Thursday, August 31, 2017

Paige on the Popish Plot (1678)




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. 



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