The Northern Rebellion of 1569

(The rebellion is also referred to as the Earl's rebellion.) The Duke of Norfolk was not executed for his part in the rebellion because there was not enough solid evidence to indicate his involvement. Instead he later became involved in the Ridolfi Plot to help release Mary Queen of Scots. He was arrested, found guilty of treason and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. Elizabeth denoted the sentence to beheading and he was executed in June 1572. Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland actually escaped after the failure of the rebellion and was not executed until a few years later in 1572. He had escaped to Scotland however the Scottish authorities handed him to over to the English authorities. In 1895 he was beautified by Pope Leo XIII. His younger brother succeeded him to the earldom. The number of people executed after the failure of the rising is debatable. The numbers vary between roughly 600-800 persons. Immediately after the failure of the rebellion Pope Pius V issued a Bull entitled 'Regnans in Excelsis'. Catholics were told not to recognise Elizabeth's ecclesiastical position, absolved them from allegiance towards her and therefore urged Catholics to reject her authority. Furthermore the bull announced her excommunication: 'Therefore, resting upon the authority of Him whose pleasure it was to place us (though unequal to such a burden) upon this supreme justice-seat, we do out of the fullness of our apostolic power declare the foresaid Elizabeth to be a heretic and favourer of heretics, and her adherents in the matters aforesaid to have incurred the sentence of excommunication and to be cut off from the unity of the body of Christ.'