Popish Plot (1678) was a fictional Roman Catholic conspiracy in England. It was invented by Titus Oates. Oates spread a rumor that there was a Jesuit plot to assassinate King Charles II and replace him with his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York. Many English people feared that the Catholic Church was becoming too influential. Oates’s story appeared to be confirmed when Sir Edmund Godfrey was found murdered, because Godfrey had been one of the first to be told of the plot. About 35 innocent people were tried and executed for treason following the panic started by Oates.
By 1682, Oates had been discredited. But his lies increased hostility in England to Roman Catholicism and to the Jesuits. The heightened feelings brought on by Oates’s story caused Parliament to pass the Test Act in 1678, excluding Roman Catholics from the country’s political life.
