the extent of the threat

the extent of the threat of caputuring durham

• seizing a majority city - not a lot of royal protection - yet was an important administrative centre

• catholic mass in durham - direct rejection of the settlement - destroying protstant symbols

• james pilkinton ( bishop of durham) - major threat

• highlighted a relgopis amd political centre

extnet of capturing barnard castle

• arebels ability to sorround a major castle

• after 11 days , forced to submit to them (226) - bowels only had 800 guards - shows weak loyalty to defend elizabeth

• 150 of bowes troops turned on him and opened the castles to the rebels

• bowels surrendered was was let free with him remaining men

the capture was only a limited threat as

• military threat was limited

• only seen as a temporary sucess

• no violence

yet demonstrated localised relgious and political disatisfaction

did not pose a threat to elizabehts government

the problems that westmoreland and northumberland faced

• poor planning - northumberland admits confusion and hesitation to join in the rebellion

• weak co ordination - rebels stuffle to organis effectively

• limited support - many local elites did not join them

• fear and uncertainty - leadership lacked confidence and clarity

why was the rising a serious threat

• a real possibility of foreign cathlic support , especially from Phillip II or the Pope

• MQS was present in england , creating pressure on elizabeth to settle the sucession

• Mary was in contact with english catholic noblrs and had catholic noble support

• ‘most of the northern population supported the rebellion’

• ‘blinded y the popish doctrine’

why was the rebellion hard to supress

• weak local loyalty to the crown - Earl of Derby ( lancashire , cheshire )

• Earl of Sussex could not trust his own ofrces because families were divided across both sides

• military support was therefore unreliable

• cecil wanted to gather a large army from the begginging instead of supressing it immediatly

overal jusgement

posed a significant potential threat

• had strong popular support in the north

• elizabeths local authority was extremely weak

• foreign catholic powers and MQS created dangerous political context

however was limited in practise

• rebel leadership was divided

• organisation was poor

• failed to spreak beyond the north

weak strategy

• both earls aimed tyo restore catholicsm in england and secure MQS as elizabeth successor

• their early plans for a risisng in the early october were abonded when norfolk was arrested

• rebellion began at Brancepeth castle ( owned by westmoreland)

threat to her gov

• gained significant power in the north even under the council of the north

• still quite far away from london

• both nobles were significantly powerful#

• rebels controlled durham and yorkshire for nearly a month

key reasons for the failure

• not prepared to use violence

• lack of a cohensive plan

• failed to secure marys release or substantial international support