William Cecil is most famous as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I.
When French troops arrived in Scotland in December 1559, Cecil became a strong advocate of sending English troops to assist the protestant uprising in Scotland. He overcame stiff opposition of around a third of the privy council to recommend 4500 men be sent to help the Scottish co-religionists. The previous summer he was against sending troops, seeing only financial aid as advantageous – his change in mind came as a result of fear of the French extinguishing protestantism in Scotland and invading England. Sadly for Cecil, Elizabeth disagreed on the question of sending troops and instead merely ordered the navy to blockade the Firth of Forth to prevent further French reinforcements. Cecil was so convinced that she was making a mistake he played the hand of threatening to resign in order to force Elizabeth to send a army.
