Rachel Evans
Queen Elizabeth I's reign saw the persecution of Catholics, with the execution of 183 Catholics under anti-Catholic legislation. Elizabeth's decision to make the Church of England Protestant, with the monarch as its head, led to Catholics being viewed as traitors. The 1559 Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity made it compulsory to acknowledge Elizabeth as head of the Church, and attendance at Church of England services was also mandated. Violations were considered treason, punishable by hanging, drawing, and quartering. Elizabeth's excommunication by Pope Pius V in 1570 further fuelled anti-Catholic sentiment, and the failed 1569 northern rebellion, led by Catholic earls, reinforced the perception of Catholicism as a threat. Executions of Catholic priests became more common, and in 1585, it became treason for a Catholic priest to enter England. Elizabeth's vulnerability to conspiracy, with a Catholic heir presumptive, Mary, Queen of Scots, also influenced the treatment of Catholics.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Catholics executed during Elizabeth's reign | 183 |
| Year when Pope St.Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth | 1570 |
| Year when St.Cuthbert Mayne became the first of 123 English Catholic priests to be martyred | 1577 |
| Year when the English House of Lords passed a bill abolishing papal supremacy | 1559 |
| Year when the Revolt of the Northern Earls attempted to overthrow England's Protestant regime | 1569 |
| Year when it became treason for a Catholic priest to enter England | 1585 |
| Year when Francis Throckmorton was executed | 1583 |
| Year when the Ridolfi plot to overthrow Elizabeth was discovered | 1583 |
| Year when the fine for recusancy was increased to £20 per month | 1581 |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Elizabeth I's anti-Catholic legislation
Queen Elizabeth I inherited the throne from her half-sister, Mary I, in 1558. England was bitterly divided between Catholics and Protestants as a result of various religious changes initiated by previous monarchs. Elizabeth's religious views were Protestant, though "peculiarly conservative". She disliked married clergy, held Lutheran views on Eucharistic presence, and preferred the more ceremonial 1549 prayer book.
Elizabeth's government pursued an aggressive anti-Catholic policy after Pope Pius V officially excommunicated the queen in 1570. He declared her a heretic and announced that Catholics were no longer obliged to obey her as their queen. This, coupled with a failed rebellion in the north of England during which the rebels had Mass said in Durham Cathedral, led Elizabeth and her subjects to suspect Catholics of treason.
In 1559, Elizabeth's government passed new Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, making it compulsory to acknowledge the queen as the head of the Church and to attend Church of England services. The Act of Supremacy abolished the Pope's jurisdiction in England, and Elizabeth became the supreme governor of the Church of England. All clergy and royal office-holders were required to swear an Oath of Supremacy, with penalties for violating it including hanging and quartering. Attendance at Anglican services became obligatory—those who refused, whether Roman Catholics or Puritans, were fined and physically punished as recusants.
The Mass, the central act of Catholic worship, was condemned as idolatry and replaced with a Protestant communion service. Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist was no longer explained by the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation but by the Reformed teaching of Christ's spiritual presence. The veneration of religious images and relics were suppressed, and iconoclasm was sanctioned by the government.
Elizabeth's persecution of Catholic Jesuit missionaries led to many executions at Tyburn. Priests like Edmund Campion, who was hanged, drawn, and quartered, are considered martyrs by the Catholic Church. In 1585, it was enacted that to be a priest in England (unless ordained before the queen's accession) was to commit treason, and anyone aiding such a priest was also guilty of a capital crime. During Elizabeth's reign, about 183 Catholics were executed under the anti-Catholic legislation, and many more were imprisoned or exiled.
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Catholic priests executed
During Queen Elizabeth I's reign, Catholicism was effectively illegal. However, the Queen did try to accommodate Catholic beliefs in her religious settlement, allowing Catholics to go to church without feeling guilty or disloyal to their faith. Elizabeth did not seem to have been particularly anti-Catholic, as long as they did not cause trouble.
However, in 1570, Pope St. Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth, declaring her a heretic and releasing English Catholics from their allegiance to her. This, along with a failed rebellion in the north of England, led to Catholics being viewed as dangerous traitors. As a result, anti-Catholic legislation was passed, and many Catholics were executed, imprisoned, or exiled.
In 1585, it was enacted that being a priest in England (unless ordained before the queen's accession) was committing treason, and anyone harbouring such a priest was also guilty of a capital crime. St. Cuthbert Mayne became the first of 123 English Catholic priests to be martyred in 1577. Other notable priests executed include John Nelson, Thomas Sherwood, and Edmund Campion, who was tortured before being hanged.
It is important to note that Elizabeth did not desire to put people to death simply for their faith. She allowed Catholics to practice their religion as long as they were loyal to her and attended Church of England services. The harsher stance taken by her government was partly influenced by ministers zealously committed to the Protestant cause, as well as the heightened Catholic threat from Europe as her reign progressed.
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Catholic plots to overthrow Elizabeth
Elizabeth I's reign was marked by Catholic plots to overthrow her and reinstate Catholic rule in England. The Catholic Church's excommunication of Elizabeth in 1570 encouraged Catholics to oppose her. Here are some of the notable plots:
The Ridolfi Plot
Named after the Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi, who was at the centre of the plot. The plan was to secure an invasion of England by a Spanish general, leading to a Catholic uprising, freeing Mary, seizing Elizabeth, and installing Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. However, Elizabeth was warned of the plot by the Duke of Tuscany, and letters connecting the conspirators were intercepted.
The Babington Plot
The most notable plot, which aimed to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. This plot was also supported by foreign Catholic powers, such as Spain and France, who viewed Protestant England as a threat to their faith and influence.
The Throckmorton Plot
A plot involving Jesuits, who posed a threat to Elizabeth. However, this plot was considered to have a minimal impact.
The Jesuits and Edward Campion
The Jesuits, a Catholic religious order, posed a significant threat to Elizabeth. Edmund Campion, a former favourite at the Oxford royal court who converted to Catholicism, was captured, tortured, and executed for allegedly plotting against the queen. Campion's missionary work was seen as spreading Catholic influence in England.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots, was a central figure in many plots against Elizabeth due to her claim to the English throne and her Catholic faith. While Mary's involvement was active, it was not direct, as she did not intend to personally remove or kill Elizabeth. Instead, she was a financial backer of the plots and had connections with foreign powers, such as France and Spain, who supported her claim to the English throne.
Elizabeth's government viewed Catholicism and treason as intertwined, and the threat of Catholic plots against Elizabeth was mitigated by individuals like her spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and politicians like William Cecil, who advised her to make difficult decisions, such as the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, to prevent Catholic plots from becoming serious threats.
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Catholics' requests for freedom of worship
During her reign, Queen Elizabeth I's main goal was to secure her position as queen. She had to make a decision about the English Church—whether it should remain Catholic and obedient to Rome or become Protestant and independent of the Pope. She chose the latter, reinstating Protestantism as the country's official religion. Elizabeth's Religious Settlement required outward acceptance of the new church, but she did not persecute Catholics for their beliefs. She hoped Catholics would participate in Protestant worship, as the English church was based on the same biblical teachings as Catholicism. However, Catholics had no legal right to attend Mass or participate in traditional Catholic rites.
Elizabeth's decision to make the Church of England Protestant was influenced by her father, Henry VIII, who had rejected the authority of the Pope in the 1530s. Under Henry's heir, Edward VI, the English church became more strictly Protestant, eliminating many prayers and rituals that had been part of Catholic tradition. After Edward's death, his half-sister, Mary I, attempted to force England back to Catholicism, executing many Protestants. Elizabeth reversed these actions with a new Act of Supremacy, passed in 1559, along with an Act of Uniformity, which made worship in the Church of England compulsory.
The Act of Supremacy abolished the Pope's jurisdiction in England, making Elizabeth the supreme governor of the Church of England. All clergy and royal office-holders were required to swear an Oath of Supremacy, pledging allegiance to Elizabeth as the head of the Church. Those who refused to take the oath, including many Catholic bishops and priests, lost their jobs. Attendance at Anglican services became obligatory, and those who refused, including Catholics, were fined, imprisoned, and physically punished as recusants.
Despite Elizabeth's initial tolerance of Catholics, her attitude changed due to external events. In 1570, Pope Pius V officially excommunicated Elizabeth, declaring her a heretic and releasing English Catholics from their obligation to obey her. This, coupled with a failed Catholic rebellion in the north of England, led Elizabeth and her subjects to view Catholics as dangerous traitors. Elizabeth began persecuting Catholic Jesuit missionaries, leading to many executions. Priests like Edmund Campion, who was executed for treason, are considered martyrs by the Catholic Church.
The persecution of Catholics intensified under Elizabeth's successor, James I, particularly in Ireland, where land was seized from Catholics and given to Protestant settlers. Penal Laws established in the 1690s assured the Church of Ireland control of political, economic, and religious life, further cementing the power of the Anglican Ascendancy.
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Catholics' treason and punishment
During Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the Church of England was once again established as Protestant, with services in English, as it had been under her brother Edward VI. In 1559, her government passed new Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, making it compulsory to acknowledge the queen as the head of the Church and to attend Church of England services. This was a significant shift from the practices of her predecessor, Queen Mary I, who had persecuted Protestants during her short reign and worked to strengthen the Catholic Church's power in England.
Elizabeth's decision to establish the Church of England as Protestant led to tensions with Catholics, who disagreed with the new religious reforms. In 1569, the Revolt of the Northern Earls, led by Catholic earls, attempted to overthrow England's Protestant regime. This rebellion contributed to the perception that Catholicism was linked to treason. This perception was further strengthened when Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 and released a papal bull, Regnans in Excelsis, declaring her an illegitimate ruler and releasing her Catholic subjects from any obligation to obey her.
As a result of these events, Catholics in England became increasingly suspected of disloyalty and were targeted for persecution. Elizabeth's government passed laws making it treason for Catholics to practice their faith openly, and priests who continued to perform Mass were executed. It is estimated that around 183 Catholics were executed under the anti-Catholic legislation during Elizabeth's reign, with many more imprisoned or exiled.
The persecution of Catholics in Elizabethan England took several forms, including fines, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Attending Catholic Mass became a criminal act, punishable by fines and imprisonment. Recusants, or those who refused to attend official Church of England services, were targeted for persecution, and the nature of Catholicism in England changed. As older priests died out, Catholicism collapsed among the lower classes in certain regions, and without priests, these social classes drifted into the Church of England, leading to the forgetting of Catholic practices.
The link between Catholicism and treason was further emphasised by plots sponsored by Catholic powers in Europe, such as the Ridolfi plot, which aimed to overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholicism in England. These intrigues, coupled with the presence of Mary, Queen of Scots, as the Catholic heir presumptive, contributed to the perception that Catholics posed a threat to Elizabeth's rule and the stability of the realm.
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Frequently asked questions
Queen Elizabeth I executed Catholics because she believed them to be dangerous traitors. This was due to Pope St. Pius V excommunicating her and declaring her a heretic in 1570, which led to Catholics no longer recognizing her as their queen. Elizabeth also wanted to make her position as queen more secure, and she did not want to be overthrown and replaced with a Catholic ruler, as had been the case with her predecessor, Mary.
It is estimated that 183 Catholics were executed under anti-Catholic legislation during Queen Elizabeth I's reign.
Catholics were executed by hanging, drawing, and quartering.
Yes, Catholic priests were executed under Queen Elizabeth I. It is estimated that around 123 Catholic priests were martyred during her reign. Notable priests who were executed include St. Cuthbert Mayne, John Nelson, Thomas Sherwood, and Edmund Campion.
