Early-18th-century Whig plots facts for kids

During the early 1700s, Great Britain was changing its government. It was moving towards a two party system, where two main political groups would compete for power.

The main group was the Tories. They were more traditional and conservative. But then, the Whigs, a more liberal group, started to become very powerful. As these groups fought for control in Parliament, things got tense.

The Whigs gained more power and public support. This challenged the Tories' ideas. The arguments weren't just in Parliament. People started giving public speeches and holding debates. This created a new way of doing politics.

This was the world Princess Anne entered when she became Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland on March 8, 1702. Her brother-in-law, William III, had supported the two-party system. Queen Anne, even though she preferred the Tories, tried to work with the Whigs.

The tension between the parties grew very high. Members became suspicious of each other. They even thought about secret plots. Some Whigs were accused of planning to harm important Tory leaders. This was supposedly to help their own political plans.

The first big accusation was the Screw Plot. This was thought to be a plan to harm Queen Anne in 1708. Tories believed the Whigs wanted to kill the Queen and her advisors. They thought the Whigs planned for a chandelier to fall on them. Today, we know these claims were false. But the Tories made the public doubt the Whigs. In 1710, the Whigs were accused of trying to harm Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford. This event was called the Bandbox Plot.

Political Rivalry in Queen Anne's Time

Whigs and Tories: Who Should Rule?

Around the start of the 1700s, the Whigs were gaining power in Parliament. The Whigs and Tories had big disagreements. Their main fight was about who should run the country.

The Tories were conservative. They believed the monarchy (the King or Queen) should have a lot of power in government. But the Whigs wanted Parliament to have more control. The Whigs thought that if Parliament had more power, ordinary people would have more say. This would give them more control over government actions.

The Whigs also disagreed with the Tories about the church's role. At this time, the church was very close to the monarchy. This meant the church had a lot of influence on government decisions. This era was also the start of The Enlightenment. This was a time when people had new ideas about politics and society. The Whigs supported many of these new ideas. They believed in basic rights for everyone.

These growing issues were often debated in Parliament. Tensions rose, and political fights moved into the public eye.

The Screw Plot: A Royal Scare

The Screw Plot was a supposed plan to harm Queen Anne in 1708. It was said to have happened at St. Paul's Cathedral. Loose screws were found in the building's support beams. These beams were above where the Queen would sit. Some suggested this was a plan to make the beams fall on the Queen. This was meant to happen during a special event. The event was to celebrate the victory of Oudenarde.

The Tories told the newspapers that the Whigs were to blame. Later, it was shown that the loose screws were just from poor building work. But this accusation made the tension between the parties even worse.

Public Opinion: What People Thought

When newspapers reported that the Whigs tried to harm Queen Anne, people were shocked. Even with all the political fighting, such a serious plot had not been seen in a long time. The Tories kept attacking the Whigs personally. They used stories like the Screw Plot to make the Whigs seem bad.

Jonathan Swift, a famous writer of that time, wrote many political poems. His funny stories talked about the issues of the day. One poem, Plot upon Plot, made fun of the Whigs' "pathetic" attempts to bring down the Tories. He wrote:

"Some of your Machiavelian crew
From heavy roof of Paul
Most traitorously stole every screw,
To make that fabric fall;
And so to catch Her Majesty,
And all her friends beguile." (Plot Upon Plot, Jonathan Swift)

By the 1800s, people saw the Screw Plot as a hoax. It was just a building problem that nervous Tories made into a big deal. Many famous people, like Sir Walter Scott, barely mentioned it. They saw it as unimportant. Simpson Sparrow wrote an article in 1892 about both the Screw Plot and the Bandbox Plot. He called the Screw Plot "one of the greatest fables" of Queen Anne's time. He pointed out that St. Paul's Cathedral was still being built when the "plot" was found. This made a real conspiracy unlikely.

The Bandbox Plot: A Narrow Escape

This failed attempt happened in 1712. It targeted Robert Harley, who was the British Lord Treasurer. Someone sent Harley a hat box. Inside, three pistols were tied to the lid. They were set to fire when the box was opened.

Jonathan Swift was with Harley. He saw a string attached to the box. So, they cut the string before opening it. Inside, they found the loaded pistols. This quick thinking saved Harley.