Titus Oates

Oates, Titus (1649–1705), English conspirator who in 1678 claimed to have discovered a Roman Catholic plot (called the Popish Plot) against Charles II. No such plot existed, but his story set off a wave of persecution in which some 35 innocent persons were executed. Exposed and imprisoned in 1695, he was freed and pensioned (1689) after the Glorious Revolution.