well advanced and had to be hastily abandoned. poor communication between the rebels

• Without Norfolk’s support, the earls wavered in their decision.

• Rumours of the rebellion reached Sussex. President of the Council of the North, who became suspicious.

• Sussex questioned Westmorland and Northumberland but accepted their claims of innocence and allowed them to go free – though he remained cautious.

Elizabeth’s response:

• Elizabeth was still suspicious of the two Earls who were out of reach in the North and particularly on the border of Durham and Northumberland. seen as a threat due to 2 powerful nobles directed the rebellion , threat as they had o be summoned

• She ordered Westmorland and Northumberland to come to Court in London.

• Both refused.

• In October, she ordered arrest warrants but could do nothing to enforce them.

• In early November, fearing what might happen if they went to London, the earls finally rebelled.

• Elizabeth’s actions forced them into rebellion because they thought they had no other option.

• Her government was not secure.
  “loss of power”

Rebellion developments:

• he rebellion involved not just disgruntled northern nobility.

• There was also common people who opposed Elizabeth’s religious policies.

• No rebellion was driven by resentment of Elizabeth’s government.

• In early November, Westmorland was supported by his followers to join the rebellion.

• Northumberland initially reluctant but joined later. from the initiave 2 different dynamics

The main events of the revolt

• Challenge: meanwhile, friends loyal to Elizabeth found it difficult to act because of the confusion in the North. The Council of the North (in charge of law and order) was based in York. The Earl of Sussex represented the Council in charge of law and order.

• Sussex raised a larger army of 1,500 footmen but lacked support from other members of the nobility. Rebels gained control over much of the North. Sussex hesitated to send messages to London asking for help.

• The rebels captured Durham and celebrated a Catholic Mass in the cathedral. This was illegal. It hoped to inspire widespread rebellion against Elizabeth.

• The rebels marched south, with the aim of capturing York, then moving on to Coventry, where they hoped to meet support from Spain. However, the rebellion failed to attract support from Spain.

• The rebels turned back and captured Barnard Castle. Rebels besieged the castle (surrounded) and took it after 11 days.

• Early December 1569: 2,000 footmen and 1,500 horsemen.

• The royal army was raised and led by Sir Thomas Gargrave.

• The Earl of Sussex retook much of the territory from the rebels.

• Northumberland was captured and executed. Westmorland escaped abroad.

• Mass rebellion failed. Early plots under the leadership of the Earls failed to attract support and control large parts of the country.

• The rebellion failed to attract Spanish support, which never arrived.

• Hartlepool: hoping for Spanish support, which never arrived.

The capture of Durham:

• The rebels gathered at Brancepeth, where Westmorland and later Northumberland were encouraged by their followers to join the rising, showing both noble and popular resentment of Elizabeth’s government.

• They marched from Brancepeth to Durham, capturing the city with little resistance, which revealed both their initial strength and the weak defences of this key northern administrative centre.

• At Durham Cathedral, they held Catholic Mass and destroyed Protestant symbols, a highly symbolic act of defiance that openly rejected Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement.

• These actions demonstrated deep Catholic resentment of Elizabeth’s religious changes and showed that the rebellion had popular participation, not just noble leadership.

• After securing Durham, the rebels marched south to Bramham Moor, but soon realised their military vulnerability as royal forces mobilised.

• They then retreated to Brancepeth, which offered a stronger defensive position, highlighting their limited strategic capacity and the growing pressure from the crown.

• The government response - the reorganisation of the council of the north in 1572 brought Durham under councils di’s direct control

The siege of Barnard Castle

• As the rebels advanced south, Sir George Bowes, Elizabeth’s key Crown representative in the North, attempted to block their movement and gathered loyal supporters inside Barnard Castle, a crucial stronghold for controlling the region.

• When rebels captured Durham, Bowes and his men retreated into Barnard Castle, recognising it as one of the few defensible positions still loyal to the Crown.

• The rebels viewed Barnard Castle as a strategic refuge, making it an early flashpoint between loyalists and rebels.

• By early December, the castle was besieged by nearly 5,000 rebels, demonstrating how quickly Elizabeth’s authority had collapsed in the North.

• The siege exposed the weakness of royal control, as Bowes struggled with dwindling supplies and poor morale among his 800 defenders.

• Conditions deteriorated so severely that 150–200 defenders jumped over the walls to escape, and 400 eventually surrendered, though they were allowed to leave with Bowes.

• The collapse of the castle’s defence highlighted serious weaknesses in local governance, showing that Elizabeth’s government lacked reliable support in the region.

• The fall of Barnard Castle was alarming for the Crown because it proved that Catholic resistance was strong, local loyalty was fragile, and the rebels could overpower royal authority in key northern centres..

the effectiveness of the seige of the bernard castyle

• Limited impact: the siege of Barnard Castle is a minor success for the rebels as they avoided nothing more than temporary success for the rebels as they avoided sustained success.

• Despite their numbers, the rebels lacked broader strategic strength – the avoided widespread physical link on Elizabeth’s supporters, signaling reluctance to escalate the rebellion.

• Violent physical link in the North against local protestant religious and sustained dissatisfaction and they demonstrated limited regional coordination.

• The siege of Barnard Castle highlighted the reluctance to engage in widespread violence. Help to implement extent of the threat.

Aftermath

• By December 1569, a large royal army reached the River Tees, signalling the collapse of the rebellion.

• The Earls disbanded their forces and fled, facing pressure from royal troops and being challenged by Sir John Forster at Naworth.

• Northumberland fled to Scotland, where he was held until being returned to England in 1572 and executed at York.

• Westmorland escaped into exile, losing his lands and political power permanently.

• Around 800 rebels were captured, mostly by Lord Hunsdon’s forces; approximately 500 were executed, showing the severity of Elizabeth’s response.

• The rebellion demonstrated the fragility of Elizabeth’s authority in the North, the danger posed by Catholic loyalty, and the need for tighter royal control.

• The execution of the Earl of Northumberland in 1572 symbolised the final destruction of traditional northern noble power.

further threats - not really needed

• Rebel estates, including those of Westmorland and Dacre, were confiscated and redistributed to loyal supporters, weakening northern noble power.

• The fall of the rebellion did not end threats to Elizabeth’s government:

  • Scotland: Elizabeth secured control of Mary, Queen of Scots, with Scottish cooperation, preventing MQS from becoming a rallying point for further northern unrest.

  • Spain: In 1570, Pope Pius V issued the Papal Bull Regnans in Excelsis, excommunicating Elizabeth and encouraging Catholics to oppose her, increasing fears of foreign-backed plots.

• The rebellion demonstrated the fragility of Elizabeth’s authority in the North, the danger posed by Catholic loyalty, and the need for tighter royal control.