Danger to Elizabeth: The Catholics Under Elizabeth I

by Alison Plowden

Elizabeth I is perhaps England’s most famous monarch. Born in 1533, the product of the doomed marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was heir to her father’s title, then disinherited and finally imprisoned by her half sister Mary. But in 1558, on Mary’s death, she ascended the throne and reigned for forty-five years. Respected by her subjects and idolised by future generations, Gloriana’s fierce devotion to her country and its people truly made her England’s fairest queen and icon. In the wake of the Reformation Europe lay deeply divided by religion. This, the second volume of Alison Plowden’s acclaimed Elizabethan quartet, charts the dramatic and multi-faceted struggle between Elizabeth and the Catholics of England and the rest of Europe who, denouncing the queen as a heretic, a bastard and a usurper, threatened to overthrow her and re-establish the supremacy of Rome in all Christendom.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, Religion, British Literature, Biography, 16th Century

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some useful information in this, but overall it didn't feel like a book titled "Danger to Elizabeth" but "The Early Years of The Catholic Mission in England." Most of the book was concerned with specific priests and their personalities and histories. It wasn't that that itself wasn't interesting, but I sort of was looking for more plotting. The Babington Plot gets maybe two pages, the Throckmorton Plot less, and the Ridolfi Plot gets almost nothing. So I would have to say that the title of this was very misleading.

I was also a little bewildered by the tone seeming to be extremely sympathetic to the Catholics, but the author mentioning "Catholic historians" as separate from herself. At times it felt like the author really only wanted to write about the lives of certain priests and their great qualities. Elizabeth herself was also praised, making it all a little odd in tone.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I studied history up until the age of 18 and the Tudor era was featured heavily in our exams. Oh, how I wish the text books we'd be given to work from had read like this. The author has a great style that make sit feel more like reading a novel than a history text - occasionally, she gets a bit carried away with her quoting (they can go on for a while), but you can sort of understand it. There's nothing like reading someone's own words to get a feel of the time and the attitudes of the day. As a modern reader, it's hard to grasp just how much religion and politics were interwoven into the lives of the people shaping this country, and how hard they thought they had to fight to keep the way of life they wanted. A very interesting read.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Alison Plowden.

This one looks closely at the infiltration of England by Roman Catholic priests, both those from the English seminary at Douai, and the Jesuits.

Ms Plowden is even handed with an emotive subject. Looking at how Roman Catholicism became linked to treason, and the very real danger it proposed to Elizabeth and her realm.

Originally published in 1973, "Danger to Elizabeth" has been reprinted several times, so it may not be too difficult to obtain a copy if interested.

Highly recommended.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danger to Elizabeth is the second volume in Alison Plowden’s engrossing quartet about Elizabeth the First’s life and times. In this book, Danger, she examines the threats that Elizabeth personally faced as well as those that beset the kingdom during her reign, all of which arose from the religious schism that divided England, particularly in the years before the defeat of the Spanish Aramda in 1588.
The main focus of the book is the principal plots around which the menace to Elizabeth’s person, such as the Ridolfi, Throgmorton and Babington ones and the "influx" of Jesuits and Catholics into England. Plowden documents the various threats to Elizabeth posed by the Catholic Church, the Catholic countries that surround England and their advances into the Low Countries, the Enterprise of conversion (or “harvesting”) of English souls, all conducted with the blessing of the “Bishop of Rome” and who were led by William Allen, Edmund Campion and Robert Parsons determined to succour recusants and rescue Protestant souls. It also takes into account the Papal Bulls issued from Rome that essentially gave permission for English Catholics to not only renounce Elizabeth as their monarch, but do harm upon her person, including role that Mary, Queen of Scots played in these threats to her and the throne of England. While describing these various perils and their outcomes, it also explores Elizabeth the queen and woman. Plowed also documented the invaluable role Sir Francis Walsingham, her Secretary of State from 1573 until his death in 1590, played, with his network of agents and spies in unravelling these plots. The book is a great read, written in a wonderfuly detailed style. I really enjoyed it and learned an immense amount.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deeply researched and well written, but it’s more a story of those around Elizabeth than the queen herself.

[Karen Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danger to Elizabeth is the second volume in Alison Plowden’s engrossing quartet about Elizabeth the First’s life and times. In this book, Danger, she examines the threats that Elizabeth personally faced as well as those that beset the kingdom during her reign, all of which arose from the religious schism that divided England, particularly in the years before the defeat of the Spanish Aramda in 1588.

While the main focus of the book is the principal plots around which the menace to Elizabeth’s person coalesced, such as the Ridolfi, Throgmorton and Babington ones and the "influx" of Jesuits and Catholics into England determined to succour recusants and rescue Protestant souls, it also takes into account the Papal Bulls issued from Rome that fundamentally gave permission for English Catholics to not only renounce Elizabeth as their monarch, but do harm upon her person. While describing these various perils and their outcomes, it also explores Elizabeth the queen and woman.

After reading Alison Weir’s historical novel, The Marriage Game (and enjoying it very much, even if I didn’t like the portrait it painted of Elizabeth), it was refreshing to read the queen’s tergiversations and choices around marriage and policy (especially with Mary, Queen of Scots), in the terms Plowden describes them. On page 37, she writes:

Elizabeth was very well aware of her value in the international marriage market and zestfully exploited the advantages attached to being the most eligible spinster in Europe, turning the apparent disability of her sex into a diplomatic weapon which for the next twenty years she was to wield with deliberate, ruthless feminine guile.

There is no doubt this powerful and intelligent woman, whom Sir Francis Walsingham, her Secretary of State from 1573 until his death in 1590, once described as the “best catch in the parish”, understood her value and, despite some evidence and arguments to the contrary, knew her mind – even when it appeared she did not.
Plowden charts the various threats to Elizabeth posed by the Catholic Church, the Catholic countries that surround England and their advances into the Low Countries, the Enterprise of conversion (or “harvesting”) of English souls, all conducted with the blessing of the “Bishop of Rome” and who were led by William Allen, Edmund Campion and Robert Parsons. Written in wonderful, colourful and detailed prose that makes what can sometimes be dense detail easy to absorb, this book is a great read. There were times when it felt like I was reading a picaresque novel, so fast and exciting was the action. I also found, after devouring many, many books on these threats, plots and their consequences, that Plowden’s book fills in many gaps the others either skimmed over or did not bother to elucidate. Having said that, I did wonder if I hadn’t read so many other books on this era, would I have gleaned as much as I did from Plowden’s book. I also wonder if some knowledge of events and personages helped me draw from this book what I needed, meaning I’m not persuaded it would be a good book for beginners wanting to learn about the era and the dangers Elizabeth and her realm faced.
That said, it is the second volume in a four-book series, a series I will now look forward to completing very much.
Highly recommended for lovers of history and Elizabethan politics in particular.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book details the efforts of Elizabeth I of England to reconcile her wish for England to be a Protestant country against the machinations of the English Catholics to worship as they wanted. There was much at stake, as the English Catholics had the support of the powerful rulers in France and Philip of Spain as well as the Pope. There were missionaries sent into England to support the Catholic faith, many of whom were trained by English priests abroad. To complicate matters, Elizabeth had also to deal with Mary Queen of Scots who provided a focus of discontent.

The book is interesting and well-researched - it uses many primary sources. It is possibly too detailed for someone who has only a passing interest in that period of history.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up thinking it was a novel. At times it became a bit tedious but the information was interesting. This is a period of history I'm not familiar with. I found it especially fascinating as I realized my ancestors were involved on most sides of the issues of Protestantism and Catholicism.

I would suggest it to anybody interested in the Elizabethan era and the history of religion.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow...I usually devour any Tudor-related book, but this was really hard to get through. Very dry! I skipped a number of pages just so I could get to the end. Yikes. This is going in the "book sale donation" pile, not on my bookshelf with the other Tudor gems

[Tony Bertram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing.... gets bogged down in too detailed description of various Catholic conspirators... so while the book may be called Danger to Elizabeth there is precious little about Elizabeth in the last third of the book

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really impressed so far - I can see why Plowden is so highly regarded. She writes very well indeed, and is clear and concise.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared with other histories of Elizabeth this didn't capture me as much.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it but am a hopeless Anglophile....and Tudor aficionado....not a light read.

[Elizabeth Wooley]

Rich in details still reading.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research, and told with a good understanding of the Queen herself, her character and her motives