Rachel Evans
Elizabeth I's reign as Queen of England lasted 45 years, from 1558 to 1603. During this time, she gained a reputation for persecuting Catholics who did not accept the laws that established her as both a secular and spiritual ruler. While some sources claim that she executed 512 Catholics, others argue that this number is too high, with one source placing the number at 183, or four per year. These executions were not for heresy or for expressing religious opinions, but for treason, as the priests were sent to England to conspire against the Queen.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Catholics executed during Elizabeth's reign | 183 (including 123 Jesuits) or 150 (if only counting priests) |
| Number of Catholics imprisoned or exiled | Many |
| Reason for executions | Treason, not heresy or religious opinions |
| Number of executions per year | 4 |
| Years of reign | 45 |
| Years before condemning anyone to capital punishment | 10 |
| Jesuits first executed | 1581 |
| Year priests given 40 days to leave England or be executed | 1585 |
| Year anti-Catholic legislation enacted | 1585 |
| Year Catholicism became more of a threat | After the first decade of Elizabeth's reign |
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What You'll Learn
Jesuits executed: around 123
During Queen Elizabeth I's reign, approximately 183 Catholics were executed under anti-Catholic legislation. While Elizabeth did not seem to be particularly anti-Catholic, so long as Catholics did not cause any trouble, the presence of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England strengthened the link between Catholicism and treason in the minds of Elizabeth's government.
In 1563, parliament passed stricter laws against Catholics, which included the death penalty for saying mass. However, Elizabeth ensured that this was not implemented until 1577. As Catholicism became more of a threat, surveillance and arrests of English Catholics increased, particularly after the Throckmorton and Babington plots.
Jesuit priests began arriving in England in 1580 and were seen as a significant threat. In 1581, the first Jesuits were executed, and by 1585, it became treason for a Catholic priest to enter the country. Overall, around 123 Jesuit priests were executed during Elizabeth's reign, with many more imprisoned. These priests were often dependent on wealthy Catholic families for shelter and bore the brunt of the Catholic persecution.
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Total executed: 183 or 187
During her 45-year reign, Queen Elizabeth I executed 183 Catholics, according to one source. Another source puts the number at 187. However, it is important to note that none of these individuals were executed for "heresy" or expressing their religious opinions. Instead, they were accused and convicted of treason for violating laws that made the Queen the spiritual ruler of the Church of England.
Elizabeth's predecessor, Mary, had burned Protestants she considered heretics at the stake. In contrast, Elizabeth's early reign was marked by religious tolerance. During the first decade of her rule, there was no death sentence in England, and she blocked attempts to increase punishments for recusancy (Catholics refusing to attend Church of England services).
However, as international relations with Catholic countries like Spain deteriorated and plots to overthrow Elizabeth emerged, fear of Catholics in England intensified. In 1585, an act was passed that made it treason for anyone to be a priest in England unless they had been ordained before Elizabeth's accession. This act also made it a capital crime to aid such priests. The same year, another law gave Catholic priests 40 days to leave England or face execution.
As a result of these laws, nearly 150 Catholic priests were executed during Elizabeth's reign, though most were simply imprisoned. Overall, the number of Catholics executed under Elizabeth I was relatively low, averaging about four per year of her reign.
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Executed for treason, not heresy
During her 45-year reign, Queen Elizabeth I executed nearly 150 Catholic priests, with some sources stating the number to be 183 or even 512. However, it is important to note that these individuals were not put to death for heresy or for expressing their religious opinions. Instead, they were executed for treason, specifically for conspiring against the Queen, inciting rebellion, and plotting her assassination.
In 1585, an act of parliament made it treason for Catholic priests to remain in England, giving them 40 days to leave or face execution. This was part of a series of laws passed during Elizabeth's reign that made Catholicism more of a threat, such as the abolition of the Mass and the imposition of the English language Book of Common Prayer liturgy in 1559. While Elizabeth blocked attempts to increase punishments for recusancy (Catholics refusing to attend Church of England services), surveillance and arrests of English Catholics increased after the Throckmorton and Babington plots in the 1580s.
The first Jesuits were executed in 1581, and most of those put to death were imprisoned in a specially built jail. Elizabeth's persecution of Catholics was tied to the political and international situation at the time, particularly the presence of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England, who was seen as a rival claimant to the throne and was involved in several plots to overthrow Elizabeth. The threat was heightened by worsening Anglo-Spanish relations and the arrival of Jesuit priests from the continent, who were seen as more fanatical and threatening.
While Elizabeth did not execute Catholics for heresy, her predecessor, Mary, burned 300 Protestants at the stake for this reason during her five-year reign. In contrast, Elizabeth's England had no laws against heresy, no ecclesiastical courts judging people's faith, and no public ceremonies for burning heretics.
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Anti-Catholic legislation
Elizabeth I's reign saw the passage of several anti-Catholic laws, which led to the execution of many Catholics. While some sources claim that around 500 Catholics were executed, others argue that this number was much lower, with one source placing it at 183. Many more were imprisoned or exiled.
In 1559, the English House of Lords passed a bill that abolished papal supremacy over the Christian church in England and established the English monarch as its head. This was accompanied by another bill that abolished the Mass and imposed an English-language Book of Common Prayer liturgy. Refusing to take an oath of belief in royal supremacy over the church became a crime punishable by removal from public office and a bar from holding any office in the future. Defending papal authority became punishable by the loss of all benefices and imprisonment for the first offence, and by death for the second.
As anti-Catholic sentiment grew in the late 1570s, surveillance and arrests of English Catholics increased, particularly after the Throckmorton (1583) and Babington (1586) plots. In 1581, the first Jesuits were executed, and in 1585, a new law gave Catholic priests 40 days to leave England or face execution. This law also made it a capital offence to be a priest in England unless ordained before the queen's accession, and anyone aiding such a priest was guilty of a capital crime.
While some attribute these executions solely to religious intolerance, others argue that they were largely motivated by political concerns. The plots to assassinate Elizabeth I and overthrow her reign, often involving Catholic figures like Mary, Queen of Scots, and supported by the Pope, heightened fears of Catholics in England. Elizabeth's England had no laws against heresy and no ecclesiastical courts judging people's faith. Instead, Catholics were punished for treason, with violations of the laws passed during her reign considered acts of treason.
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Catholic priests: 150 executed
Elizabeth I's reign saw heightened fear and persecution of Catholics in England. This was due in part to worsening Anglo-Spanish relations and continued plotting around Mary, Queen of Scots, who was seen as a threat to Elizabeth's rule. During this time, Jesuit priests began arriving in England, seen as more fanatical and threatening than previous Catholic clergy.
In 1585, an act of parliament was passed that made it treason for Catholic priests to remain in England, giving them 40 days to leave the country or face execution. This law, along with increased surveillance and arrests, led to the execution of nearly 150 Catholic priests under Elizabeth I's rule. Most of the priests who were not executed were imprisoned in a specially built jail.
The exact number of Catholic priests executed during Elizabeth's reign is unclear, with some sources claiming 123 Jesuit missionaries were among the total of 187 executions during her 45-year reign, or four individuals per year. Other sources claim that 183 Catholics were executed under anti-Catholic legislation during this period, while one source puts the number at 512 Catholic martyrs.
It is important to note that Elizabeth I did not initially impose strict punishments for recusancy (Catholics refusing to attend Church of England services). However, as the political situation evolved, so too did the severity of the laws against Catholics. By 1563, parliament had passed stricter laws, including the death penalty for saying mass and failure to take the oath of supremacy a second time.
The persecution of Catholics under Elizabeth I has been a subject of historical debate, with some arguing that she was not a religiously intolerant queen. It has been suggested that the Catholics who were executed were targeted for acts of treason, such as conspiring to overthrow the queen, rather than purely for their religious convictions.
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Frequently asked questions
It is estimated that 183 Catholics were executed under anti-Catholic legislation during Elizabeth I's reign.
No, Elizabeth I also persecuted other minorities, encouraged the systematic pillaging of foreigners' property, and suppressed dissent.
Elizabeth I's main aim was to secure her position as queen. As a divine-right queen, she had a sworn duty to maintain the "one true faith". In 1570, Pope St. Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth, releasing English Catholics from their allegiance to her. This led to Catholics being viewed as dangerous traitors rather than simply disobedient in religion.
Catholics who refused to attend the Church of England were fined, imprisoned, or exiled. Catholic priests were also executed.
Yes, there were several plots against Queen Elizabeth I by Catholics, including the Ridolfi plot, which aimed to overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholicism in England.
