Babington Plot
Videos
The Babington Plot was a plan in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, her Catholic cousin, on the English throne. It led to Mary's execution, a result of
Walsingham's "Decypherer" forged this cipher postscript to Mary's letter to Babington. It asks Babington to use the – broken – cipher to tell her the names of the conspirators.
Mary in captivity, c. 1578
Sir Francis Walsingham
The cipher code of Mary, Queen of Scots
Anthony Babington
Videos
Anthony Babington was an English gentleman convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, for which he was hanged, drawn and
Babington Plot
…spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and used to entrap Mary for the purpose of removing her as a claimant to the English throne. The chief conspirators were Anthony Babington and John Ballard. Babington, a young recusant, was recruited by Ballard, a Jesuit priest who hoped to rescue the Scottish queen. Working for Walsingham…
Portrait of a young gentleman said to be Anthony Babington