Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument25 February 1570

Regnans in Excelsis

Pius V · 25 February 1570

A 1570 papal bull by Pope Pius V that excommunicated Elizabeth I and declared her subjects free from obedience to her.

This bull excommunicated Elizabeth and declared her an illegitimate ruler, directly challenging her authority as queen.

Ask Elizabeth I about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

Issued by Pope Pius V on 25 February 1570, this Latin papal bull excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I, calling her a heretic and 'pretended Queen of England', and released her subjects from loyalty to her. It followed a Catholic rebellion in the north of England and unrest in Ireland.

Why it matters

The bull turned Elizabeth's Protestant religious settlement into an international political struggle, making Catholic loyalty to her a matter of suspicion. It hardened the English government's treatment of Catholics and was later tied to plots against Elizabeth's life, showing how religion and politics were intertwined in her reign.

Look closer

  • Why might the Pope have waited eleven years after Elizabeth's accession to issue this bull?
  • What does the document reveal about how the papacy viewed its authority over rulers?
  • How might English Catholics have been caught between loyalty to their queen and their faith?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Elizabeth I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Elizabeth I sources

Meet the AI Elizabeth I →
Speech

Primary source

Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

Elizabeth I of England · 1588

Engraved print of a woman in elaborate Elizabethan dress with a large ruff collar, jeweled headdress, pearl necklace, and an orb and sceptre. Below is the inscription 'ELIZABETHA REGINA' and a Latin motto.Painting

Secondary source

Queen Elizabeth I of England by Isaac Oliver

Isaac Oliver · 1620

Full-length painting of a woman in an elaborate black and gold-embroidered gown with a huge white lace ruff and pearl-studded jewelry, holding a globe with one hand. A jeweled crown sits on a table at left; a golden mermaid figure at right. Background panels show sailing ships on a calm sea and a stormy scene of ships battling waves.Painting

Primary source

Armada Portrait

Unknown English artist · 1588

Engraving of the monument to Queen Elizabeth I in Westminster Abbey: a tall arched canopy with columns, coats of arms, and a recumbent effigy of the queen on a tomb chest with lion sculptures. Latin inscriptions and a title line run along the bottom.Painting

Secondary source

Monument to Queen Elizabeth I in Westminster Abbey

Hubert Francois Bourguignon d'Anville Gravelot

Engraving of Queen Elizabeth I in a high, jeweled crown and a large lace ruff, holding a sceptre in her right hand and an orb in her left. She wears an ornate, pearl-studded gown. A dark oval frame surrounds her head and shoulders. Latin inscription below reads 'Elizabetha Regina' and two lines of Latin text.Painting

Secondary source

Queen Elizabeth I in parliamentary robes

Isaac Oliver · 1600-1699

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Elizabeth I now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions