Opposition to Elizabeth I: The Northern Rebellion and the Ridolfi Plot
Challenges to Elizabeth I's Right to Rule and the Catholic Threat
Following her coronation, Queen Elizabeth I faced significant opposition, particularly from the Catholic community who contested her legitimacy. These opponents maintained that she had no right to the throne because they viewed the marriage between her father, Henry VIII, and her mother, Anne Boleyn, as illegal. This belief was rooted in the fact that Henry VIII had broken sacred laws by divorcing his first wife, the Catholic Catherine of Aragon. Consequently, many Catholics looked toward Elizabeth's Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, as the rightful and alternative monarch of England.
The Northern Rebellion of
In Northern England, despite official religious changes, many residents retained their Catholic faith and supported the replacement of Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots. While some northerners felt conflicted between their loyalty to the Queen and their religious conviction, they continued to question her authority. Elizabeth was acutely aware of this threat and placed Mary under close watch to prevent rebellion while debating her fate. The Queen specifically forbade a proposed marriage between Mary and the Duke of Norfolk. When Norfolk left the royal court without permission and traveled north, his actions were interpreted as a sign of insurrection.
Following Norfolk's departure, a group of northern lords, led by the Earl of Westmorland (Norfolk's brother-in-law) and the Earl of Northumberland, initiated a rebellion. The rebels seized control of Durham Cathedral, where they celebrated an illegal Catholic mass. They proceeded to march south with an army of approximately men. Although Elizabeth initially struggled to assemble a force to resist them, the Earl of Sussex eventually raised a loyal army, causing the rebel forces to disband. Following the collapse of the rebellion, the leaders fled to Scotland. Northumberland was captured and executed, while Westmorland escaped to France, where he lived out the remainder of his life in poverty.
Profiles of the Primary Rebels and Plotters
The Duke of Norfolk became the Duke of Norfolk in following the death of his grandfather. As Queen Elizabeth's second cousin, he was the leading English nobleman. Although he was raised as a Protestant, his family's Catholic background caused many to distrust him. At one point, he held the position of Lord Lieutenant of the North.
The Earl of Northumberland was the son of a man executed for rebelling against Henry VIII. He was not permitted to inherit his father's title until the reign of Mary I. Despite being a Catholic, he was initially treated well by Elizabeth before turning against her.
The Earl of Westmorland was a Catholic who had attained significant power during the reign of Mary I but lost influence upon Elizabeth's coronation. Nevertheless, he remained a powerful figure in the north. His wife was a member of the influential Howard family, which had ties to three of the wives of Henry VIII.
Roberto Ridolfi was an Italian banker based in Florence who traveled extensively throughout Europe. It is widely believed that he utilized his banking position to send funds to support Catholic rebels in England and acted as a long-term spy for the Pope.
The Ridolfi Plot of
After serving ten months in the Tower of London for his role in the previous unrest, the Duke of Norfolk was released and placed under house arrest. However, he soon involved himself in a second plot led by Roberto Ridolfi. Following the failure of the Northern Rebellion, Ridolfi concluded that foreign intervention was necessary to topple Elizabeth. In , the Pope had commanded English Catholics to disobey Elizabeth, forcing them to choose between their faith and their sovereign.
The Ridolfi Plot involved a plan for the Netherlands to invade England simultaneously with another northern uprising. The intended outcome was the murder of Elizabeth and her replacement by Mary, Queen of Scots, who would then marry the Duke of Norfolk. The plot was foiled by Elizabeth's network of spies. Officials discovered a bag of gold coins and coded letters intended for the north. The cipher key, or secret instructions used to decode the messages, was found hidden under a doormat at Norfolk's home. Norfolk confessed to his involvement and was executed on June .
Parliament, Marriage, and the Succession Crisis
Queen Elizabeth I’s refusal to marry was a source of constant tension between her and Parliament. Following a near-fatal bout of smallpox, Parliament became deeply concerned about the lack of an heir. By , the likelihood of Elizabeth producing an heir was diminishing as she aged, leading Parliament to openly discuss potential marriage matches. Elizabeth viewed this as an unacceptable intrusion into her private affairs and banned further discussion of the topic.
One politician, Peter Wentworth, challenged the Queen's orders, arguing that Parliament should be free to discuss any matter it chose. In response, the rest of Parliament, fearing the Queen's reaction, placed Wentworth in the Tower of London before Elizabeth could punish the entire body. Elizabeth maintained that the decision to marry was hers alone, regarding it as one of the certain matters that did not require interference from Parliament. Historians continue to debate her reasons for staying single, with some viewing it as a failure of duty and others seeing it as a calculated political decision.
Questions and Discussion
Why were some people keen to replace Elizabeth with Mary? Many people, particularly Catholics, viewed Elizabeth as illegitimate due to the circumstances of her parents' marriage and saw Mary as the rightful Catholic heir.
How was the Duke of Norfolk involved in the two plots? In the first, his planned marriage to Mary served as a catalyst for the Northern movement; in the second (the Ridolfi Plot), he actively conspired to marry Mary after the planned murder of Elizabeth.
Why do you think an Italian banker wanted to become involved in a plot against the English queen? As a likely spy for the Pope, Ridolfi was motivated by religious goals to restore Catholicism in England and had the international connections to facilitate foreign support.
Extension Challenge: Was the Northern Rebellion or the Ridolfi Plot the biggest threat to Elizabeth's rule? Assessment requires weighing factors such as the internal military force of men in the Northern Rebellion against the threat of a foreign invasion from the Netherlands and the assassination plot involved in the Ridolfi Plot.
Why did Norfolk involve himself in a second rebellion? Likely due to a combinations of ambition to marry into royalty and persistent Catholic pressure or belief in the necessity of a Catholic monarch.