WHAT IF... THE BABINGTON PLOT HAD SUCCEEDED?
Queen Elizabeth I faced a number of assassination plots by Roman Catholics seeking to restore their religion in Protestant England and raise her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, to the throne. The Ridolfi Plot of 1571 had support from King Philip II of Spain and Pope Pius V, while the Throckmorton Plot of 1583 planned a Spanish-backed invasion by the French Duke of Guise, head of the Catholic League. Neither came close to fruition, but another scheme was to come.
In 1586, an English Catholic named Anthony Babington was recruited by Jesuit
