Titus Oates and his 'Popish Plot'

Titus Oates and his 'Popish Plot'

Author: BBC Radio 4 May 12, 2016 Duration: 49:05

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Titus Oates (1649-1705) who, with Israel Tonge, spread rumours of a Catholic plot to assassinate Charles II. From 1678, they went to great lengths to support their scheme, forging evidence and identifying the supposed conspirators. Fearing a second Gunpowder Plot, Oates' supposed revelations caused uproar in London and across the British Isles, with many Catholics, particularly Jesuit priests, wrongly implicated by Oates and then executed. Anyone who doubted him had to keep quiet, to avoid being suspected a sympathiser and thrown in prison. Oates was eventually exposed, put on trial under James II and sentenced by Judge Jeffreys to public whipping through the streets of London, but the question remained: why was this rogue, who had faced perjury charges before, ever believed?

With

Clare Jackson Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge

Mark Knights Professor of History at the University of Warwick

And

Peter Hinds Associate Professor of English at Plymouth University

Producer: Simon Tillotson.


Melvyn Bragg and a panel of academic experts gather each week to explore the vast and intricate landscape of religious history in In Our Time: Religion. This BBC Radio 4 podcast, a dedicated series within the broader "In Our Time" programme, delves deep into the beliefs, schisms, and social forces that have shaped the world's faiths across centuries. Rather than offering sermons or spiritual guidance, these conversations are rigorous historical inquiries. Listeners will find themselves immersed in detailed discussions about the origins of movements like the Cathars or the Quakers, the philosophical underpinnings of concepts such as the Trinity or Nirvana, and the complex legacies of figures from Maimonides to Martin Luther. Each episode unpacks a single topic with clarity and depth, making profound ideas accessible without sacrificing intellectual rigor. The tone is conversational yet authoritative, driven by curiosity and a genuine desire to understand how these religious ideas emerged, evolved, and fundamentally altered human societies. For anyone fascinated by the powerful role of faith in history, this podcast provides a consistently enlightening and thoughtful exploration, one thoughtful conversation at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

In Our Time: Religion
Podcast Episodes
Josephus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:36
It is said that, in Britain from the 18th Century, copies of Josephus' works were as widespread and as well read as The Bible. Christians valued "The Antiquities of the Jews" in particular, for the retelling of parts of…
Matteo Ricci and the Ming Dynasty [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:24
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life of Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit priest who in the 16th century led a Christian mission to China. An accomplished scholar, Ricci travelled extensively and came into contact with seni…
Al-Ghazali [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:12
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Al-Ghazali, a major philosopher and theologian of the late 11th century. Born in Persia, he was one of the most prominent intellectuals of his age, working in such…
Zen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:08
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Zen. It's often thought of as a form of Buddhism that emphasises the practice of meditation over any particular set of beliefs. In fact Zen belongs to a particular intellectual tradition w…
Hildegard of Bingen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:33
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss one of the most remarkable figures of the Middle Ages, Hildegard of Bingen. The abbess of a Benedictine convent, Hildegard experienced a series of mystical visions which she documented…
The Talmud [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:48
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and contents of the Talmud, one of the most important texts of Judaism. The Talmud was probably written down over a period of several hundred years, beginning in the 2nd ce…
Bishop Berkeley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:29
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the work of George Berkeley, an Anglican bishop who was one of the most important philosophers of the eighteenth century. Bishop Berkeley believed that objects only truly exist in the…
The Trinity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:11
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Trinity. The idea that God is a single entity, but one known in three distinct forms - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - has been a central belief for most Christians since the earlies…
Hindu Ideas of Creation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Hindu ideas about Creation. According to most Western religious traditions, a deity was the original creator of the Universe. Hinduism, on the other hand, has no single creation story.…
The Book of Common Prayer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:00
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Book of Common Prayer. In 1549, at the height of the English Reformation, a new prayer book was published containing versions of the liturgy in English. Generally believed to have…