[MR] Wikipedia: The Ridolphi Plot

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

On this date in 1571, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk was topped for his
part in the Ridolfi plot, a scheme to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and for
Norfolk to wed Mary Queen of Scots. He is buried in the Tower of London's
Church of St. Peter ad Vincula, along with a number of other nobles
similarly deprived of their beans. By a curious, but grim, coincidence
Norfolk was beheaded on Queen Elizabeth's birthday, a rather nasty present
to herself. Norfolk was also her cousin, and at that time England's only
Duke.

Roberto Ridolfi was a Florentine banker whose commercial activities took
him all over Europe and made him a frequent guest in various courts. He was
also Pope Pius V's spy. It was he who hatched the rather improbable plot,
and shopped it around Europe looking for support. Cosimo I de' Medici,
Grand Duke of Tuscany, was apparently not impressed and tipped Elizabeth
off in a letter. From there the whole mess unraveled.

You can read more about the plot at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridolfi_plot .

Another plotter was John Leslie, Bishop of Ross. His is a name I had
encountered before in connection with his history of Scotland. I did not
know that he was Mary's most ardent supporter, and that he was in the
Ridollfi plot up to his neck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lesley .
You learn something new everyday.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆