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Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, faced an array of religious and political challenges throughout her reign. One of the most defining moments in her rule came in 1570 when Pope Pius V issued the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis, formally excommunicating her from the Catholic Church. This act, while largely symbolic, had profound repercussions for England’s relationship with Rome and the broader European powers.
The primary reason for Elizabeth’s excommunication was her firm establishment of Protestantism in England. Upon ascending to the throne in 1558, she reversed the Catholic resurgence initiated by her half-sister, Mary I, and reinstated the Anglican Church through the Act of Supremacy (1559). This act reaffirmed the English monarch as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, directly rejecting papal authority. Furthermore, the Act of Uniformity (1559) mandated the use of the Book of Common Prayer, eliminating Catholic practices from the English liturgy.
From the Vatican’s perspective, Elizabeth was a heretic who had usurped the throne from the rightful Catholic heir, Mary, Queen of Scots. Rome and Catholic monarchs across Europe had long viewed her rule as illegitimate, considering her a Protestant bastard due to the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The final straw came when Elizabeth continued to enforce anti-Catholic measures, making it increasingly dangerous for Catholic subjects to practice their faith in England.
In this blog post, the excommunication of Elizabeth and her people will be explored in order to understand the impacts of it on England’s history.
Excommunication!
The excommunication of Elizabeth I did not happen in a vacuum—it was the culmination of years of tension between the English Crown and the papacy. During the early years of Elizabeth’s reign, the Pope had been cautious, hoping that she might either return to Catholicism or at least maintain a level of tolerance toward English Catholics. However, by the late 1560s, it became clear that Elizabeth was committed to Protestantism, prompting the papacy to take decisive action.
Pope Pius V, a staunch supporter of Catholic orthodoxy and an advocate of the Counter-Reformation, saw Elizabeth’s rule as a direct affront to the Church. In 1569, the Northern Rebellion—led by Catholic nobles aiming to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots—demonstrated that Catholic resistance in England was strong, though ultimately unsuccessful. Additionally, Philip II of Spain, a Catholic monarch and former consort of Mary I, was growing increasingly hostile toward England’s Protestant direction.
On February 25, 1570, Pope Pius V issued Regnans in Excelsis, a papal bull declaring Elizabeth I a heretic and absolving her subjects of any allegiance to her. The document not only excommunicated her but also encouraged Catholic rulers and individuals both at home and abroad to take action against her rule. This was particularly dangerous for Elizabeth, as it provided justification for Catholic powers to conspire against her and legitimized plots for her assassination or deposition.
The excommunication had an immediate impact on English Catholics, many of whom were now placed in an impossible situation. They had to choose between loyalty to their queen or adherence to the pope and the catholic faith. The tolerance Elizabeth had shown was not met by Rome, and in fact dramatically escalated tensions between political world powers and the people of England. For Elizabeth’s government in particular though, this bull signalled the beginning of intensified persecution of Catholics, as the Crown now viewed them as potential traitors.
Excommunication – what now?!
Elizabeth’s excommunication had far-reaching consequences for both her rule and the people of England. First and foremost, it escalated tensions between Protestant England Catholic England, and Catholic Europe, making England a primary target for Catholic plot. Spain, already at odds with England due to maritime piracy conflicts and Elizabeth’s support for Protestant rebels in the Netherlands, found additional justification for its enmity. This hostility would culminate in the Spanish Armada’s attempted invasion in 1588, an event directly linked to the papal bull that encouraged Catholic rulers to overthrow Elizabeth.
Domestically, the excommunication deepened the Crown’s suspicion of its Catholic subjects. Before 1570, Elizabeth had taken a relatively moderate approach toward religious dissent, preferring conformity over outright persecution. However, the papal bull forced her hand and her government into a more aggressive stance. English Catholics were increasingly seen as a fifth column—a group that could be activated by foreign Catholic forces to destabilize the country.
In response, Elizabeth’s administration enacted harsher penal laws against Catholics. Recusants—those who refused to attend Anglican services—were fined heavily, and Catholic priests found operating in England were executed for treason. Jesuit missionaries, who sought to keep Catholicism alive in England, were particularly targeted, with figures such as Edmund Campion becoming martyrs to the cause. The excommunication thus served to solidify Protestant rule in England, as practicing Catholicism became synonymous with political disloyalty.
For the English people, the bull created a climate of fear and division. Catholic families faced increasing pressure to outwardly conform to Protestant practices while secretly maintaining their faith. The period also saw the rise of priest holes—hidden chambers in Catholic homes used to shelter priests during government searches (although they were also used during the reign of Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII). Many Catholics emigrated or went underground, leading to a decline in public Catholic worship in England for centuries.
Despite the papal decree, the excommunication did not significantly weaken Elizabeth’s authority. If anything, it reinforced her position. Surprisingly, many Englishmen, even those of Catholic persuasion, chose national loyalty over religious allegiance to Rome. The excommunication alienated moderate Catholics who might have otherwise sought reconciliation between England and the Church. It also provided Elizabeth with justification for her strict measures against Catholic conspiracies, such as the Babington Plot (1586), which ultimately led to Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution. In short, in many ways it did her a favour.
Pope Pius V’s excommunication of Elizabeth I was a momentous event that shaped the course of English and European history. While intended to weaken her rule, it ultimately strengthened her position by allowing her to paint Catholic dissenters as traitors and solidify Protestant dominance in England.
The excommunication also exacerbated tensions between England and Catholic Europe, playing a role in the conflicts that would define the Elizabethan era, including the war with Spain and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. It further entrenched religious divisions, leading to increased persecution of Catholics and reinforcing England’s trajectory as a Protestant nation.
Despite Rome’s efforts, Elizabeth remained firmly in power, ruling until 1603. Her legacy as a Protestant queen who successfully defended England from Catholic threats was cemented, and the effects of Regnans in Excelsis continued to influence English policies toward Catholics for generations.
Ultimately, Elizabeth’s excommunication was not just a religious decree—it was a political manoeuvre that had lasting implications, shaping England’s national identity and its relationship with the Catholic world for centuries to come.
Resources:
Doran, Susan. Elizabeth I and Religion, 1558-1603. Routledge, 1994.
Haigh, Christopher. Elizabeth I. Longman, 1998.
MacCaffrey, Wallace. Elizabeth I. Edward Arnold, 1993.
Guy, John. Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004.
Loades, David. Elizabeth I: The Golden Reign of Gloriana. The National Archives, 2003.
Brigden, Susan. New Worlds, Lost Worlds: The Rule of the Tudors, 1485-1603. Viking, 2000.
Elton, G.R. England Under the Tudors. Routledge, 1991.
Papal Bull Regnans in Excelsis (1570)
The Act of Supremacy (1559)
The Act of Uniformity (1559)
Green, Mary Anne Everett, ed. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1558-1603. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1856.
Haynes, Samuel, ed. A Collection of State Papers Relating to Affairs in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, from the Year 1571 to 1596, Transcribed from the Original Papers. London: William Bowyer, 1740.
Murdin, William, ed. A Collection of State Papers Relating to Affairs in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, from 1572 to 1585. London: William Bowyer, 1759.
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