The Extent of the Catholic Threat up to 1570

The Political Dimension of the Catholic Threat

Mary I’s reign is important to understand the Catholic threat’s origin. Her attempts to reconvert England — including the marriage to Philip II and the burnings of more than 280 Protestants – created resentment.
Elizabeth I’s religious settlement of 1559 was a key event. It attempted to establish a moderate Protestantism, avoiding the extremes of Edward VI and Mary I’s highly partisan policies.
Catholics constituted an important section of the political elite. Many nobles, particularly in the North, retained Catholic sympathies, culminating in dangerous political movements.

The Northern Rebellion

The Northern Rebellion in 1569 demonstrated the extent of the Catholic threat. It was led by Catholic nobles, most prominently the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland.
Its aim was to replace Elizabeth with Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic. The rebellion showed there was continued Catholic resistance against Elizabeth and Protestantism.
The rebellion, however, was not entirely successful. Largely concentrated in the North, it did not gain broad support and was suppressed quite easily.

Papal Influence

Papal interventions intensified the Catholic threat. In 1570, Pope Pius V issued the papal bull ‘Regnans in Excelsis’. It excommunicated Elizabeth, absolving her subjects from obedience and encouraging rebellion against her reign.
Papal intervention lent a religious aspect to political resistance, inciting Catholics in England to challenge Elizabeth’s authority.
It was not until after 1570 that Pope Pius’ successor, Gregory XIII, actually called for an international Catholic crusade against England. This shows the Catholic threat was not yet at its apex by 1570.

The Position of Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic and legitimate heir to the English throne by blood, represented a significant threat. She was seen as an alternative monarch by disgruntled Catholics.
Mary’s arrival in England in 1568 increased the political and religious tension. For Catholics, she embodied the potential for change and the restoration of Catholicism.
Nonetheless, Mary was kept under close surveillance by Elizabeth, limiting her ability to instigate rebellions.

The Catholic threat up to 1570 was marked by internal political and religious dissent, continental Catholic support, and a significant Northern rebellion. However, it never escalated to a point where Elizabeth’s reign was seriously imperilled. It laid the groundwork for the more complex, multifaceted threat that would emerge in the 1580s.