Rye House Plot

The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a failed scheme to assassinate King Charles II of England as well as his heir, his brother James, the Duke of York (eventually James II).

The plan drew its name from the Rye House in Hertfordshire, which was near the road where the assassination was supposed to take place on April 1st 1683. The plan was to attack King Charles II on his way back from Newmarket, where he travelled to in order to attend a horse racing event. However, the plan failed as the king had to return home early, due to a fire in Newmarket (Muscato).

The Rye House Plot was just one of countless schemes and possibilities that the group of conspirators came up with. The reason for these plots were the king´s pro-roman catholic views and policies. The conspirators further wanted to secure the succession of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II (The Reformation).

The foiled assassination plot was discovered a few months later, in June 1683.

Prominent figures in the plot were: the already mentioned Duke of Monmouth, James Scott, who would have usurped the throne; Lord William Russell; Lord William Howard; Arthur Capel, the Earl of Essex; Sir Thomas Armstrong; Robert Ferguson; and Algernon Sidney. Russell, Sidney, and Armstrong were beheaded; Capel was arrested, but died before punishment; the other conspirators were not punished (Tikkanen).

Sources:

Muscato, Christopher. “The Rye House Plot of 1683: Definition & Impact.” Study.com, https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-rye-house-plot-of-1683-definition-impact.html, accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

“The Rye House Plot 1683”, The Reformation, https://www.thereformation.info/rye_house_plot/, accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

Tikkanen, Amy, et al. “Rye House Plot.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/event/Rye-House-Plot, accessed 15 Jan. 2023.