Catholics, the Counter-Reformation and the Gunpowder Plot

The Catholic Church fought back against the Reformation. In England, Catholics who refused to give up their faith faced fines and danger, and a few turned to plotting.

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The Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to Protestantism is called the Counter-Reformation.
The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) restated Catholic beliefs and tried to end abuses in the Church.
The Jesuits, founded by Ignatius of Loyola and approved by the Pope in 1540, ran schools and sent missionaries across the world, including secretly into England.

Catholics in Elizabeth's England

In 1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I and told Catholics they need not obey her. Now Catholics could be seen as traitors.
Catholics who refused to attend Church of England services were called recusants and were fined.
Catholic priests trained abroad entered England in secret. The Jesuit Edmund Campion was executed in 1581. Some houses had hidden 'priest holes'.

The Gunpowder Plot, 1605

Catholics hoped James I (king from 1603) would be more tolerant. When he was not, Robert Catesby led a plot to blow up Parliament and kill the king.
The plotters put 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords.
On 26 October 1605 Lord Monteagle got an anonymous letter warning him to stay away.
Guy Fawkes was arrested guarding the gunpowder in the early hours of 5 November 1605.
The plotters were killed or executed, and a law of 1606 made 5 November a day of thanksgiving. We still mark it with bonfires.
Worked example

Why did the Pope's excommunication of Elizabeth in 1570 make life harder for English Catholics?

  1. The Pope told Catholics they did not have to obey Elizabeth.
  2. So the government feared that any Catholic might be a traitor.
  3. Laws against Catholics became harsher, with fines and executions of priests.

Answer: It turned a question of religion into a question of loyalty, so Catholics were treated as possible traitors.

Key idea

Counter-Reformation: Council of Trent (1545 to 1563), Jesuits (1540). Elizabeth excommunicated in 1570; recusants fined; Campion executed 1581. Gunpowder Plot: Catesby's plan; 36 barrels; Monteagle letter (26 October 1605); Fawkes arrested on 5 November 1605; Bonfire Night.

Key words
Catholic
A Christian who accepts the Pope in Rome as head of the Church.
Reformation
The movement in the 1500s that split the Western Church into Catholics and Protestants.
Pope
The head of the Catholic Church, based in Rome.
1603
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England.
Parliament
The assembly that makes laws. In Britain it is the monarch, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons.

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  1. Which meeting of the Catholic Church from 1545 led the Counter-Reformation?

    1. The Diet of Worms
    2. The Council of Trent
    3. The Synod of Whitby
    4. The Council of Nicaea
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    Answer: The Council of Trent

    The Council of Trent reformed the Catholic Church.

  2. In which year did the Pope approve the Jesuits?

    1. 1540
    2. 1517
    3. 1605
    4. 1066
    Show the answer

    Answer: 1540

    The Society of Jesus was approved in 1540.

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Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 16 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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