The Revolt of the Northern Earls, 1569-70 Flashcards
How did Mary Queen of Scots pose a threat (2)
-Had a legitimate claim
-Potential figurehead for Catholics born in England
From which family member did Mary QoS receive her claim to the English throne?
- Her Grandmother, Margaret Tudor
- Daughter of Henry VII
- Margaret also married James I of Scotland, which grants Mary her claim to the Scottish throne.
Who viewed Elizabeth as illegitimate
Catholics, France and Spain
Why did Elizabeth feel her reign was threatened by Catholicism?
There was the possibility of a Catholic crusade,
Led by a coalition of powerful rulers Backed by the pope
Aimed to replace her with Mary
What unexpectedly helped Elizabeth’s security (3)
- Mary’ continued connection w/ France
- Spain wouldn’t support French candidate to be Queen as it would give the French too much power
- French would control English Channel, prevent King Phillip reaching the lands in the Netherlands
When did Mary return to Scotland
1560 began to rule as queen
Mary’s links to France
- Related to the powerful Guise (French) noble family
- Spain and France had terrible relations at the time
- Therefore, King Philip II of Spain continued to back Elizabeth in the face of the threat of a Franco-Scottish alliance
When did Mary arrive in England
May 1568
Why was tension occurring in Elizabeth’s court?
Tensions occurred between rival groups of Elizabeth’s nobility, as many members of Elizabeth’s court resented the influence Cecil had on the Queen
Why did people start resenting Cecil
Elizabeth (advised by Cecil) seemed to be leading England into war with Spain
Why did Anglo-Spanish relations start to deteriorate?
(1567-68)
- 1567-68 Dutch protestant rebellion, put down with considerable brutality
- Presence of Spanish forces in Netherlands created fears of possible invasion
1568 Bullion situation (3)
- 4 Spanish ships carrying bullion took refuge from pirates in England
- Cecil ordered that the Bullion should be seized
- heightened tensions between Spain
What did the court plot against Cecil aim to achieve?
Reduce or eliminate Cecil’s influence over Elizabeth, i.e. have him removed from power
Did not aim to remove Elizabeth from power
Men involved in the court plot
- Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk,
- Earl of Northumberland
- Earl of Westmorland
- Earl of Leicester
What was the overall aim of the Court plot
Aimed to marry Duke of Norfolk (senior noble in the realm) to Mary, Queen of Scots, claimant to the throne.
Norfolk would then use his elevated political position to ensure that Mary is recognized as Elizabeth’s heir, settling the question of royal succession.
-Elizabeth’s constant refusal to marry/ name a successor worried her advisers who feared the political instability that would come about if she died suddenly.
When did Elizabeth find out about the marriage? What was her reaction?
- September 1569
- She was furious and forbade any further discussion of the marriage
Why would the potential marriage of Norfolk to Mary be dangerous to Elizabeth
- The marriage could’ve presented a direct threat to her right to rule
- Might have encouraged discontented Catholics to try to overthrow her
Why was Norfolk suspected by Elizabeth’s court in 1568?
- He was the leading member and chief beneficiary of the plot to marry Mary and remove Cecil
- He had connections to disgruntled members of the nobility such as Northumberland and Westmorland
What did Norfolk do on Oct 1,1569 (3)
- He decided to remain loyal to Elizabeth, after spending several days at his estates in Kenninghall
- He wrote to Westmorland telling him not to rebel
- He also returned to Court when the Queen summoned him and was subsequently imprisoned in the Tower
Norfolk’s actions indirectly causing the rebellion
- Cecil’s leadership in the Court stirred up resentment amongst the traditional nobility (due to him being an upstart, not a landed noble).
- W+N thought that Norfolk would support their rebellion due to their mutual hatred of Robert Cecil.
- His ultimate decision to stay loyal to Elizabeth had left W+N feeling increasingly isolated.
- This isolation likely pressured them to carry out their rebellion, especially once Elizabeth sent out her summoning for W+N
Religion of Earl of Westmorland and Northumberland
Openly Catholic- preserved traditional Catholic practices and beliefs
In the 1560s how many leading families in Yorkshire were Catholic
75% (similarly high in Lancashire and Durham)
How were Catholic traditions able to survive in Protestant England?
Elizabeth’s religious settlement kept the doctrine of the Church of England as moderate as possible
Liturgy of the Communion made deliberately ambiguous to allow moderates of both practices.
Religious policy established under Elizabeth which allowed the practice of moderate Catholicism (2)
- 1559 Religious Settlement
- Thirty-Nine Articles 1563
What were Church Papists
Moderate majority of Catholics who conformed outwardly to CofE by going to Church Services
What led to Catholics coming under suspicion
- Relations with Catholic Spain deteriorated in 1566
- The English Government feared Catholics had divided loyalties between the realm and their faith.
What increased the threat of a Northern Catholic Rising?
- Remoteness of the north made it harder for the government (centralized in London) to respond quickly to threats. Therefore, a Catholic threat from the North would have a lot of time to gather support.
Therefore the government introduced more hard-line measures to conform northerners to Protestantism.
Who was appointed Bishop of Durham? What views did he hold?
- James Pilkington
- He held radical Protestant views
- Preached against both Catholicism and the power of traditional nobility
What policies made James Pilkington unpopular locally?
- Launched a campaign to eradicate traditional practices in Durham.
- Attempted to remove church furniture and religious imagery that represented the Catholic’s “lavish” approach to worship.
What was another cause of growing political and religious resentment amongst Catholic Nobles in the north?
(Hint: Key Posts)
- The appointment of Protestant outsiders to key posts in the North
- Outsiders were tasked to enforce Elizabeth’s rule in the North through their positions
How did the appointment of Protestant outsiders to key posts in the North disgruntle the Catholic Nobles in the region?
- Queen Mary 1st had appointed members of the traditional Northern nobility to important political and strategic posts in the North from 1553-1558
- The Northern elite had benefitted from these policies but now were deprived of their positions in favour of Protestant outsiders
Who did Elizabeth appoint as Warden of the East March? When? What tradition did this upset?
- Elizabeth’s cousin, Lord Hunsdon, was appointed in 1568 to extend royal control in a region where Elizabeth feared a challenge to her authority.
- The role had traditionally been held by an Earl of Northumberland until now.
Who was appointed Warden of the Middle March
Sir John Forster (completely loyal to Elizabeth)
-position previously held by the Earl of Northumberland
Who was the president of the Council of the North in 1568
Earl of Sussex- Thomas Radcliffe (also an outsider, and one of the Queen’s cousins)
How had Elizabeth’s appointments influenced the Northern Earls negatively?
The Earls missed out on the large incomes associated with the positions.
An example of Northumberland’s financial struggles:
In 1562, he was forced to write to the Earl of Pembroke asking him to ask the Queen for a grant of £1,000. An enormous sum at the time.
An example of the Earl of Westmorland’s financial struggles:
In 1568, he was forced to borrow £80 from Sir George Bowes.
The Earl of Northumberland’s Copper Mine:
- In 1568, the EoN tried to claim compensation for the rights of the Coppermine discovered on his estate
- BUT, the Crown refused to pay him anything
How much did the Earl’s financial woes influence their decision to rebel?
- It added to the Earl’s grievances
- However on their own, these worries were not enough to provoke the Earls to rebel.
What was the rebellion caused by?
A combination of:
- Increasing government intrusion into the North, both religiously and politically.
And
- Elizabeth’s actions convincing the Earls that they had nothing to lose in rebelling.
Where was Mary QoS moved to in 1569?
Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire
Why couldn’t Elizabeth execute Mary? (3)
- Mary was an anointed queen who had been deposed by her subjects
- Elizabeth had strong views about the importance of Royal prerogative and subjects obeying
- If E1 were to execute her, then it would set a dangerous precedent that could be used against her.
Why did Elizabeth not want to put Mary back on the throne
Having a minor (James IV) on the Scottish throne would weaken the potential threat of invasion because the Scots would lack strong leadership
Who was the Earl of Moray and how did he help Elizabeth (2)
- The Protestant Regent who now controlled Scotland and its baby King
- This meant a Catholic Rebellion would no longer receive Scottish support, as Protestants now controlled Scotland.
Why else was Mary a threat to Elizabeth?
Hint: (Children)
Mary already had a son and heir, James VI (current monarch of Scotland), whose existence meant that there was a ready made dynasty waiting to succeed Elizabeth (or potentially take her place entirely)
When did the Earls begin their rebellion?
9th November 1569
What did the supporters of the Earls of Westmorland do in the first week of the rebellion
Began to mass at his castle at Brancepeth in County Durham
Leader of the gentry who stayed loyal to Elizabeth
Sir George Bowes
What did the rebels do to show their religious aims?
- Marched to Durham Cathedral,
- Celebrated Catholic mass and destroyed all signs of Protestantism
What did the rebels do on the 15th November
- Marched South
- Aimed to raise support for the rebellion in the county of Yorkshire.
What did the rebels say in their proclamations
- Earls claimed that they were the Queen’s loyal subjects who were defending her from advisers such as William Cecil
- Presented themselves as concerned subjects who wanted to free her from bad advice
By the 22nd of November, what place had the rebels arrived at?
Brahman Moor
How was Brahman Moor a strategic location (3)
- Gaining control of this junction meant that they were threatening York, an important centre of the Northern government
- Blocked troops marching North from London or South from Newcastle
- Only 40 miles from Tutbury castle
By late November, how much support did the rebels have?
(Hint: N of Soldiers and Horsemen)
3,800 foot soldiers and 1,600 horsemen
Why did the local officials, who had remained loyal to Elizabeth, find it difficult to act against the rebels?
The large scale of the rebellion:
e.g The Earl of Sussex, President of the Council of the North, was trapped in York with only 400 horsemen. He had been unable to attract a larger army from the local gentry.
Why did Cecil move Mary from Tutbury Castle?
Lord Hunsdon sent Cecil a message warning him of the rebels’ advances and advised him to move Mary from Tutbury
What did the rebels do on the 24th November
Made the decision to retreat from Brancepeth
Why did the rebels retreat from Brancepth (4)
- Heard rumours of a large army being organised down South by the Earl of Warwick
- Mary QoS was moved and now out of reach
- rebels realised they wouldn’t receive the same amount of support from the South
- Rebels failed to raise Cheshire and Lancashire in the rebellion
Why had the rebels failed to raise Cheshire and Lancashire in the rebellion
Earl of Derby (the most important member of the nobility in these regions) chose to stay loyal to Elizabeth
Where did the rebels retreat to
County Durham- where the rebellion started and support was strongest
How large was the rebel army by the point of the retreat back to Durham
3,200 footmen and 1,500 horsemen
Why did the rebels capture the port of Hartlepool
- The rebels had recieved a message promising them support from Spain , and they hoped that Spanish troops would land at the port
- BUT, this support never came
When did the Earls decide to disband the rebellion and flee? Why?
16 December- when the large Royal Army reached the river Tees (Sir John Forster’s army)
Where did the Earl of Northumberland flee and why was this a disaster
- He fled to Scotland to gather more supporters.
- However, he was handed over to the pro-England regent of Scotland, Earl of Moray.
- Returned to the English in 1572 and beheaded in York.
What did Lord Dacre do in 1569
gathered an armed force of about 3,000 men
Battle between Lord Hunsdon and Lord Dacre
500 rebels killed and captured
-Hunsdon and his troops were victorious
Rebel successes (2)
- Were able to march into city of Durham (important administrative centre in the North)
- siege of Barnard Castle from nearly 5,000 rebels
Why was the siege of Barnard castle significant (2)
- Crown property and an important stronghold
- able to use it as a refuge where attacks could be launched
What was the impact the siege had on Barnard Castle? What does it say about the state of Elizabeth’s supporters at this point?
- By the 14th of December (1569), Sir George Bowes reported that supplies were so low in the fortress, that its defenders were reaching the point of starvation
- 226 of his men leapt over the walls and joined the rebels
- 150 of the defenders turned on Bowes and opened the gates of the Castle for the rebels.
- Bowes forced to surrender
- At this point, Elizabeth’s supporters had become weak and isolated, especially after the loss of Durham Castle.
How was the capture of Barnard Castle only a temporary success
They were forced to flee 2 days later
Why did Westmorland want the DoN to marry Mary
Westmorland was DoN’s brother in law
-Expected increased patronage
Why did Northumberland oppose the court plot?
-DoN nominally protestant
- Northumberland determined to restore Catholic faith
- Wanted to marry Mary to Philip II of Spain, however the Spanish King didn’t want to get involved with England.
When did Northumberland join the rebellion
On the 9th of November, when his own staff and the momentum of events persuaded him to join the uprising
What persuaded Northumberland to openly rebel
-Commitment to Catholicism
-Both wanted a restoration to Catholicism
How were the earl’s plans not well thought out (4)
- Initial attempt to a rising in early October was abandoned when DoN was arrested
- Rebel movement suggests that the earls were unsure on how to proceed
- unorganised
- no clear strategy
How was rebel movement unsure and unorganised
-First went to Durham before moving South to Bramham Moor and then North again
How were the Earls potentially dangerous (4)
- Been in contact with people who were her potential enemies of Elizabeth (Mary and Spanish Ambassadors)
- Determination to restore Catholicism in direct contradiction to ERS
- Leadership they provided in their local communities- traditional loyalties remained strong
- able to rely on many of the Catholic gentry
What did the rebellion threaten (2)
-The stability of the North
-Elizabeth’s position to the throne
How was the presence of Mary QoS threatening
-increased pressure on Elizabeth to settle the succession
-Mary was in contact with english Catholic nobility and her supporters in Scotland
Why was the rebellion threatening (religious)
-Showed the extent to which her religious settlement failed to take root in the Conservative North
-Catholicism remained the dominant belief among members of the nobility and gentry
Why was the rebellion threatening (remote regions) (3)
- Exposed the monarch’s weakness in controlling the more remote regions of England effectively
- Council of the North members were unable to stop the rebellion breaking out
- WEAKNESS in E1’s policies in the North (created resentment)
Problems with the royal army
-Took over a month for a large royal army to reach Durham
-mustering and movement of the army showed a weakness in Tudor government
-Army so large and expensive took a long time
DESPITE Sussex and Hunsdon asking Cecil for a small force of 800 men and 500 cavalry (ignored)
Where did the rebellion not spread to // why
did not spread further west to Cheshire and Lancashire even though these areas had strong Catholic sympathies
-the dominant noble of the area Earl of Derby stayed loyal to E1
-Once the DoN stayed loyal to E1, the rebels were deprived of support from his estates further South
Reasons for failure of the Rising (4)
- Failures of leadership
- Government response
- lack of widespread support
- lack of international support
What were the failures in leadership (3)
lacked co-ordination and clear objectives
-leadership of the Earls were less focused
-disagreement among rebel leaders about their aims and methods, e.g Northumberland did not agree with the Norfolk-Mary marriage
Strength in government response
Elizabeth’s loyal protestant outsiders helped end the rebellion
-e.g. John Forster, George Bowes and Lord Hunsdon
-the constant contact with government helped organise an effective response
Lack of widespread support in the rising
-Failed to attract support from other members of the nobility
-lack of support from ordinary men and women (caused by earl’s lack of influence in some regions and popular apathy of the commons)
Catholic Nobility who DID NOT join the rising (3)
Henry Clifford, the Earl of Cumberland
Earl of Derby
John Sayer- member of Durham gentry
How had religious attitudes changed
Popular dislike and suspicion of foreigners meant that a return to a Church controlled by a pope in Rome was not widely supported
-People largely indifferent
Lack of international support (3)
- Rebels believed Philip II was gonna send troops but this was a false belief (reluctant to support Mary)
- Scottish Catholics were prevented by pro-English regent of Scotland, the Earl of Moray
- rebellion lacked legitimacy with some Catholics because the pope did not yet excommunicate E1
How many ringleaders were executed in the aftermath of the rebellion
8 ringleaders
+Northumberland in 1572
How many rebels did Elizabeth order to be executed
700
How many of the executions were actually carried out
450/700
-because of the actions of Bowes and Sussex
Government response in a political form CoN
1572, the Council of the North was reorganised again
who was appointed the president of the Council
the Puritan Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon
-his continued presence in the North helped stabilise the region
Confiscation of lands of the rebels
exiled Earl of Westmorland had all his estates confiscated
-helped decrease the power/influence of trad. northern nobility and to strengthen the power of the Crown of the North
What did the pope do //when
Papal bull, Regnans in Excelsis, excommunicated her
-1570
What led to anti-Catholic paranoia
-Fears of Catholic invasion
-arrival of Catholic missionary priests
CAUSED pressure for action to be taken against protestants and more support for those who wished to spread more radical ideas of Protestantism
How was the papal bull threatening (3)
Released Elizabeth’s Catholic subjects from any oaths of obedience
-also threatened to excommunicate any subjects who continued to obey her
-English Catholics were actively encouraged by the papacy to consider deposing Elizabeth
Who was treated more harshly after 1569
recusants
Who was appointed president of the Council of the North in 1572+ what did he do
Puritan- Earl of Huntingdon (harsh)
- Didn’t tolerate any open Catholic activity
enforced the existing gov. legislation against recusants more vigorously
- Protestant preachers appointed to Northern Churches to spread protestant ideas
How many Catholic priests did seminaries send to England
800
Who were the English trained Jesuit priests
Cuthbert Mayne and Edmund Campion
When was parliament called in response to the religious crises
1571, 1572, 1581, ‘84 and ‘86
Example of a more hard-line approach towards Catholics (2)
1571- Parliament made it a treasonable offense to obtain or publish the papal bull of excommunication
1571- Treason Act extended to include those who tried to claim that Elizabeth had no right to be Queen
Jesuit priest executed
1577- Cuthbert Mayne
Elizabeth stricter laws towards recusants
1581- included a huge fine for non-attendance of Church services to £20 a month or imprisonment
Decline in Catholicism
By 1603, only 50,000 Catholics remained in a population of 5 million
What did Elizabeth want to ensure the growth of
Anglicanism, but some of her councillors (e.g Earl of Leicester) supported more radical Puritan preachers such as Thomas Cartwright
What did Puritan MPs try to do
put pressure behind anti-Catholic legislation
e.g 1571, William Strickland MP tried to introduce a bill that would’ve created a more radical Book of Common Prayer (defeated)
