The Gun Powder Plot

9 Pages 2222 Words

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a result of the inconsistent policies of King James I toward English Catholics. An attempt to increase toleration for, if not completely convert England back to the Catholic faith, the Gunpowder Plot was a well planned, well funded, but miserable catastrophe for the Catholic Church. The plot, which was intended to help with the advancement of Catholicism, set the church back dramatically and established distrust between the state and the Catholic Church that was virtually irreparable. The aftermath of the plot was devastating to the church. King James made existing laws against Catholics more severe and passed several new laws immediately after the Gunpowder Act was revealed. The plot also increased the national hatred of “popery”. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 proved to be a major setback to the status of the Catholic’s in England.
The final years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign brought troubled times for Catholics all over England. During her reign, the penalties for practicing Catholicism dramatically increased, making life for Catholics much harder and more expensive. Mass in England could not be practiced publicly or privately. If a Catholic priest were discovered, he would be jailed, and if charged with treason, often executed. English subjects who did not attend the Catholic Church were taxed greatly, making life for wealthy Catholics more difficult, and life for poor Catholics close to impossible. Many Catholics simply hid their religion. Jesuit priests were banned completely from England and had to hide in the home of courageous Catholic women. Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603 was considered a relief for some Catholics because it signified the end of a reign that has brought much complication and suffering into the lives of many Catholics.
When King James I of England succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603, Catholics were hopeful that he would help re-establish Catholicism in England an...