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Restoration England 1660-1685Key Facts

Key Events of the Popish Plot

Part of The Popish Plot — GCSE History

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 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 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.

Topic position

Section 3 of 14

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

📌 Key Events of the Popish Plot

DateEventSignificance
Sept 1678Oates makes allegations to Privy CouncilTriggers the crisis; Privy Council takes him seriously
Oct 1678Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey murderedCreates panic; seen as proof of Catholic plot
Nov 1678Coleman letters discoveredSeemed to confirm Catholic scheming, though misread
1678-81Trials and executions35 innocent Catholics executed on perjured evidence
1678Second Test Act passedCatholics excluded from Parliament (until 1829)
1681Hysteria fades; Oates discreditedCharles reasserts control; crisis moves into Exclusion Crisis
1685Oates convicted of perjuryJustice — but 35 innocent people were already dead

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.

Why Was Oates Believed?Consequences of the Popish PlotSetting the SceneExam Technique: Explain Why...

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

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).

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Why Was Oates Believed?

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Consequences of the Popish Plot