Pope excommunicates Elizabeth

On February 25, 1570, Pope Pius V issued the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis, formally excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I from the Roman Catholic Church. The bull declared Elizabeth a heretic and referred to her as the “pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime.” It also released her Catholic subjects from any allegiance to her and threatened excommunication for anyone who obeyed her laws or supported her rule. This act was a direct response to Elizabeth’s Protestant reforms and her refusal to recognize papal authority, which had been reestablished briefly under her Catholic predecessor, Mary I. The excommunication had profound political and religious consequences. It intensified anti-Catholic sentiment in England and made Elizabeth a target for Catholic plots, including the Ridolfi Plot and later the Babington Plot. Ironically, instead of weakening her position, the bull helped consolidate Elizabeth’s authority and rally Protestant support around her. Many English Catholics, fearing charges of treason, reaffirmed their loyalty to the queen. The papal decree also deepened the divide between England and Catholic Europe, setting the stage for future conflicts like the Spanish Armada.