Popish Plot

An apocryphal Jesuit conspiracy in 1678 to assassinate Charles II of England, burn London, slaughter Protestants, and place his Roman Catholic brother James, Duke of York, on the throne. It was invented by Titus Oates and Israel Tonge (1621–80). A nation-wide panic ensued, resulting in 35 executions, bills in three Parliaments for the exclusion of James from the succession, and the fall of the Danby government.

In 1678 a pair of corrupt English clergymen named Titus Oates and Israel Tonge announced that they had uncovered a "Popish Plot" to murder King Charles II of England and replace him with James, his Roman Catholic brother. In 1679 the Whigs passed the "Exclusion Bill" to keep James from the throne, but the act failed to pass the House of Lords. the Whigs — having capitalized on near civil war — suffered a decline in popularity.