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Encyclopedia > Ridolfi plot
The Ridolfi plot was meant to put Mary Stewart on the throne of England.

The Ridolfi plot was a Roman Catholic plot in 1570 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary I of Scotland. The plot was hatched and planned by Roberto di Ridolfi, who, an international banker, was able to travel between Brussels, Rome and Madrid to gather support without attracting too much suspicion. Image File history File links Mary-queen-of-scots_full. ... Image File history File links Mary-queen-of-scots_full. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Events January 23 - The assassination of regent James Stewart, Earl of Moray throws Scotland into civil war February 25 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England with the bull Regnans in Excelsis May 20 - Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas. ... Elizabeth I redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Roberto di Ridolfi or Ridolfo (1531-1612) was an Italian conspirator, who belonged to a famous family of Florence, where he was born on the 18th of November 1531. ... Nickname: Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 979 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Government  - Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area  - Region 162 km²  (62. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Motto: La Suma de Todos (The Sum of Everyone) Location Coordinates: Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ...

Contents

Background

The Duke of Norfolk, a cousin to the Queen and wealthiest landowner in the country, had been proposed as a possible husband for Mary ever since her imprisonment in 1568. This suited Norfolk who had greater ambitions and felt Elizabeth persistently undervalued him.[1] In pursuit of this, he agreed to support the Northern Rebellion, though quickly lost his nerve and tried to call it off. However, the rebellion was not under his control and went ahead anyway, with the Northern earls trying to foment rebellion among their Catholic subjects to prepare for a Catholic Spanish invasion by the Duke of Alba, governor of the Netherlands.[2] We dont have an article called Northern Rebellion Start this article Search for Northern Rebellion in. ... Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba. ...


After the rebellion failed, the leaders were executed and a purge of Catholic sympathisers in the priesthood carried out. Norfolk was imprisoned in the Tower of London for nine months and only freed under house arrest when he confessed all and begged for mercy.[3] Pope Pius V issued Regnans in Excelsis, a papal bull excommunicating Elizabeth, shortly afterwards, which commanded all faithful Catholics to do all they could to depose her, though the majority of Engish Catholics ignored the bull.[4] In response, Elizabeth became much harsher to Catholics and their sympathisers.[5] Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ... Bold textHe was born as Antonio Ghislieri at Bosco in the duchy of Milan. ... The Pope and the Queen Regnans in Excelsis was a papal bull issued on February 25, 1570 by Pope Pius V declaring Elizabeth I to be a heretic and releasing all her subjects from any allegiance. ... Papal bull of Pope Urban VIII, 1637, sealed with a leaden bulla. ...


Plot

Roberto Ridolfi, a Florentine banker and ardent Catholic, had been involved in the planning of the Northern rebellion, had been plotting to overthrow Elizabeth as early as 1569.[6] Observing the failure of the rebellion, he came to the conclusion that only foreign intervention could restore Catholicism and bring Mary to the throne, and began to contact potential conspirators. Mary's advisor, John Lesley, the Bishop of Ross, gave his assent to the plot as the only way to free Mary.[7] The plan was to have the Duke of Alba invade from the Netherlands with 10,000 men, foment a rebellion of the northern English nobility and marry Mary to Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. However, this did not include a plot to assasinate Elizabeth as this would have been too risky. Mary Stuart only sought her freedom as did the Pope and all faithful Catholic, because Mary was the true heir and successor. Ridolfi optimistically estimated half of all English peers were Catholic, and could muster in excess of 39,000 men.[8] Norfolk gave verbal assurances to Ridolfi that he was Catholic, though as a pupil of John Foxe, he had previously been Protestant.[9][10] Both Mary and Norfolk, desperate to remedy their respective situations, agreed to the plot.[11] With their blessing, Ridolfi set off to the continent to gain Alba, Pius V and King Philip II's support. Roberto di Ridolfi or Ridolfo (1531-1612) was an Italian conspirator, who belonged to a famous family of Florence, where he was born on the 18th of November 1531. ... John Lesley, or Leslie, (September 29, 1527 – May 31, 1596), Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian, was born in 1527. ... The ruins of Fortrose Cathedral on the Black Isle. ... Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (March 10, 1536 — 1572) and 1st Earl of Southampton, was entrusted by Queen Elizabeth I of England with public office despite his family history and his prior support for the Catholic cause, although he claimed to be a... John Foxe, line engraving by George Glover, first published in the 1641 edition of Actes and Monuments John Foxe (1516–April 8, 1587) is remembered as the author of the famous Foxes Book of Martyrs. ...


However, the Duke of Alba feared that if the plot should be successful, it would lead to Mary, Queen of Scots, a former Queen of France whose mother was a member of the prominent Guise family, occupying the throne of England. The consequence of this would be an England wedded to Mary's beloved France, an outcome which the Spanish feared. Guise is a commune of the Aisne département in northern France. ...


Discovery

In 1571, Elizabeth's intelligence network was sending her information about a plot against her life. She was also sent a private warning by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, who had learned of the plot against her. William Cecil Charles Baillie, Ridolfi's messenger, was arrested at Dover carrying compromising letters, and revealed the existence of the plot under torture. The Duke of Norfolk was arrested on September 7, 1571 and sent to the tower.[12] Guerau de Spes, the Spanish ambassador, was expelled from the country in January, 1571.[13] Ridolfi was still abroad at the time the plot was discovered, and never returned to England, becoming a Florentine senator in 1600. Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ...


Mary, when questioned, admitted to having dealings with Ridolfi, but denied any involvement with the plot.[14] She was clearly implicated by the evidence, but Elizabeth refused to have her executed and vetoed a bill by Parliament that condemned Mary and removed her from the succession.[15] She feared that by executing a divinely appointed monarch, she undermined her own position.[16] Instead, she had the Duke of Norfolk executed for treason in June, 1571.[17] However, Mary's status in England was transformed from honoured guest to treasonous pariah, and she was universally condemned by the governing elite:[18] her continued conspiring, especially in the Babington plot, eventually led to her execution on February 8, 1587.[19] The Divine Right of Kings is a European political and religious doctrine of political absolutism. ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... Walsinghams Decypherer forged this cipher postscript to Marys letter to Babington. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1587 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...


A very fictionalised version of the Ridolfi plot was featured in the movie Elizabeth (1998) which depicted Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, as the chief conspirator. However the film omitted the involvement of Ridolfi himself. Elizabeth is an Academy Award-winning 1998 film based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. ...


See also

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Walsinghams Decypherer forged this cipher postscript to Marys letter to Babington. ... Francis Walsingham by John de Critz (detail) Sir Francis Walsingham (c. ...

References

  1. ^ Williams, Neville, The Life and Times of Elizabeth I, (Book Club Associates, 1972), pg 91.
  2. ^ Starkey, David, Elizabeth I: Apprenticeship, (Vintage, 2001), pg 322.
  3. ^ Williams, Life and Times, pg 101-2.
  4. ^ Dures, Alan, English Catholicism, 1558-1642, (Longman, 1983), pg 17.
  5. ^ Starkey, Elizabeth I, pg 322.
  6. ^ Elton G.R., England under the Tudors, (University Paperback, 1978), pg 297.
  7. ^ Williams, Life and Times, pg 102-3.
  8. ^ Williams, Life and Times, pg 102.
  9. ^ Dures, English Catholicism, pg 17.
  10. ^ Lockyer, Roger, Tudor and Stuart Britain, 1417-1714, (Longman, 1964), pg 186.
  11. ^ Jenkins, Elizabeth, Elizabeth the Great, (Phoenix Press, 1958), pg 176.
  12. ^ Weir, Mary, Queen of Scots, pg 493.
  13. ^ Jenkins, Elizabeth the Great, pg 179.
  14. ^ Weir, Mary, Queen of Scots, pg 493.
  15. ^ Smith, A. G. R., The Government of Elizabethan England, (Edward Arnold, 1967), pg 28.
  16. ^ Lockyer, Tudor and Stuart Britain, pg 190.
  17. ^ T.A.Morris, Europe and England in the Sixteenth Century, (Routledge 1998), p334
  18. ^ Morris, Europe and England, p334
  19. ^ Weir, Alison, Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, (Pimlico, 2004), pg 509.

External links

  • Marie Stuart Society's account of the Ridolfi plot.
  • The Gunpowder Plot Society's account of the Ridolfi plot.
  • Timeline of Elizabeth's reign from 1570 to 1603.

  Results from FactBites:
 
Ridolfi plot (246 words)
The Ridolfi plot was a Roman Catholic plot of 1570 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary I of Scotland.
However, the activities of Sir John Hawkins[?] and the detention in England of Spanish ships carrying large sums of monry destined for their armies in the Netherlands caused a worsening of relations between England and Spain, and the Spanish, encouraged by petitions from English Catholics for deliverance, went ahead.
Although unsuccessful, the plot concentrated the minds of the English government on assassination attempts on Elizabeth, and, more importantly, exacerbated the Puritan demand that Mary be executed in order to safeguard the English church and state.
The National Archives | Research, education & online exhibitions | Exhibitions | Secrets and Spies (298 words)
The Babington plot, which was the undoing of Mary, Queen of Scots, was one of several conspiracies against Elizabeth I that were uncovered.
In 1571 a plot was discovered involving Philip II of Spain, Pope Pius V and the Duke of Norfolk, as well as Mary’s advisor, the Bishop of Ross, and Mary herself.
Ridolfi traveled to Rome and Madrid to raise support for an invasion of eastern England and an uprising of Catholics, which would be followed by the marriage of the Duke of Norfolk to Mary, Queen of Scots, who would seize the English throne.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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