The Ridolfi Plot
(1571)
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Pope
Pious V
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In 1571 a plot was discovered involving
Felipe II of Spain, Pope Pious V and
the
Duke of Norfolk, as well as
Mary, Queen of Scot’s advisor, Leslie, Bishop of Ross, and
Mary
herself.
The conspirators were led by Roberto Ridolfi,
a Florentine banker based in London, who, posing as an international banker, was
able to travel between Brussels, Rome and Madrid without attracting too much
suspicion. Ridolfi had been questioned by English authorities after the
Northern Rising two years before. He had
discussed his plans with the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands and 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
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of
Norfolk to Mary, Queen of Scots,
who would seize the English throne. Ridolfi called for Spain to intervene
with troops to support the marriage and put
Mary on the throne.
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The Spanish were at first doubtful as to the
value of the plan; there were obstacles;
King Felipe disliked the idea of
assassinating Queen Elizabeth; a
stable England was needed as a counterweight to France; there was no guarantee
that the English population or its nobility were as Catholic in sentiment as the
success of the plot demanded.
However, the activities of
Sir John Hawkins
and the detention in England of Spanish ships carrying large sums of money
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.
When Charles Baillie, a Scot favourable to
Mary's party, was arrested at Dover, incriminating letters from
Ridolfi to Bishop Leslie were
seized. Baillie revealed the existence of the plot under torture.
Leslie, under the threat of torture, lay all the blame on
Mary and
Norfolk.
Norfolk was arrested, tried for high treason, found guilty and
executed on Tower Hill on 2 Jun 1572. Ridolfi was abroad when the plot was
uncovered and escaped this fate. Mary
admitted giving Ridolfi a financial commission but strongly denied any
other part in the scheme. Elizabeth was reluctant to authorise the
execution of a fellow queen, but Mary
was kept under ever-tighter surveillance.
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.
