Cato Street Conspiracy Exposed: Plot to Murder the Entire British Cabinet
Twenty-three men planned to murder the entire British cabinet at a dinner party. They'd storm Lord Harrowby's house on Grosvenor Square, kill everyone inside, then march on the Bank of England and the Tower of London. Arthur Thistlewood, the leader, wanted to start a revolution. He'd bought grenades and built a ladder for the attack. But one of his men was a government spy. Police raided their meeting place on Cato Street the night before. Five conspirators were hanged. Five more transported to Australia. The dinner party they planned to attack? It was fake. The government had planted the invitation in a newspaper to draw them out.
February 23, 1820
206 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 23
Diocletian's soldiers arrived at the church in Nicomedia on February 23, 303, stripped the building, and burned every manuscript they could find. No bloodshed t…
Justinian ordered the Hagia Sophia built after rioters burned down the previous church during the Nika riots — the same riots where he nearly fled the city unti…
Khosrow II lost an empire because he refused to believe his generals. The Sasanian shah had ruled for 38 years, conquered Egypt and Syria, laid siege to Constan…
Wu Zetian ruled China for fifteen years as its only female emperor. She'd clawed her way from concubine to empress to sovereign, killing rivals, promoting schol…
le doge de Venise Pietro Tradonico et le roi d'Italie Lothaire Ier signent un pacte dit Pactum Lotharii.
consécration du pape Innocent II.
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.