Francis Throckmorton (1554—1584) was a conspirator against Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was a nephew of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton who served the Virgin Queen as a diplomat and the son of Sir John Throckmorton. Sir John, Francis Throckmorton's father, held the post of Chief Justice of Chester but was deposed from that office in 1579, a year before his death. The reasons for Sir John's removal from the bench are unclear: He may have been guilty of abusive practices in the administration of justice, but he may also have been punished for his pro-Catholic beliefs. Events February 12 - After claiming the throne of England the previous year, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason alongside her husband. ... Events June 1 - With the death of the Duc dAnjou, the Huguenot Henry of Navarre becomes heir-presumptive to the throne of France. ... Elizabeth I Queen of England and Ireland Queen of France, nominal title Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533–March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. ... Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (unknown artist) Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (or Throgmorton) (1515 – February 12, 1571) was an English diplomat and politician, who played a key role in the relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. ... Events January 6 - The Union of Atrecht united the southern Netherlands under the Duke of Parma, governor in the name of king Philip II of Spain. ...

Francis Throckmorton was educated in Oxford and entered the Inner Temple in London as a pupil in 1576. In 1580 he traveled to the European continent and met leading Catholic malcontents from England in Spain and France. After his return to England in 1583 he served as an intermediary for communications between Mary, Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned in England, and the Spanish ambassador Bernardino de Mendoza and supporters of the Catholic cause on the continent. His actions raised the suspicions of Sir Francis Walsingham. Francis Throckmorton was arrested in October 1583. A search of his house produced incriminating evidence. After being tortured on the rack, Throckmorton confessed that he had participated in a plot to overthrow the Queen and restore the Catholic church in England by means of an invasion led by Henry I, Duke of Guise and a contemporaneous uprising of Catholics within the country. Although he later retracted his confession, Francis Throckmorton was convicted of High treason and executed in 1584. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England, to which barristers belong and where they are called to the bar. ... St Stevens Tower - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London (see also different names) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Events May 5 - Peace of Beaulieu or Peace of Monsieur (after Monsieur, the Duc dAnjou, brother of the King, who negotiated it). ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... Events August 5 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St Johns, Newfoundland. ... Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... Bernardino de Mendoza (about 1540—August 3, 1604 ) was a Spanish military commander, a diplomat and a writer on military history and politics. ... Sir Francis Walsingham (c. ... The rack is a torture device. ... Henry I, Duke of Guise Henry, 3rd Duke of Guise (January 31, 1550 – December 23, 1588) was the son of Francis, Duke of Guise. ... Under English, and later British law, high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Sovereign. ...

Reference

Syney Lee (1898), Throckmorton, Francis. In: Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 56. 1898. PP. 327—329.