Other Plots Flashcards
Ridolfi plot
1571- Robert Ridolfi: Italian Banker and Pope’s spy. Plan was to murder Elizabeth and put Mary on throne. Ridolfi, Phillip II and Alba plan invasion with the help of Norfolk but Cecil intercepts a letter. Norfolk is executed. This led to Elizabeth trying to improve relations with France and proved Spain’s threat.
Throckmorton Plot
1583- The duke of Guise, Mary’s cousin, planned to invade and overthrow Elizabeth. Francis Throckmorton acted as a go-between. Sir Francis Walshingham found papers at Throckmorton’s house and he was tortured and executed in may 1584. Reinforced threat from Spain and possibly France and there was a concerning list of catholic sympathisers found. Harsher laws against catholics introduced.
Babington plot
1586- Guise would invade again, Catholics encouraged to rebel. Anthony Babington wrote to Mary about the plot. Walshingham intercepted the letters and Babington and accomplices executed. Mary trialed by privy council and executed february 1587.
Francis Walshingham
Elizabeth’s principle secretary (responsible for monarch’s security) from 1573 who was given momey to set up Britain’s first counter intelligence network. He had spies in every European country and important towns and recieved regular updates from them. He used ciphers and Agents Provocateurs.
Agents provocateurs
Plot and encourage wrongdoing to discover traitors.
How did Walsingham entrap Mary
Advised Elizabeth to put her in house arrest, Babington wrote to Mary in a cipher commonly used by Catholics. Babington’s courier was one of Walsingham’s spies so he saw all messages. At first the codes seemed impossible to decipher but Phillips(the courier) cracked it and arrested Babington. Mary’s response to the letters were intercepted and therefore incriminated her.
Act for the preservation of the Queen’s safety
1585- in the event of Elizabeth’s assassination, Mary would be barred from the succession. Any action against Mary only to be taken once a comission found her guilty of being involved in a plot. This meant Walsingham’s evidence could be used to trial and convict her in October 1586.
Why was Mary executed in 1587
Act for the preservation of the Queen’s safety, in 1587 it was clear that Spain would attack and there were rumours of Spanish troops landing in Wales and Mary escaping. These weren’t true but proved that she was a threat.
Significance of Mary’s execution for English Catholics
Some Catholics would’ve been angry, likely no more revolts because figure head destroyed, no hope of a catgolic monarch
Significance of Mary’s execution for Elizabeth
No longer a threat, unhappy- she’d killed a fellow female monarch who was also a relative
Significance of Mary’s execution for relations with Spain
Already bad, Phillip saw himself as the protector of Catholocism so this gave him reason to remove Elizabeth.
