Background
The fictitious Popish Plot was exacerbated by many historical events in the sixteenth century and was only believed because circumstances before 1678 had increased anti-Catholic sentiment among the mostly Protestant population of England. Anti-Catholic fears are observed as early as 1533 with the English Reformation. Also, the Ridolfi plot in 1571, the Babington Plot of 1580, and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 all contributed to anti-Catholic feeling. The rule of Mary I, the attack of the Spanish Armada, and the Great Fire of London in 1666 were other events that were important contributors to anti-Catholic sentiment and intensified Protestant hatred of Catholics, making the plot against Charles II seem believable.
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