by Bob Vince

Created on: November 14, 2009

The History of Guy Fawkes Day

November 5thmarks the anniversary of a conspiracy to blow up the English Parliament and King James I, in 1605, it's named after Guy Fawkes the first of the conspirators to be caught. The group consisted of thirteen men including Fawkes a soldier in the king's army serving in Flanders. The original three organizers were, Robert Catesby, John Wright, and Thomas Winter. These men put this Catholic plot against the Monarch in motion in early 1604.

Why were the Catholics so upset with the monarchy? King James I had passed sever penal laws against them for practicing their faith. You need to know how England was run in the 1600's to understand the feelings leading up to Guy Fawkes Day. In the 1600's the church was ruled by whoever sat on the throne. If the Monarchy was Catholic the people were forced to follow only the Catholic mass and rituals, if it was a Protestant they had to follow the Protestant mass and rituals. The ruling monarch tended to pass laws that favored their religious views and punish those with different views. One of the main(or final straws) points that led to the formation of this plot occurred in May of 1606, with the passing of the Popish Recusants Act, that required every citizen to take AN Oath of Allegiance denying the Pope's authority over the king. This may have been the final act of defiance against the pope that led these Catholics to attempt to break one of the laws their God gave them,Thou shall not kill.

The plot was to blow up Parliament and King James I, in order to accomplish this one of the conspirators rented a cellar under the House of Lords. There they placed 36 barrels of gunpowder along with lumber and iron. The plot was uncovered by an anonymous letter delivered to Lord Monteagle urging him not to attend Parliament on its opening day. When Fawkes showed up to carry out this plan he was immediately put under arrest. At the news of Fawkes arrest the other conspirators try to flee but they were caught. Some were killed outright, imprisoned or publicly executed.

The result of the bungled plot brought even harsher laws upon the English Catholics. On the anniversary of this blown opportunity by this band of Catholics, Guy Fawkes is burned in effigy among fireworks and bonfires through out England.

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