![]() Afterward, all five men purportedly swore an oath of secrecy upon a prayer book. Then, in May 1604, a handful of Catholic dissidents-Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, Tom Wintour, Jack Wright and Thomas Percy-met at the Duck and Drake Inn in London, where Catesby proposed a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder. Another related conspiracy that year, known as the Main Plot, sought to kill James and install his cousin on the throne. ![]() In 1603 a few priests and laymen hatched the so-called Bye Plot to kidnap James, only to be turned in by fellow Catholics. He also largely continued with the repressive policies of his predecessor, such as fines for those refusing to attend Protestant services.Įnglish Catholics had organized several failed conspiracies against Elizabeth, and these continued under James. In 1604 he publicly condemned Catholicism as a superstition, ordered all Catholic priests to leave England and expressed concern that the number of Catholics was increasing. It soon became clear, however, that James did not support religious tolerance for Catholics. There were even rumors, inspired by his diplomatic overtures to the pope, that James himself would become Catholic. James’ wife, Anne, is believed to have previously converted to Catholicism, and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was Elizabeth’s Catholic arch-rival prior to being executed. As a result, many Catholics had high hopes when King James I took the throne upon Elizabeth’s death in 1603. During her reign, dozens of priests were put to death, and Catholics could not even legally celebrate Mass or be married according to their own rites. British Parliament Background to the Gunpowder PlotĬatholicism in England was heavily repressed under Queen Elizabeth I, particularly after the pope excommunicated her in 1570. ![]()
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