jul 5, 1678 - The Popish Plot

Description:

The Popish Plot was a conspiracy theory that emerged in England in 1678. It alleged that there was a secret Catholic plot to assassinate King Charles II and replace him with his Catholic brother, James, Duke of York. The plot was invented by a man named Titus Oates, who claimed to have information about the conspiracy from his time as a student at a Jesuit seminary in France.

The outcome of the plot eventually unraveled and Oates was exposed as a fraud, but not before causing significant damage to the reputation of Catholics in England and contributing to the passage of anti-Catholic legislation, such as the Test Act. The Popish Plot also played a role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the Catholic James II removed from the throne and replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange.

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