The Popish Plot (Paige Hill)
The Popish Plot took place in the summer of 1678. King
Charles II looked into some rumors made of a plot against his life, which then
would mean his Roman Catholic brother the Duke of York would be placed on the
throne by Jesuits. The rumors were given credit because Titus Oates, an
Anglican clergyman who faked converting to Catholicism, brought evidence before
the Privy Council. Oates made up false accusations about such figures as the Archbishop
of Dublin, and even servants of Queen Catherine. These accusations were seen to
be true because of letters written between the Duchess of York’s secretary and
French contacts. This was considered enough proof to validate Oates’s claims of
the plot. However, there was also a lot of tension within England at this time
which helped to further the hysteria around the plot because the Whigs
(puritans) along with Lord Shaftesbury were trying to get rid of the monarchy
through spreading hatred for the Catholics and France in particular. Panic and
hysteria would continue to rise because Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, the man who
took a sworn statement from Oates, was found dead, leading many people to
continue to think that the claims were legitimate. The hysteria and panic
produced by the allegations made would ultimately result in many Jesuits, Catholics,
going into hiding because tensions in England were so high. Jesuits were not
exactly safe. The first five Jesuits to be arrested were those who had given
Oates difficulty. And even though other Jesuits in order to save them would
attempt to show that Oates was lying about overhearing Jesuits plotting the
supposed attempt through showing that he had not been in London where the
supposed plotting had been. But they were not considered credible because they
were said to be “able to lie under oath” because as Catholics they could be
given exemption from the Law through “papal dispensation” (http://www.jesuit.org.uk).
Therefore, the first five Jesuits would lose their lives and be hanged at
Tyburn. Before the hysteria of the Popish Plot would die down, many innocent
people would lose their lives because of the false accusations. Eventually
Titus Oates would be found to have lied and the panic caused by his claims
would die.
Secondary Source: https://www.britannica.com/event/Popish-Plot
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