How far do you agree that the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots in England in 1568 was the primary cause of the Northern Rising in 1569?

Intro:

• In 1569 a revolt broke out against Elizabeth’s rule in the North of England

• There were many causes for discontent of Elizabeth’s govt. such as economic and religious insecurities - such as a strong existing link to Catholicism and economic hardship in the North

• Therefore this undercurrent, coincided with Mary’s legitimate claim to the throne and strong international relations resulted as her acting as the catalyst for the rebellion

• Therefore, evidence suggests that Mary’s arrival was a catalyst for the rebellion yet not the primary cause

P - Firstly, Mary posed a double threat to Elizabeth’s throne. This is because she had a legitimate claim to be Queen of England as well as the fact she was a Catholic and therefore appealed to those who weren’t happy with Elizabeth’s protestant reign.

E - Therefore, her arrival in England was particularly discomforting for Elizabeth as she was seeking refuge whilst imposing a substantial threat.

E - Because of this, Mary was placed in captivity to reduce her threat to Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s position was also further weakened as she had no children, in contrast to Mary who had birthed James VI which allowed her the added appeal of a dynasty.

L - Despite this, Mary’s physical presence in England became symbolic for those discontented with Elizabeth’s rule and sought an end to Protestantism. Therefore, there is evidence that Mary triggered the Northern Rising, however I would argue this alone was not the primary cause as Mary simply acted as a figure head for continued discontent with Elizabeth’s reign.

P - Moreover, it could be argued that the primary cause of the rebellion stemmed far before Mary’s arrival in England. It could be argued that it was rooted in religious discontent and Mary simply allowed for a figurehead.

E - Despite the Break with Rome under Henry VIII, many living in the North preserved traditional Catholic practises, including both the Earl of Northumberland and Westmorland

E - In the 1560’s about 75% of all leading families in Yorkshire were Catholic and there was a similarly high % in Durham and Lancashire. Despite Elizabeth’s govt. appointed a series of men with strong Protestant convictions in Churches and govt. this still remained a large trigger for revolt. As well as this Piklington, a Protestant, was appointed as the Archbishop of Cantebury which upset the rebels.

L - Therefore, it would be more compelling to argue that Mary merely acted as a figurehead for an already religiously disillusioned England who wanted to see the end of Protestantism.

P - It could also be argued that political greivance were the main cause of this rebellion and this is examplified by why they wanted Mary on the throne

E - By changing the succession to Mary - so that Mary’s descendants were Elizabeth’s heirs

E - This is because the rebels were starting to worry that Elizabeth wouldn’t denounce her successor and there would be no one - so in fear of instability they wanted Mary as Elizabeth’s successor

L - Therefore, portraying the interlinked nature of political and religious greivances in this rebellion

P - It could be argued that the plot came about due to political greivances

E - The prelude of the Northern Rebellion came about in a court plot against William Cecil due to his involvement in the expensive war with Spain. The plot involved the marriage of Mary and the Duke of Norfolk - who would then be able to revoke Cecil of his power

E - The plot was rooted in discontent from men who felt disillusioned by the govt. as Cecil was not an aristocrat yet acheived a high status in court whilst the northern nobles felt neglected

L - Even the failure of the revolt speared Westmorland and Northumberland to their next revolt which was also dominated by political grievances - therefore Mary was simply a piece to their plan which was rooted in political discontent

P - Furthermore, it could be argued that the primary cause of the rebellion stemmed from economic discontent felt by the nobles and gentry rather than the arrival of Mary

E - This is due to the appointment of outsider protestants to Northern posts. As a result of this the incomes of nobels such as the earl of Northumberland and Westmorland had been cut resulting in financial suffering in the 1560’s. - financial instability

E - Therefore the financial turmoil of the earls added to the grievances of Elizabeth’s reign, especially when their requests of grants up to £1000 were ignored

L - Despite the fact that financial grievances were not the sole reason for the rebellion the added grievances of financial hardship on top of religious grievances proved a large cause for the rebellion rather than Mary’s arrival.