Hunting Rebels: A Virtual Tour of the Northern Rebellion of 1569
The Northern Rebellion of 1569 was a short but significant challenge to Queen Elizabeth I’s authority yet outside specialist scholarship it remains largely unknown. In our Game of Thrones addicted age it seems like a good time to reconsider this rebellion. After all the Northern Rebellion of 1569 is as dramatic as any popular television show; northern earls revolting against a London-based queen, fiery wives riding alongside rebel armies and a suitably grisly end of executions and exile are all found here.
The Hunting Rebels project aims to illuminate the Northern Rebellion using the remarkable collection of Elizabethan proclamations, warrants and pardons here in Special Collections at The University of Glasgow. Using MS Hunter 3 as its focus the project will present an online exhibition of manuscripts relating to the rebellion as well as ultimately creating a virtual tour of the events leading up to its outbreak and how the authorities attempted to prevent any lasting challenges to Elizabeth’s authority after its failure. These resources will be available on the permanent site huntingrebels.wordpress.com.
It is intended that the online exhibition will be accessible to users in various ways. Firstly the virtual tour will provide a broad overview of the Northern Rebellion, with its visual and audio tools. Moreover each manuscript will be presented alongside detailed transcripts and commentaries which will allow users the opportunity to delve deeper should they wish.
To find out more about the manuscript collections here at the University of Glasgow visit http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/specialcollections/ and visit huntingrebels.wordpress.com for updates on the project’s progress.
Jade Scott, first year PhD candidate in English Language
Jade's research examines the life of Lady Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland (1538-1596) using her surviving correspondence. Anne was the wife of Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland and leader of the Northern Rebellion of 1569. She rode with the rebel army and eventually became a prominent Catholic exile following the rebellion’s failure. My research considers Anne’s epistolary strategies throughout her changing status from rebel to negotiator and finally as an exile.