Catholic Opposition to the Elizabethan Church
Catholic Failure to Overturn the Church Of England
With the arrival in England of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, the government became worried about possible Catholic threats to its very existence. Mary was the heir to the throne of the childless Elizabeth, and was to become the centre of plots to overthrow the heretical English Queen.
In 1569, the Northern Rising was a rebellion in Northern England led by Lord Darcy and the Duke of Northumberland. They intended to overthrow Elizabeth, place Mary upon the throne and marry her to the Duke of Norfolk. The rising would eventually prove of little military threat but it did induce panic within the government. From the start the whole affair was badly organized or more accurately completely unplanned and coordinated. In fact, it would have been crushed earlier if there had been enough loyal troops at York. The rising was put down, but had bad consequences both for Elizabeth and her Catholic subjects. Elizabeth ordered the hanging of 700 rebels, although not all of them were executed, it showed the government's determination to deal with Catholics that dared to threaten it.
Hearing of the Northern Rising, Pius V issued the Papal bull Regnans in exccelsis, the formal excommunication and disposition of Elizabeth. This bull meant that the government regarded religious conformity as a test of political loyalty. The timing of the publication of the bull was unfortunate for English Catholics. The bull had not been published immediately; perhaps the Papacy had too much confidence in the inept Northern rising. The Papal intention of strengthening the Catholic position in England backfired. Catholicism in England could have died out and there would have been nobody to perform the last rites.
Treason Acts And Missionary Priests
When Parliament met in 1571 tough new anti-Catholic legislation was passed, including an act that prohibited the importation or execution of any Papal Bull. Anyone reconciled with Rome, and any reconcilers were guilty of treason. The property of Catholic fugitives was also confiscated if they had fled overseas and not returned within a year. The government also used propaganda to protect the settlement and the Queen. Masterminded by the Earl of Leicester myths were created about Elizabeth being a great empress and leader protecting her country against Spain and the Papacy.
In the Netherlands the Duke of Alva seemed to be putting down the revolt. France was being torn apart by the 'Wars of Religion' in which Catherine de Medici and the Guise faction seemed intent on destroying the Huguenots. The St Bartholomew's Day Massacre and copycat killings all over France led to the murder of around 5,000 Huguenots in Paris alone by Catholic mobs organized by the Guise. Elizabeth was urged by Puritans within the government such as the Earl of Leicester and Walshingham to aid the Dutch rebels and French Protestants. Elizabeth eventually signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch during August 1585. The English forces under Leicester achieved very little, but they did provoke Philip II into launching the Armada. English aid also propped up Dutch defences and morale after the Spanish took Antwerp. Philip could not defeat the English and the Dutch at the same time, despite being the most powerful man on earth he did not have the money or the military means to do so.
During the 1570s Catholic missionary priests started to arrive in England, these were returning English exiles. Without these missions Catholicism could have died a slow death in England and Wales. The Douai College was founded by such an exile the former Oxford academic William Alien which would become strongly influenced by the Jesuits. With it's great emphasis on ritual Catholicism was and is difficult to maintain without priests. They had been trained in seminaries in places such as Douai and Louvain, or later on as Jesuits. These missionaries were brave men who risked their lives to preserve and sometimes to spread Catholicism. The job of being a missionary priest was fraught with danger that more often than not ended in the death of any priests that were caught. For instance, 31 priests were executed during 1588.
Catholic Failure
The Papacy was hoping that England could be returned to the Catholic Church, either through putting Mary, Queen of the Scots on the throne or a Spanish led invasion. For only Spain had the power to contemplate an invasion. However, Elizabeth and her government were able to avoid any further rising and rebellions as the church settlement took root. They had managed to overcome a possibly grave situation to achieve relative security, particularly after the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth wanted to avoid war and would only give financial aid to the Dutch rebels and the French Protestants. She was also unwilling to take action against Mary Queen of Scots, despite evidence of her involvement in plots against Elizabeth. In 1585, England went to war with Spain, provoked by Spanish involvement in the Parry plot. Many Catholics were to stay loyal to the English regime during the war with Spain. Philip II regarded the war against England as a crusade against the heretical Elizabeth. An act of 1585 for the provision of surety for the Queen was used to condemn Mary Stuart of treason after the discovery of the Babington plot. Her execution in 15 87 meant there was not a viable Catholic candidate for the throne. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 reduced the possibility of foreign invasion, but the government did not slacken its prosecution of Catholics, Elizabeth's Stuart successors would prove to be just as intolerant, although reluctantly so in the case of James I and Charles I.
Bibliography
Coffey, J. Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558-1689 - Studies in Modern History (2000), Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow
Fletcher, A & MacCulloch, D. Tudor Rebellions (1997) 4th edition Addison Wesley Longman Limited, Harlow Essex
Smith, A G R
the Emergence of a Nation State the Commonwealth of
England 1529-1660, York
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles