PrepWisePrepWiseThe Popish Plot
Restoration England 1660-1685Deep Dive

Consequences of the Popish Plot

Part of The Popish Plot — GCSE History

This deep dive covers Consequences of the Popish Plot within The Popish Plot for GCSE History. Revise The Popish Plot in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 4 of 14 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 4 of 14

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

🔑 Consequences of the Popish Plot

  • 35 executions: Thirty-five Catholics executed on the basis of Oates's perjured (deliberately false, under oath) testimony, including Oliver Plunkett, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh — the last Catholic martyr executed in England.
  • Second Test Act (1678): Catholics excluded from sitting in either House of Parliament. This exclusion remained in force until the Catholic Relief Act of 1829 — 151 years later.
  • Exclusion Crisis: The hysteria directly triggered attempts to exclude James from the succession. See Topic 59.
  • Birth of political parties: Those who wanted to exclude James became "Whigs"; those who defended hereditary succession became "Tories." Both labels were originally insults — Whig meant Scottish Presbyterian rebel, Tory meant Irish Catholic bandit.
  • Anti-Catholic monument inscription: The Monument to the Great Fire (1677) had its inscription amended to blame Catholics for the fire — a libel that was only removed in 1830.

    • Keep building this topic

    Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The Popish Plot. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

    Key Events of the Popish PlotExam Technique: Explain Why...Setting the SceneWhy Was Oates Believed?

    Practice Questions for The Popish Plot

    In which year did Titus Oates first make his allegations about the Popish Plot?

    • A. 1670
    • B. 1673
    • C. 1681
    • D. 1678
    1 markfoundation

    Why was the murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey in October 1678 significant to the Popish Plot?

    • A. He was the magistrate who had taken Oates's deposition, and his murder was blamed on Catholics, causing widespread panic
    • B. He was the Secretary to the Duke of York, and his murder revealed the Coleman letters
    • C. He was the judge at the first Catholic treason trial, and his murder prevented the prosecution
    • D. He was a leading Jesuit priest whose death sparked Protestant celebrations
    1 markfoundation

    Quick Recall Flashcards

    What was the Popish Plot?
    A fabricated Catholic conspiracy invented by Titus Oates in 1678 — claiming Jesuits planned to kill Charles II and put his Catholic brother James on the throne. Oates's claims were false but caused mass hysteria, leading to 35 executions and directly triggering the Exclusion Crisis (1679-81).
    Who was Titus Oates?
    The man who fabricated the Popish Plot in 1678 — claimed Catholics planned to kill Charles II and replace him with the Catholic James. A serial liar who had been expelled from multiple institutions. Later convicted of perjury in 1685; flogged and imprisoned.

    Want to test your knowledge?

    PrepWise has 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards for The Popish Plot — with adaptive difficulty and instant feedback.

    Join Alpha

    Previous

    Key Events of the Popish Plot

    Next

    Exam Technique: Explain Why...