Ridolfi Plot

The Ridolfi Plot that took place in 1572 was an effort to assassinate Elizabeth I of England and replace her on the English throne with Mary, Queen of Scots. The other goals of the scheme were to restore Catholic rule in England and instill greater power in the English nobility. It was coordinated and financed by the international banker Roberto Ridolfi and lead by Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk. The plot ultimately failed because of informers and an unwillingness of foreign powers to commit to the scheme.

Mary, Queen of Scots, had been overthrown and fled into exile in England, were she was imprisoned, in 1567. From the moment of her arrival she was the center of plots and intrigues directed at displacing Queen Elizabeth I and England's ruling Protestant party. She was the best hope for restoring the Catholic faith to England. She was supported by many, including Pope Pius V, in her goal to ascend the English throne.

Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk and the wealthiest landowner in England, craved personal power and chafed at the limitations Queen Elizabeth imposed on him and the rest of the English nobility. He also wanted to restore the Catholic faith to England. He had been a prime mover in the failed Northern Rebellion in 1569. This led to his being placed under house arrest after he had spent nine months in the Tower of London. However, he still pursued his goals of regime and religious change.

The plan was threefold as planned by Ridolfi and Norfolk. The Spanish general in the Netherlands, the Duke of Alba, would invade England with a force 10,000 strong. Upon Alba's arrival, a rising of the English Catholics would take place. Norfolk optimistically thought he could raise an army of almost 40,000 troops. With the combination of foreign intervention and domestic rebellion, Mary, Queen of Scots, would be freed and marry Norfolk and they would ascend the throne of England as joint sovereigns, after Queen Elizabeth had been deposed.

However, the plot came to failure because of informers and an unwillingness of foreign powers to commit to the project. The Duke of Alba ultimately refused to go along with the scheme because of Mary's sympathy towards Spain's great rival France. Spain's ambassador to England, one of the conspirators, unwittingly gave details of the plot to one of Queen Elizabeth's advisors. Also, the Duke of Tuscany, whom had approached for support, sent warnings to Elizabeth and her advisors. Then, Charles Baillie, one of the conspirator's couriers, was arrested and discovered with incriminating documents. Under torture Baillie reviled the plot's details.

This combination of events led to Norfolk's arrest and execution. Also, the Spanish ambassador was expelled from England for his part in the plot. Mary escaped execution because Elizabeth felt morally against executing a fellow member of the royal club. However, the former Scottish queen was placed under tighter restrictions and Mary would die years later when she became involved in the Babington Plot, another effort to overthrow Elizabeth.