Roberto Ridolfi (or di Ridolfo) (18 November 1531 – 18 February 1612) was an Italian and
Florentine nobleman and
conspirator.
Biography
Ridolfi belonged to a famous family of
Florence, where he was born. As a banker he had business connections with
England, and about 1555 he settled in
London, where he soon became a person of some importance, consorting with
William Cecil and other prominent men. In Trinity term 1564 he was recorded as "Robertus Ridolphy, of London, merchant stranger" in a case in Common Pleas.
During the early years of
Elizabeth's reign he began to take a more active part in politics, associating with the discontented
Roman Catholics in England and communicating with their friends abroad. In 1570, he set to work on a plot against
Elizabeth I which usually bears his name: the
Ridolfi plot.
His intention was to marry
Mary, Queen of Scots, to the
Duke of Norfolk and to place her on the English throne. With the aid of
John Lesley
John Lesley (or Leslie) (29 September 1527 – 31 May 1596) was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch.
Early career
He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, where he ...
,
bishop of
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
, he gained the consent of these high personages to the conspiracy, and then in 1571 he visited the
Duke of Alva at
Brussels,
Pope Pius V at
Rome, and
Philip II at
Madrid to explain to them his scheme and to gain their assistance.
However, his messenger to Lesley,
Charles Baillie (1542–1625), was seized at
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
and revealed the existence of the plot under torture. Consequently, Norfolk and Lesley were arrested, the former being condemned to death in January 1572. Ridolfi, who was then in
Paris, could do nothing when he heard the news that his scheme had collapsed. Afterwards he served the
Pope, but much of his later life was spent in Florence, where he became a
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, and where he died on 18 February 1612.
In the
CW series, ''
Reign'', Archbishop Ridolfi is thought to be Roberto di Ridolfi.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridolfi, Roberto di
Italian politicians
1531 births
1612 deaths