Rising of the North facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rising of the North
Date November 9, 1569 – January 21, 1570 Location Northern England Result Elizabethan victory Elizabeth's authority strengthened Aristocracy of the North weakened
Belligerents
Partisans of Mary, Queen of Scots Northern English Catholics	Elizabeth I of England English and Welsh Protestants Scottish Protestants
Commanders and leaders
Earl of Westmorland Earl of Northumberland  Countess of Westmorland Countess of Northumberland Aftermath: Leonard Dacre	Earl of Sussex Baron Clinton Earl of Warwick Aftermath: Baron Hunsdon
Strength
4,600	7,000

The Rising of the North in 1569 was a rebellion that didn't succeed. It's also known as the Revolt of the Northern Earls. This event was an attempt by powerful Catholic nobles in Northern England to remove Queen Elizabeth I of England from her throne. They wanted to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.

Why the Rebellion Happened

Elizabeth I became Queen of England in 1558. She took over after her half-sister, Mary I, died. Some people questioned if Elizabeth had the right to be queen. This was because of questions about her parents' marriage.

Before Elizabeth, King Henry VIII had started to shift power. He moved control from local areas to the royal government. Elizabeth's advisors, like William Cecil, also wanted to centralize power. This was especially true for the northern border regions.

Many people who didn't support Elizabeth looked to Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was a relative of Henry VIII. She believed she had a strong claim to the English throne. Mary was also a Catholic, which was important to many people.

A large part of the English population was Catholic at this time. They hoped Mary would become queen and bring back the Roman Catholic faith. This feeling was very strong in Northern England. Several powerful nobles there were Catholic. There had been similar uprisings against Henry VIII before, like the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536. Supporters of Mary hoped for help from other countries like France or Spain.

Mary's position became stronger when her son, James, was born in 1566. But she was removed from her throne in Scotland in 1567. After this, she fled to England. At the time of the Rising, Elizabeth had placed Mary under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

The Rebellion Begins

Brancepeth Castle, a gathering point for the rebels.

The main leaders of the rebellion were Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, and Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland. They gathered about 700 soldiers at Brancepeth Castle. In November 1569, Westmorland and Northumberland took control of Durham. A priest named Thomas Plumtree (shown on the right) held a Catholic Mass in Durham Cathedral.

From Durham, the rebels marched south. Queen Elizabeth found it difficult to gather enough soldiers to stop them. The rebels planned to attack York, but they heard that a large army was coming. This army was led by the Earl of Sussex.

So, the rebels changed their plans. They captured Barnard Castle instead. They continued to Clifford Moor but found that not many people supported their cause. The Earl of Sussex marched from York on December 13, 1569, with 10,000 men. The rebels had about 6,000. Another 12,000 men followed under Baron Clinton. The rebel earls then retreated north. Their forces eventually broke up, and they fled into Scotland.

Leonard Dacre's Actions

Leonard Dacre played a confusing role in the rebellion. He was an early supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots. When the rebellion started, he went to Elizabeth's court. He wanted to claim his nephew's inheritance.

Dacre then returned to Northern England. He pretended to be loyal to Queen Elizabeth. However, his true intentions were unclear. After the main rebels retreated, he took over Greystoke Castle. He also made his own Naworth Castle stronger. He gathered 3,000 soldiers from Cumbria. He tried to keep up the appearance of being friendly with the Queen.

Dacre resisted an attack by the royal army, led by Baron Hunsdon. But then, Dacre attacked Hunsdon's army as they were retreating at Gelt River. Even though Hunsdon had fewer men, his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) charged Dacre's foot soldiers. They killed 300–400 of Dacre's men and captured 200–300. Dacre managed to escape through Scotland to Brussels, where he later died.

What Happened Next

Some of the rebels escaped into Scotland. The Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, the two main leaders, had fled there. Northumberland was captured by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton. He was handed over to Elizabeth in 1572 and was executed in York.

Westmorland hid at Ferniehirst Castle before escaping to Flanders. He died there without money. His family lost their homes. His wife, Jane Howard, also fled. She lived the rest of her life under house arrest. Her brother, the Duke of Norfolk, was first put in prison, then pardoned. He was imprisoned again in 1571 for plotting against the Queen and was executed in 1572.

Queen Elizabeth declared strict rules and punished many ordinary people in the Yorkshire Dales. This happened even though most people didn't support the rebellion. Elizabeth demanded at least 700 executions. A person from that time said the victims were "wholly of the meanest sort of people." This meant they were mostly poor people. Almost every village saw a public hanging.

In 1570, Pope Pius V tried to help the rebellion. He announced that Elizabeth was no longer queen and removed her from the Church. This was done in a special document called a papal bull, Regnans in Excelsis. But this document arrived after the rebellion had already been stopped. This act gave Elizabeth more reasons to be suspicious of Catholics. It also led to more plots to harm her, like the Ridolfi plot.

In 1587, Elizabeth put Mary, Queen of Scots, on trial for disloyalty. Mary was found guilty and was executed.

See also

• Desmond Rebellions
• Prayer Book Rebellion
• Pilgrimage of Grace