Popish Plot Popish Plot The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there was an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the executions of at least 22 men and precipitated the Exclusion Bill Crisis. Eventually Oates's intricate web of accusations fell apart, leading to his arrest and conviction for perjury. The fictitious Popish Plot must be understood against the background of the English Reformation and the subsequent development of a strong anti-Catholic sentiment among the mostly
A Ballad upon the Popish Plot lives of the common people, and especially that part of their inner lives that was emotionally engaged by tumultuous political events such as the Popish Plot, these ballads provide a counterweight to, or throw into relief, other ballads in the collection that merely depict the social life of the Stuart kings, thus enriching our contemporary understanding of the social and political dynamics of the era. They also serve as a relevant reminder—and warning—of the power religious bigotry can exercise over a general population when allowed to develop unchecked. A Ballad upon the Popish Plot A Ballad upon the Popish Plot