The year 1568 was a turning point for Elizabeth because her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, arrived in England. She had been overthrown by the Scottish lords and wanted Elizabeth to help her regain her throne. Mary's presence in England was a problem for Elizabeth because Mary was Catholic and Elizabeth had no children, so she was her heir. This meant that Mary became a focus for Catholic plots to kill Elizabeth in the hope that Mary would become queen.

In 1569, Elizabeth faced the Northern Rebellion. The Northern Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, together with the Duke of Norfolk, wanted to replace Elizabeth with Mary Queen of Scots and marry her to the Duke of Norfolk.

Causes of the Northern Rebellion:

Religion - the nobility in the North tended to be more Catholic and wanted to make England Catholic again.
Ambition - Elizabeth would not allow the Duke of Norfolk to marry Mary.
Politics - Elizabeth and the Privy Council interfered in the affairs of the North much more than previous Kings and Queens had done.

The rebels raised an army of nearly 5,000 men and started to march south. Eventually one of Elizabeth's loyal nobles gathered an army and the rebels retreated. About 600 rebels were executed, including the Earl of Northumberland. The Duke of Norfolk, however, was just imprisoned and then later released.

In 1570 the Pope issued a papal bull (an official decree) that excommunicated Elizabeth. This meant that Catholics were encouraged to overthrow her and this led to a number of plots.

As a result of these three events, Elizabeth could no longer be as tolerant of Catholics as she had been at the start of her reign and she began to see them as a serious threat.

GCSE Elizabethan England 1568-1603 AQA

The Crisis of 1568-1570