Welcome back to Episode 2 of the Plantagenets,  we are picking up where we left off on The Ridolfi Plot & Related Family Connections.

If you have not tuned into Episode 1, please do! We start at the War of the Roses and go into the start of the Tudor Dynasty, bringing an end to the longest-standing War of the Roses, the last of the Plantagenet’s and more! In this episode, I go over The Ridolfi Plot, who was involved, the family affected around them, personal timelines, and more!

The Ridolfi Plot & Related Family Connections

The Ridolfi Plot (1571) was a major Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and place Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne in England, not just Scotland.

Why did they fight and sacrifice their lives for this?

Tune in, as I climb my family tree and tell you the timeline with a non-biased opinion to a point. I am from both sides directly. As I found this information and learned more about my ancestors and surrounding immediate family.

Masterminded by Roberto di Ridolfi, an Italian banker, the plot involved powerful nobles and international figures:

– Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (Elizabeth Grey’s son-in-law), was to marry Mary and become King. (My direct ancestors)
– The Pope and King Philip II of Spain supported the plan, which called for a Spanish invasion of England.
– The plot was uncovered by Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham; Norfolk was executed in 1572.

This plot directly involved descendants of Lady Elizabeth Grey (1515-1564), I am also direct from her; all in all, this completely ties most to one of the most famous treason cases of the Tudor period.

Primary Historical Links & Sources

– Wikipedia – Ridolfi Plot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridolfi_plot
– Wikipedia – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Howard,_4th_Duke_of_Norfolk
– Encyclopedia Britannica – Ridolfi Plot: https://www.britannica.com/event/Ridolfi-Plot
– Historic UK – The Ridolfi Plot:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Ridolfi-Plot/
– BBC Bitesize – Ridolfi Plot Summary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqgqt39/revision/4

It was one of the most serious plots against Elizabeth I, who is my 1st cousin 14x removed during her reign and is deeply tied to European Catholic efforts to restore Catholicism to England.


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🧨 My summary of the Ridolfi Plot:

👤 Who was involved?

Roberto di Ridolfi: A Florentine banker and devout Catholic living in London who masterminded the plot.

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk: England’s highest-ranking noble and a cousin to Queen Elizabeth I. He was secretly Catholic and engaged to Mary, Queen of Scots.

Mary, Queen of Scots: Imprisoned in England at the time, she was to be freed and placed on the English throne.

King Philip II of Spain: The plan relied on him to send 10,000 Spanish troops to support a Catholic uprising.

Pope Pius V: Approved of the plan, having already excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570.



— Once again:

🎯 The Goal

Overthrow Elizabeth I.

Free Mary, Queen of Scots.

To marry Mary to Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk.

Return England to Catholic rule under Mary and Norfolk with Spanish and papal backing.

(Both ancestors)



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🔎 What happened?

The plot was uncovered before it could unfold, thanks to Elizabeth’s formidable spy master, Sir William Cecil (another ancestor), and Sir Francis Walsingham.

Letters were intercepted and decoded.

Norfolk was arrested, tried for treason, and executed in 1572.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was spared at that time but placed under stricter confinement.

Ridolfi himself fled England and lived out his days in Italy.



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🏰 My personal connection to the Howard Family is here in The Timeline of Thomas Howard and Descendants.

My ancestor, Lady Elizabeth Grey’s daughter, Margaret Audley, married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, who was executed for his role in this plot.

1. Roberto di Ridolfi (1531–1612)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_di_Ridolfo
Britannica (Ridolfi Plot context): https://www.britannica.com/event/Ridolfi-Plot

2. Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1536–1572)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Howard,_4th_Duke_of_Norfolk
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Howard-4th-duke-of-Norfolk

3. Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-queen-of-Scotland

4. Pope Pius V (1504–1572)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_V
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Pius-V

5. King Philip II of Spain (1527–1598)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-II-king-of-Spain-and-Portugal

6. Sir Francis Walsingham (1532–1590)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Walsingham
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Walsingham

7. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (1520–1598)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cecil,_1st_Baron_Burghley
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Cecil-1st-Baron-Burghley

This is the end of the Ridolfi Plot. Now, we go more into The 600 Royal Descendants, more on Lady Jane Grey, known as the 9 Day Queen, Henry Grey, and into the Audley family, plus more, as I always love to open on one topic and go into the next episode starting the next. If you are interested in seeing where I fit into all of this personally as a direct descendant, the SS and timeline photos are in the photo slide below.

Some of my family history, many are unaware of, is the TRUE TUDOR Rose… what does that mean?

The “true” Tudor Rose—white with a red center—is the heraldic emblem created to symbolize the union of the Houses of York and Lancaster after the Wars of the Roses, but it’s not the version most people imagine.

Here’s the historical context and why the white-with-red-center form matters:

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Origins

House of Lancaster: Their badge was a red rose.

House of York: Their badge was a white rose.

After decades of civil war (1455–1487), Henry VII (Lancastrian) married Elizabeth of York in 1486, uniting the rival houses.

Henry VII adopted the Tudor Rose as the new royal badge to represent this political and dynastic union.

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The “True” Tudor Rose

While many modern depictions show the Tudor Rose as red with white inside, the version used in Henry VII’s reign and in much of Tudor-era heraldry was actually:

Outer petals: White (representing York)

Inner petals: Red (representing Lancaster)

Center: Often yellow “seed” or gold spot (heraldic convention)

This arrangement flipped the more familiar “red outer with white inner” seen today.
The white-outer, red-inner design symbolized York’s dominance in the marriage (since Elizabeth of York’s claim legitimized Henry’s reign) but still acknowledged the Lancastrian bloodline.

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Why It Changed

Later Tudor monarchs, especially Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, used both versions interchangeably in art, coins, and architecture.

Over time, the red-outer/white-inner arrangement became the most recognized form—likely because red was more visible and striking in stone carving and embroidery.

The “true” original white-outside form is still found on early Tudor buildings, manuscripts, and coins from Henry VII’s reign.

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Where You Can Still See It

Henry VII’s Chapel, Westminster Abbey – ceiling bosses and stained glass show the white-outer Tudor Rose.

Canterbury Cathedral – several roof bosses from the late 1400s.

The King’s College Chapel, Cambridge – carved roses in white-outer formation.

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Symbolic Meaning of White with Red Center

1. Peace after war – The uniting of two warring houses.

2. Dynastic legitimacy – York outside (Elizabeth’s strong claim), Lancaster inside (Henry’s claim).

3. Purity & passion – White for innocence, red for strength and sacrifice.

4. Spiritual allusion – Sometimes linked to the Virgin Mary in Tudor propaganda, reinforcing divine sanction of the union.

Your Host- Dawn Piercy, PhD, aka Mary Caulder Stewart