The Main Plot (or "the treason at Maine" -- referring to the traditional province of Maine, near the present Le Mans, France) was a conspiracy by English Catholics, allegedly led by lay Catholic Henry Brooke, Lord Cobham, to remove King James I of England from the English throne, replacing him by aid of Spain with his cousin Arabella (or Arbella) Stuart. Flag of Maine Location of Maine in France Maine is one of the traditional provinces of France. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham succeeded his father as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports under Queen Elizabeth I of England. ... James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The plot involved George Brooke and Lord Grey of Wilton raising a regiment and marching on London to take over the government. Henry Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham, was to act as a negotiator. In the version of the plot presented at trial, Cobham was negotiating with the court of Aremberg to contact the Spanish court for a very large sum of money (approximately one-hundred and sixty thousand pounds). He was to travel to Brussels, then to Spain, collect the money, and go back to England via Jersey, where Walter Raleigh was governor. Raleigh and Cobham were then to divide up the money and decide how best to spend it in furtherance of sedition. George Mercer Brooke, Jr. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Arenberg (also spelled as Aremberg or Ahremberg) is a historic duchy located in modern Germany. ... For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the sixteenth-century explorer. ...

The plot was discovered by questioning prisoners arrested in connection with the Bye Plot. In particular, George Brooke, brother of Lord Cobham, had been involved in the Main plot. He apparently believed that he could bolster his position by informing on his brother. It is currently considered unlikely that Walter Raleigh had any culpability in the plot; see the biography of Raleigh's prosecutor, Edward Coke. The Bye Plot was a conspiracy by English Catholics to kidnap King James I of England and force him to repeal anti-Catholic legislation. ... George Mercer Brooke, Jr. ... Sir Edward Coke Sir Edward Coke (pronounced cook) (1 February 1552 – 3 September 1634), was an early English colonial entrepreneur and jurist whose writings on the English common law were the definitive legal texts for some 300 years. ...

If George Brooke thought that informing on his brother would help him in his show trial for the Bye plot, he was wrong as Brooke was executed with the other Bye plot conspirators in 1603. Cobham, too, was executed for his involvement in the Main plot in 1618. Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London for thirteen years and was eventually released, although he was himself executed in 1618. The Bye Plot was a conspiracy by English Catholics to kidnap King James I of England and force him to repeal anti-Catholic legislation. ... Year 1603 (MDCIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... For a bill proposed in USA in 1998, see Bill 1618. ... For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...

External links

• Lex Scripta account of the plots