Guy Fawkes has become a widely known name worldwide, mainly after its representation in the V for Vendetta comic book and later on the movie. The Fawkes seen in the movie became a symbol of rebelliousness and anti-system still used by organizations like Anonymous. In Great Britain, ever since 1606, November 5, has been a festive day celebrating Bonfire Night, or as many call it, Guy Fawkes Night; a day when people light up bonfires and fireworks to celebrate the failed Gunpowder Plot. However, the name isn’t accurate to history and, instead, it should be known as Robert Catesby Night after the real mastermind behind the infamous plot against King James I.
What is the Gunpowder Plot?
Considered the greatest terrorist attempt in the history of the UK, the Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy that attempted to blow up the entire Parliament building and assassinate King James and all his government and family. In other words, to blow up the entire establishment; thus why Guy Fawkes’ face has turned into an anti-system emblem.
Guy Fawkes was found near 36 barrels of Gunpowder in the cellars of Westminster. He was captured, tortured, and later on executed. To celebrate that the King had survived such an infamous plot, people started lighting bonfires all over London. The tradition is still carried out every November 5. But what led to this conspiracy?
Historical context: Catholics vs. Protestants
Since King Henry VIII established the Church of England, with him as the head, in the 16th century, England plunged into a bloody religious war. By the last years of Queen Elizabeth’s Protestant reign, English Catholics were hopeful that the persecution they had endured would end. It was well-known that the most-likely heir to the English throne would be James VI of Scotland, a known Protestant but with what seemed a more open-minded religious perspective. James’ mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was considered a Catholic martyr executed by her own cousin Elizabeth, so English Catholics really thought the era of terror would end soon.
Hope grew bigger when a young Catholic nobleman, Thomas Percy, traveled to Edinburgh to meet King James VI in a mission on behalf of English Catholics. James diplomatically told Percy that it was in his best interest to lead a friendly government based on concord, but, in fact, he did not make any promises.
In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died, and James became King James I of England. During the first year of his reign, James kept up with his intention to be seen as a friendly and impartial King. During this time, he relaxed the persecution of Catholics, especially of the Recusants, those who didn’t abide by the Church’s laws. However, it became evident that he wasn’t going to issue a formal law of religious tolerance as these Recusants believed (mainly because Percy assured everyone that was what James had promised). Instead, after that ‘relaxed’ year, James started to harshen rules against Catholics, starting with reinforcing Recusancy punishments and fines, as well as exiling (and persecuting) all Catholic priests. For Percy and his network of Catholics, this was seen as an outrage and a betrayal. Infuriated and filled with resentment, Robert Catesby, a prominent nobleman and one of Percy’s closest friends, was convinced that the only way to gain back freedom of faith and dignity was killing King James and his entire government.
Who was Guy Fawkes
On May 20, 1604, Catesby gathered a small group of Catholics at the now-famous Duck and Drake tavern in London. There, Catesby explained his plan to murder the King and blow up the entire Parliament; setting in motion the infamous Gunpowder Plot. Among the five attendees was a man named Guido Fawkes, an English Catholic mercenary who fought for ten years in the Netherlands. Fawkes had amazing expertise in mining and explosions, so he became a key player in Catesby’s plot. Besides his expertise, Fawkes was the perfect man for the job. He had just returned from the Netherlands, meaning that he was a nameless man with no surveillance after him and someone nobody really cared about. So, with the perfect man for the job, a great plan, and all the resentment and drive needed, the Gunpowder plot was set in motion.
The Plot
By the winter of 1604, the plotters had already managed a great position inside Parliament. Thomas Percy, who was the one with the best connections had been appointed gentleman-pensioner, but they were still lacking direct access to the cellars. By that time, it was announced that the State Opening of Parliament, the date they had chosen to carry out with the plot, was going to be postponed until the next winter. For Catesby, this meant that his plan could level up a little bit. Instead of just blowing up the Parliament building with all England’s leaders and Royal family inside, he would plan everything to spark a Catholic uprising.
During that year, Fawkes had managed to infiltrate 36 barrels of gunpowder inside Westminster. This is 10,000 pounds of explosives that would definitely blow up the entire building; they just needed that access to the specific spot. This opportunity came around that winter when some space in the Westminster cellars became available for rent. The cellars, which had been the former kitchens of the building, ran directly underneath Parliament. By the summer of 1605, Catesby’s men, led by Guy Fawkes, moved all the barrels into the cellars without raising any suspicion.
Betrayal and failure
A couple of weeks before the day Parliament was meeting, and the plot was going to be carried out, Catesby took the worst and most desperate move. Lacking funds to keep up with his plan, he decided to recruit one more plotter, the thirteenth one, Francis Tresham, a prominent landowner with access to enormous amounts of money and resources. Despite being a proud Catholic like the rest of the plotters, Tresham was aware that, due to his position, he had more to lose. He even tried to persuade Catesby to stop the madness and put an end to the plot, but he was determined and seemed to have convinced Tresham to join in. Big mistake.
Ten days to go before the explosion, the gunpowder plot started to crumble around. It’s believed that it was Tresham who rattled out. He had a lot of connections inside the House of Lords, many of which were Catholic. So it’s believed Tresham didn’t find it fair to sacrifice fellow Catholics in this revolution. According to the official story, on October 26, Lord Monteagle, and Tresham’s brother-in-law, received an anonymous letter asking him not to attend Parliament; the letter claimed that a great blow would deal with the enemies of his religion. Monteagle ran immediately to warn King James’ secretary of state, the well-known anti-Catholic Robert Cecil, about the letter.
It was never known if Tresham did write the letter. Some claim he could’ve just gone to Monteagle and warned him instead of writing the letter. Others claim it was Cecil himself who sent the letter. According to this theory, Cecil knew way before the letter about the plot and let it follow its course up until the right moment to come up as the bright man who discovered the conspiracy. The theory goes even beyond suggesting that he was actually the mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot planned to capture the worst enemies of the state. We will never know. What raises more questions is why Catesby decided to keep up with the plan knowing that the government was well aware of it.
Guy Fawkes’ capture
According to the official story, when learning about the plot, King James sent his men to search all over the cellars and nearby buildings. On November 4, 1605, they found firewood in the cellars. Guy Fawkes was guarding them, alleging that they belonged to his master Thomas Percy who had rented the space. Percy’s name sparked suspicion, and the men were sent back to further investigate. Fawkes was once again there with a completely new outfit. It didn’t take that much to discover the gunpowder barrels. Fawkes was arrested and delivered to the King on the morning of November 5. The rest of the plotters fled outside London but were still eager to give the last fight. Still, they were little by little captured; Catesby and Percy were reportedly shot and killed in an attempt to flee.
The end of the Gunpowder Plotters
Although Catesby and Percy weren’t tried nor executed, their bodies were unburied and decapitated publicly to set an example. On January 30, Guy Fawkes received his penalty, a bloody and violent punishment unimaginable to modern eyes. He died publicly facing opposite to the building he was supposed to blow up.
Guy Fawkes Night
In 1606, on November 5, Parliament celebrated a year of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot with fireworks and bonfires; a celebration that is still carried out today. Traditionally, children would make Guy Fawkes’ effigies to be burned on the bonfires; this part of the tradition is less common today. To understand the extent this event had in British history, the day was even celebrated in the thirteen colonies. But what is true is that the attention has always been centered on the wrong man; on a pawn that followed orders of the greatest plotter, Robert Catesby.
Cover photo: Warner Bros.
Body photos: Wikimedia Commons
