| Titus Oates - (1649-1705) Titus Oates was born on September 15, 1649.
He was an Anglican priest who fabricated the "Popish Plot" of 1678. |
Titus Oates was born in
Oakham, and educated at the University of Cambridge. He was an English conspirator and the
principal informer in the so-called Popish plot in England. He took advantage of the
English public's hostility toward Roman Catholics in the 17th century.
In 1678 Oates falsely claimed that there was a Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles
II, massacre Protestants, and reinstitute Catholicism with the help of a French army.
Oates swore that the plan was to replace Charles with his Roman Catholic brother, James,
duke of York.
Oates' claims were believed throughout England, the Protestant populous panicked, and many
prominent Catholics were executed. As a result of the perjured testimony of Oates and his
followers, about 35 people lost their lives between 1678 and 1681. One those killed was
Archbishop Oliver Plunket. During this time Oates himself received a large pension and
lived in Whitehall Palace.
In 1680 the English courts began to disregard accusations made against Catholics by false
informants. A reaction set in against Oates and in 1684. The day after the of execution
Archbishop Plunket, Lord Shaftesbury, the chief instigator of the persecution, was
consigned to the Tower, and his chief perjured witness Titus Oates was thrown into gaol.
In 1685, with the accession of the duke of York as King
James II, Oates was found guilty of perjury and sentenced to life imprisonment. After
James was deposed by the Glorious Revolution in 1688, Oates was freed by the new king,
William III.
Sources: | Comptons | Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) |