Elizabethan England / 1569
Elizabethan England: Northern Earls Revolt
The revolt showed how quickly noble resentment, religion and the succession crisis could turn into rebellion.
What To Remember
- Northumberland and Westmorland were angry about lost power, land and jobs.
- The rebels wanted Catholicism restored and Mary, Queen of Scots backed as Elizabeth's successor.
- The revolt was strongest in the North, where Catholic feeling was still powerful.
Why the North rebelled
Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, lost his key border job defending the frontier with Scotland, while Elizabeth gave Protestant Lord Hunsdon greater control at Berwick.
The earls also lost land and wealth, so the revolt was about power as well as religion.
They wanted to remove Elizabeth's Protestant councillors and restore Catholic worship across England.
The marriage plan linking Mary, Queen of Scots to the Duke of Norfolk made the succession crisis even sharper and encouraged the rebels to act.
How it unfolded
The rebels stormed Durham Cathedral, tore through Protestant worship and held a Catholic Mass there, which was a direct challenge to the Religious Settlement.
They then marched south hoping to gather more support, but most Catholics did not join them and the revolt never became a national rising.
Elizabeth raised an army of about 14,000 men, far bigger than the rebel force, and the earls fled into Scotland once they realised they could not win.
Revision Prompt
What were the main reasons the Northern Earls revolted in 1569?