This key facts covers Key Events of the Popish Plot within The Popish Plot for GCSE History. Revise The Popish Plot in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 3 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Key Events of the Popish Plot
| Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 1678 | Oates makes allegations to Privy Council | Triggers the crisis; Privy Council takes him seriously |
| Oct 1678 | Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey murdered | Creates panic; seen as proof of Catholic plot |
| Nov 1678 | Coleman letters discovered | Seemed to confirm Catholic scheming, though misread |
| 1678-81 | Trials and executions | 35 innocent Catholics executed on perjured evidence |
| 1678 | Second Test Act passed | Catholics excluded from Parliament (until 1829) |
| 1681 | Hysteria fades; Oates discredited | Charles reasserts control; crisis moves into Exclusion Crisis |
| 1685 | Oates convicted of perjury | Justice — but 35 innocent people were already dead |
Practice questions for The Popish Plot
In which year did Titus Oates first make his allegations about the Popish Plot?
Why was the murder of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey in October 1678 significant to the Popish Plot?
Quick recall flashcards
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.
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).