Editing Popish Plot (section)

== Background ==
===Development of English anti-Catholicism===
The fictitious Popish Plot must be understood against the background of the [[English Reformation]] and the subsequent development of a strong [[anti-catholicism|anti-Catholic]] [[Nationalism|nationalist]] sentiment among the mostly [[Protestant]] population of England.

The [[English Reformation]] began in 1533, when [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]] (1509–1547) sought an annulment of his marriage to [[Catherine of Aragon]] to marry [[Anne Boleyn]]. As the [[Pope]] would not grant this, Henry broke away from Rome and took control of the [[Church in England]]. Later, he had the monasteries dissolved, causing opposition in the still largely [[Catholicism|Catholic]] nation. Under Henry's son [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] (1547–1553), the Church of England was transformed into a strictly Protestant body, with many remnants of Catholicism suppressed. Edward was succeeded by his half-sister [[Mary I of England]] (1553–1558), daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine. She was a Catholic and returned the Church in England to union with the [[Holy See]]. Mary tainted her policy with two unpopular actions: she married her cousin, [[Philip II of Spain|King Philip II of Spain]], where the [[Spanish Inquisition|Inquisition]] continued, and had 300 Protestants burned at the stake, causing many Englishmen to associate Catholicism with the involvement of foreign powers and religious persecution.

Mary was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister, [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]] (1558–1603), who again broke away from Rome and suppressed Catholicism. Elizabeth and later Protestant monarchs caused to be hanged and mutilated hundreds of Catholic priests and laymen. This, and her dubious legitimacy – she was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn – led to Catholic powers not recognising her as queen and favouring her next relative, the Catholic [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]. Elizabeth's reign saw Catholic rebellions like the [[Rising of the North]] (1569) as well as intrigues like the [[Roberto di Ridolfi|Ridolfi Plot]] (1571) and the [[Babington Plot]] (1586), both intending to kill Elizabeth and replace her with Mary under a Spanish invasion. Three popes issued [[Regnans in Excelsis|bulls]] judging Elizabeth, giving grounds to suspect English Catholics' loyalty. Following the Babington Plot, Mary was beheaded in 1587. This – and Elizabeth's support of the [[Dutch Revolt]] in the [[Spanish Netherlands]] – triggered Philip II of Spain's attempted invasion with the [[Spanish Armada]] (1588). This reinforced English resentment of Catholics, while the Armada's failure convinced many Englishmen that God was on the Protestant side.

Anti-Catholic sentiment reached new heights in 1605 after the failed [[Gunpowder Plot]]. Catholic conspirators attempted to topple the Protestant reign of [[James VI and I|King James I]] by exploding a bomb during the King's opening of parliament. The plot was thwarted when [[Guy Fawkes]], who was in charge of the explosives, was discovered the night before. The magnitude of the plot, meant to kill the leading government figures in one stroke, convinced many Englishmen that Catholics were murderous conspirators who would stop at nothing to have their way, laying the groundwork for future allegations.

===Anti-Catholicism in the 17th century===
Anti-Catholic sentiment was a constant factor in how England perceived the events of the following decades: the [[Thirty Years War]] (1618–1648) was seen as an attempt by the Catholic Habsburgs to exterminate German Protestantism. Under the early Stuart Kings, fears of Catholic conspiracies were rampant and the policies of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] – especially his church policies, which had a decidedly [[high church]] bent – were seen as pro-Catholic and likely induced by a Catholic conspiracy headed by Charles' Catholic queen, [[Henrietta Maria of France]]. This, together with accounts of Catholic atrocities in Ireland in 1641, helped trigger the [[English Civil War]] (1642–1649), which led to the abolition of the monarchy and a decade of Puritan rule tolerating most forms of Protestantism, but not Catholicism. The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] brought a reaction against all religious dissenters outside the [[State religion#Anglicanism|established]] Church of England. Catholics still suffered under popular hostility and legal discrimination.

Anti-Catholic hysteria flared up lightly during the reign of Charles II, which saw disasters such as the [[Great Plague of London]] (1665) and the [[Great Fire of London]] (1666). Vague rumours blamed the fire on arson by Catholics and especially [[Jesuits]]. Kenyon remarks, "At [[Coventry]], the townspeople were possessed by the idea that the papists were about to rise and cut their throats ... A nationwide panic seemed likely, and as homeless refugees poured out from London into the countryside, they took with them stories of a kind which were to be familiar enough in 1678 and 1679."{{sfn|Kenyon|1985|p=10}}

Anti-Catholicism was fueled by doubts about the religious allegiance of the King, who had been supported by the Catholic powers during his exile, and had married a Portuguese Catholic princess, [[Catherine of Braganza]]. Charles formed an alliance with the leading Catholic power France against the Protestant Netherlands. Furthermore, Charles' brother and heir presumptive, [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], had embraced Catholicism, although his brother forbade him to make any public avowal. In 1672, Charles issued the [[Declaration of Indulgence (1672)|Royal Declaration of Indulgence]], in which he suspended all [[English Penal Laws|penal law]]s against Catholics and other religious dissenters.<ref>Fraser, pp. 305–308; Hutton, pp. 284–85.{{Full citation needed|date=January 2014}}</ref> This fueled Protestant fears of increasing Catholic influence in England, and led to [[Charles II of England#Conflict with Parliament|conflict with parliament]] during the 1670s. In December 1677 an anonymous pamphlet (possibly by [[Andrew Marvell]]) spread alarm in London by accusing the Pope of plotting to overthrow the lawful government of England.{{sfn|Heald|1992|p=603}}