Mapping Elizabethan England Key

Strongly Catholic Area

Religious tension & Catholic plots Catholic Support
Strongly Protestant Area
When studying the Catholic plots that took place during Elizabeth’s reign, it is essential to get a
Protestant Support
sense of place. Although Elizabeth’s religious settlement aimed to find compromise between
Castle Used to imprison
England Catholics and Protestants, the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots in 1568 and Elizabeth’s Mary Queen of Scots.
excommunication in 1570 led to a wave of Catholic plots against her. Use the map to help you
Mountains & Hills
understand these plots.
Key Dates
1558 1559 1568 1569 1570 1571 1583 1586 1587

Elizabeth becomes Elizabeth introduces Mary arrives in Rebellion of Elizabeth is Ridolfi Throckmorton Babington Execution of
Queen of England. Religious Settlement England Northern Earls Excommunicated Plot Plot Plot Mary Queen of Scots

1. The arrival of Mary

Queen of Scots 3. The Northern Rebellion: 1569
In 1569 the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland
Mary became the Queen of
gathered an army of 6000 soldiers and began to march south.
Scotland in 1542 after the
They planned to free Mary Queen of Scots and make her
death of her father,
Queen, and return England to Catholicism.
James V. She soon moved
to France where she
Elizabeth found out about the plan and sent a huge army to
married the heir to the throne of
crush the rebellion. 800 rebels were executed and the Earls of
France. After his death, Mary
Westmoreland and Northumberland fled to Scotland.
returned to Scotland.

Under pressure from Elizabeth,

4. The Ridolfi Plot: 1571
Scotland had become a Protestant An Italian Catholic banker Roberto Ridolfi planned to
country while Mary was away. assassinate Elizabeth and make Mary queen. He was
Mary was unpopular as a Catholic. supported by King Phillip II of Spain and the Duke of
Norfolk, Elizabeth’s cousin. The plot was uncovered
Mary remarried and had a son, James. After the by William Cecil. Ridolfi was arrested and thrown
suspicious death of her second husband, and out of England. The Duke of Norfolk was executed.
marriage to a man accused of his murder, the
Protestants forced Mary to give up her throne. 5. The Throckmorton Plot: 1583
Young Catholic, Francis Throckmorton
Mary fled to England in 1568 in fear of her life,
organised a plan for the French army to
leaving her son James to become the King of
invade England, replace Elizabeth with
Scotland. Mary hoped Elizabeth would help
Mary Queen of Scots, paid for by the
her, but she was imprisoned for 19 years, and
Pope and Phillip II of Spain. Elizabeth’s
was moved slowly further south as the threat of
spies found out. Throckmorton was
the Catholic plots increased. She was
executed, and Mary was
imprisoned in a range of locations including:
moved South to
1 Carlisle Castle – May 1568 Tutbury Castle where
she was isolated
2 Bolton Castle – July 1568
and allowed no
3 Tutbury Castle – Jan 1569 visitors.

4 Chartley Castle – Dec 1585

5 Fotheringhay Castle – Sept 1586

6. The Babington Plot: 1586
2. Religious Division Sir Anthony Babington
Catholicism remained popular in the North of planned to rescue Mary
England. Many Catholics, including the from prison, assassinate
powerful Northern Earls considered Mary Elizabeth, and make Mary
Queen of Scots to be the rightful Queen of Queen. Secret coded letters
England. between Mary and the
plotters were found,
The counties around London were generally proving her guilt.
more supportive of Protestantism. They
were closer to London and had 7. The trial and execution of Mary Queen of Scots
closer links to the Netherlands Mary was put on trial, found guilty of treason, and was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8th
and German states where February 1587. Elizabeth had always believed that executing Mary would lead to bigger
Protestantism had become popular. problems such as war with France or Spain, and hesitated to sign her death warrant. Elizabeth
wrote to King James of Scotland apologising for the death of his mother.
Task:
1. Explain why Mary’s arrival in England was a problem for Queen Elizabeth? Use the following fragments in
your answer: …moved to France… …religious change… …unpopular as a Catholic… …fled to England…
…imprisoned…
2. Summarise the religious divisions in England during Elizabeth’s reign.
3. Read through the each of the Catholic plots (3-6) and make notes on each under the headings: “What, who,
when, how, why” then transform your notes into a full sentence to summarise each plot.
4. Explain why Mary was executed in 1587 and Elizabeth’s reaction.
5. Using your notes from today, answer the question ‘How did religious tension influence the Catholic plots?’
Scotland

1
Cumberland Durham

Lancashire

Cheshire

4 3
Stafford
Norfolk
5

Suffolk
Hereford
Wales
England Essex

London

Kent