On this day in Tudor history, 25th February 1570, Pope Pius V issued the papal bull “Regnans in Excelsis”. This bull not only excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I, it also freed her Catholic subjects from their allegiance to her and called on the English people to disobey her orders, mandates and laws. It threatened excommunication for those who did obey her.

 

It put Elizabeth I in danger and it put Catholics in an impossible situation.

 

Find out more about the bull and its impact in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in Tudor History".

 

Read the bull of excommunication at https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius05/p5regnans.htm 

 

Book recommendation - “God’s Traitors: Terror & Faith in Elizabethan England” by Jessie Childs.

 

You can find out more about the Ridolfi Plot in Claire's video - https://youtu.be/_7WjajdaFRw 

 

You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:

https://youtu.be/sS__T7HLURM

 

Also on this day in Tudor history, 25th February 1601, Elizabeth I's former favourite, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex was executed by beheading. Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/lQ0nFNgD74s