Elizabethan England Key Topic 2

Question 1

What plots and revolts were there against Elizabeth?

Answer 1

-Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569)
-Ridolfi Plot (1571)
-Throckmorton Plot (1583)
-Babington Plot (1586)

Question 2

Why did the Northern Earls rebel in 1569?

Answer 2

-Catholic Northern Earls were not given power by Elizabeth.
-As Catholics, they disliked the Act of Supremacy and Uniformity and believed the Pope should be Head of the Church.

Question 3

Who was involved in the Revolt of the Northern Earls and what was their plan and aims?

Answer 3

-Earl of Northumberland, Earl of Westmorland and Duke of Norfolk
-Plan: Northern Catholics rise up and march south together, liberating MQoS and installing her as queen.
-Plan was vague but aimed to end Elizabeth’s rule and restore Catholicism.

Question 4

What happened in the Revolt of the Northern Earls?

Answer 4

-Earls ordered workers to march south and join rebel army, did so and stormed Durham Cathedral, destroying Protestant books and holding Latin Mass.
-MQoS was moved to prison further south in Coventry, preventing rescue attempts.
-E1 sent a massive royal army of 14,000 north who fought the rebels and won.

Question 5

What was the outcome and significance of the Revolt of the Northern Earls?

Answer 5

-Earls fled into Scotland, Westmorland escape by Northumberland was handed over by Scots and beheaded.
-Around 450 rebels were executed, others fined and had land confiscated.
-Privy Council advised to kill Duke of Norfolk, but E1 let him live and released him.

Question 6

Who was involved in the Ridolfi Plot and what was their plan and aims?

Answer 6

-Roberto Ridolfi (Italian Banker)
-Duke of Norfolk, Duke of Alva (commander of Spanish army in Netherlands), Philip II and the Pope
-Plan: Ridolfi gain support of Spain and the Pope, invade England together and English Catholics rebel
-Aim was to overthrow E1 and replace with MQoS, restoring Catholicism. MQoS and DoN would marry

Question 7

What happened in the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 7

-Spring 1571 Ridolfi met Duke of Alva and planned attack of Spanish troops but DoA was sceptical and told Philip II to invade after they had already overthrown.
-E1’s government (Walsingham) knew about the plot and arrested the Duke of Norfolk. Due to Walsingham, his network of spies and government information systems, the plot was undone.

Question 8

What was the outcome and significance of the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 8

-The DoN was put on trial and found guilty, beheaded.
-Ridolfi went to Rome and made a Papal Senator.
-E1 expelled the Spanish ambassador.
-An act was passed stating that those who said she wasn’t rightful Queen were committing treason.
-MQoS remained imprisoned.

Question 9

Who was involved in the Throckmorton Plot and what was their plan and aims?

Answer 9

-Francis Throckmorton, Spanish ambassador, French ambassador, MQoS, English Catholic Nobles.
-Plan: Popular uprising in north coinciding with French invasion led by Duke of Guise financially supported by Philip II.

Question 10

What happened in the Throckmorton Plot?

Answer 10

-Throckmorton was put under surveillance and arrested. Papers in his house incriminated lots of English Catholic nobles and gave away plan details.
-Philip II never sent money to support the invasion.
-Unclear how involved MQoS was in it.

Question 11

What was the outcome and significance of the Throckmorton Plot?

Answer 11

-Spanish ambassador expelled, Throckmorton executed, 2 Northern Earls arrested.
-Elizabeth feared Catholic assassination attempts and wanted to find concrete evidence incriminating MQoS.

Question 12

Who was involved in the Babington Plot and what was their plan and aims?

Answer 12

-Anthony Babington and Mary Queen of Scots
-Plan: Murder Elizabeth 1 and replace her with MQoS, restoring Catholicism.

Question 13

What happened in the Babington Plot?

Answer 13

-July 1586: Babington sent letter to MQoS listing 6 steps they would follow to remove Protestantism, sent coded letters to each other.
-Walsingham had spies in Mary’s household intercepting the letters and sending them to Walsingham.
-MQoS replied to the letters meaning she was actively involved.

Question 14

What was the outcome and significance of the Babington Plot?

Answer 14

-MQoS’ reply gave concrete evidence of her involvement in treason and a plot to kill Elizabeth.
-Babington was arrested and executed, MQoS was put on trial and executed.

Question 15

When and how was Elizabeth excommunicated?

Answer 15

-In 1570, Elizabeth was excommunicated by the Pope by way of papal bull. She was declared a heretic and it released Catholics from their obligation to obey her, calling upon them to remove her from the throne.

Question 16

What were 3 features of Walsingham’s methods?

Answer 16

-Using informers: Lord Lieutenants and bishops reported threats to Walsingham, everyone encouraged to report danger to the Queen.
-Bond of Association, 1854: pledged that if Elizabeth’s life was threatened, MQoS was to be executed. Prevents attempts at overthrowing.
-Spy network: agents with codenames based overseas in major cities in France, Spain and Italy, some being double agents. Deployed to find out info as events arose.

Question 17

What were reasons for the Anglo-Spanish religious rivalry?

Answer 17

-England Protestant and Spain Catholic. Philip II was a staunch Catholic committed to preventing the spread of Protestantism.
-Philip’s dislike of Church of England was exacerbated in 1570’s due to increased penalties against Catholics and the excommunication of Elizabeth from the Catholic Church by the Pope.

Question 18

What were reasons for the Anglo-Spanish political rivalry and what started the Anglo-Spanish war?

Answer 18

-The Netherlands was part of the Spanish Empire controlled by the Duke of Parma.
-In 1572, the Dutch rebelled against Spanish rule in an attempt to establish an independent Protestant country. E1 secretly sent them money and weapons.
-In 1584, William of Orange, the rebel leader was assassinated. E1 signed the Treaty of Nonsuch, promising an army of 7000 troops to be sent to the Netherlands led by Robert Dudley. Spain and England were now at war.

Question 19

What were reasons for the Anglo-Spanish trade and commercial rivalry?

Answer 19

-Spain forbade other countries from trading with Spanish colonies in the New World (the Americas).
-English sailors ignored this and started trading there illegally, also attacking Spanish treasure ships carrying gold and silver back from the New World.
-In 1572, Elizabeth hired Sir Francis Drake as a privateer.

Question 20

Who was Sir Francis Drake and what did he do?

Answer 20

-Sir Francis Drake was a privateer for Elizabeth I. A privateer is a pirate who works for the government, robbing merchant ships and pillaging enemy settlements.
-He stole £140,000 of silver in 1579.
-Drake was also ordered to attack Spanish colonies. He claimed New Albion, returned with £400,000 and was knighted. His knighting showed E1’s open support for stealing from Spain.

Question 21

What was the raid on Cadiz and what were its effects?

Answer 21

-When news of Philip II’s assembling a great fleet reached England, Drake attacked the Cardiz harbour in Spain with a small group of ships, inflicting heavy damage on Spanish ships.
-It led to a delay in the construction of the Armada by destroying ships and supplies, as well as diverting Spanish warships in pursuit of Drake. It delayed the sailing of the Armada for twelve months.

Question 22

What were Spanish plans for the Spanish invasion?

Answer 22

-The Armada sail to Calais through English Channel.
-Duke of Parma and 20,000 troops march to Calais from Netherlands to meet the Armada.
-Parma’s army taken across the Channel protected by the large Armada, landing in Kent and marching to London.
-English Catholics rebel and E1 has to surrender, after which she is overthrown and Catholicism is restored in England.

Question 23

What were some reasons why the Spanish Armada was defeated?

Answer 23

-The weather, quality of leadership, English tactics, English preparations and Spanish failures.

Question 24

How did the weather contribute to the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 24

-There were 3 storms during the Armada’s time at sea: one when they first left Lisbon, another during the Battle of Gravelines and one when they sailed around Scotland and Ireland.
-The first caused them to retreat back to port and repair, wasted supplies and ruined food. Second ended the battle early and blew them into the North Sea. Third caused Armada to be totally shipwrecked on Irish shores, ending the threat of the Armada.

Question 25

How did the quality of leadership contribute to the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 25

-Duke of Medina Sidonia led the Spanish navy. He had no naval experience, became seasick and was appointed because he was a very good commander on land.
-Francis Drake helped lead the English navy. He was a very experienced privateer so had lots of naval experience, also circumnavigated the globe.
-Lord Howard led the English navy. He had a lot of experience as a naval commander so led them well in battle.
-John Hawkins was also a naval commander for the English navy. He was a naval architect and improved the ship structures by making them lighter and more streamlined so English navy was more agile.

Question 26

How did English tactics contribute to the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 26

-The English sent fireships towards the Armada which were unmanned burning ships filled with explosives guided by the wind.
-The fireships caused panic in the Spanish sailors who cut their anchors and started to flee, resulting in the Armada’s crescent formation being broken.
-Together, the Armada was too big and powerful to defeat however the use of fireships enabled the English to single them out and pick off Spanish ships one by one.

Question 27

How did English preparations contribute to the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 27

-Drake’s raid on Cadiz: Drake attacked the Cardiz harbour in Spain with a small group of ships, inflicting heavy damage on Spanish ships.
-It led to a delay in the construction of the Armada by destroying ships and supplies, as well as diverting Spanish warships in pursuit of Drake. It delayed the sailing of the Armada for twelve months.
-Had warning beacons set up along English coast, converted trading ships into fighting ships.

Question 28

How did Spanish failures contribute to the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 28

-Lack of communication between the ships and the army meant that they did not meet at Calais as was intended in the plan. The Army was 2 weeks late, leaving the Armada stranded in Calais without support.
-Appointing of Duke of Medina Sidonia, a good commander on land but inexperienced naval commander led to poor decision making in battle.

Question 29

What were the consequences of the defeat of the Spanish Armada?

Answer 29

-The Spanish Armada was shipwrecked along the Irish coast due to a storm, eliminating the threat of another attack.
-The English navy became more dominant around the globe and allowed for colonial expansion which England did as it began to expand its empire into the Americas.
-Made English a world-class power with greater strength and secured English Protestantism.