Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
Today the Gunpowder Plot is one of those events, which are commemorated in Britain and beyond. When people light bonfires they bring to their minds that Guy Fawkes planned to blow up parliament in 1605. But historically Guy Fawkes was by no means the most important of the conspirators who wanted to kill King James I, his wife Queen Anne and his eldest son Henry in order to gain power.
Ever since the rift between the Pope and Henry VIII, who had created the Church of England by the Act of Supremacy in 1534, Roman Catholics on the one hand and followers of the Anglican Church on the other hand fought for the religious supremacy over England. For a long time it was by no means clear which of the two denominations would succeed.
When James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603 and united the two parts of Britain under one rule, many Catholics thought that he would be more tolerant towards them, but they were disappointed. Moreover, he took further steps to suppress the Roman Catholics who soon regarded him as their enemy. Some of the Roman Catholics were even prepared to side with Spain, which was then the main rival of England. The Roman Catholic spearhead against Protestant rule in England was the Jesuit Order, which tried to overturn the status quo and restore Catholicism to England.
Many Anglicans, however, were angered by these attempts and petitioned the King to take harsher steps to eliminate the influence of the Jesuits in England. The most important measures against the Roman Catholics were the so-called recusancy laws which meant that people who did not attend Anglican services on Sundays were to be fined severely. These fines were put up in the first few months of James' reign, which angered the Roman Catholics even more.
Robert Catesby (1573 - Nov. 8, 1605) was from a devout Roman Catholic family who had been persecuted under Elisabeth I. In 1601 he even took part in an uprising against her for which he was sent to prison. So it does not come as a surprise that he started planning a plot against King James I immediately after his ascension to the throne. He summoned fellow conspirators around him and soon he became the mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot. When their plot failed he fled to Staffordshire where he was killed by government troops who tried to arrest him.
Guy Fawkes (1570 - Jan. 31, 1606) came from Yorkshire and was a Roman Catholic convert. He served in the Spanish Army in the Low Countries where he became renowned for his courage. After having left the army he went to Spain and tried to enlist support for a Spanish invasion in England, a plan that was not carried out. Among the conspirators it was his task to prepare the barrels of gunpowder and he should have lit the slow fuses. His arrest and his confession under torture made him the focus of public attention, even though he was neither the mastermind behind nor the leader of the plot.
Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes were by no means the only conspirators against the King and Parliament. Originally, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright, and Robert Keyes were involved in setting up the plot. Later, other conspirators were recruited as the preparations gained momentum, among them Everard Digby, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Winter, John Grant, and - perhaps most crucial of all - Francis Tresham, as he is suspected of having betrayed the plot.
Father John Gerard and Father Henry Garnet, two Jesuit priests, at least knew about the preparations of the plotters and appear to be important figures in the background.
In March 1605 the conspirators rented a cellar under the Houses of Parliament where they started stockpiling barrels of gunpowder. In the end they had enough explosives for blowing up a building five times the size of the Houses of Parliament. Some sources believe that the plotters were framed as gunpowder was tightly controlled by the authorities and so it seems unlikely that such quantities of explosives could have changed hands without being noticed by the government. According to their plan, Guy Fawkes should light the slow fuses and then flee - probably by boat on the river Thames.
However, an unsigned letter (attributed to Francis Tresham) was sent to Lord Monteagle, a Member of Parliament and Tresham's brother-in-law, warning him not to attend the opening ceremony of Parliament in order not to get killed. Lord Monteagle informed the government and in the night from Nov. 4th to Nov. 5th Guy Fawkes was arrested in the cellar under the Houses of Parliament. According to some sources this is another indication that the conspirators were misled by government agents who had known about the plot earlier on.
When news of the failed plot spread the other conspirators tried to flee to the Midlands, but they were soon chased by government troops. Robert Catesby and three others were killed when they resisted arrest, the others were caught and taken to the Tower of London.
Guy Fawkes, the first conspirator to be arrested, was severely tortured and eventually gave away all his co-conspirators.
A group of conspirators had fled north and ended up in Holbeche House in Staffordshire where they were rounded up. They decided to fight instead of handing themselves over to the King's men. Among the four who were killed in the shootout were Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy.
The remaining conspirators were taken to the Tower of London where they were questioned and tortured. After a brief trial in January 1606 they were found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. They were subsequently hanged, drawn, and quartered on January 30 (Sir Everard Digby, Robert Winter, John Grant and Thomas Bates) and January 31 1606 (Thomas Winter, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes and Guy Fawkes). These executions were carried out in the most cruel fashion (according to the laws of the time) with a large crowd attending.
Francis Tresham was poisoned in prison instead of being executed.
Henry Garnett, a Jesuit priest who was also involved in the conspiracy, was executed later in 1606.
Customs related to the Gunpowder Plot
Remember, remember,
The fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason, and plot.
We see no reason
Why Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
There are various versions of this rhyme depending on local traditions.
Penny for a Guy
Around November 5th children walk round from door to door presenting their effigies of Guy Fawkes (usually puppets made from old clothes with weird faces) and ask for money by saying, "Remember, remember ..." and "Penny for a Guy".
Bonfires and Fireworks
On November 5th bonfires are arranged around the country. Effigies of Guy Fawkes or the Pope or other public figures (e.g. politicians) are set alight, especially in the south of England. Fireworks displays (often funded by local councils) are also important features of these bonfire nights.
Tradition has it that the people of London celebrated the victory over the conspiracy against the King and Parliament with large bonfires on November 5th 1605. Even an Act of Parliament was passed to declare "Guy Fawkes Day" a day of thanksgiving.
Gunpowder Plot Societies
Not only in Britain, but throughout the world Gunpowder Plot Societies have been formed in order to remember the traditions related to the plot of 1605 and the traditional bonfire nights, especially in the USA and even in Japan. Even though the local traditions might vary, Guy Fawkes is the central figure of all of them.
vocabulary
gunpowder / Schießpulvergunpowder plot / Pulververschwörung
commemorate sb/sth / einer Person/einer Sache gedenken
by no means / keineswegs
conspirator / Verschwörer
to gain power / Macht erlangen
rift / Bruch
supremacy / Vormachtstellung
denomination / Konfessionsgemeinschaft
to succeed / erreichen
to take further steps / weitere Schritte unternehmen
to disappoint / enttäuschen
to suppress / unterdrücken
to regard sb as an enemy / jemanden als Feind ansehen
to prepare / vorbereiten
a rival / ein Rivale
to overturn a government / eine Regierung stürzen
to attend services / die Messe besuchen
spearhead / Speerspitze
rule / Herrschaft
to anger / verärgern
an attempt / ein Versuch
to petition for sth. / etwas beantragen
to restore / wiederherstellen
to eliminate the influence / den Einfluss eliminieren/beseitigen
to reign / regieren
measure(s) / Maßnahmen
(to pay) a fine / eine Strafe (bezahlen)
devout / gläubig
an uprising / ein Aufstand, eine Volkserhebung
to persecute / verfolgen
to fail / versagen, scheitern
ascension to the throne / Thronbesteigung
confession / Geständnis
under torture / unter Folter
the fuse / die Lunte
to betray / verraten
to stockpile sth / Vorräte anlegen
to round up / zusammentrommeln
to remain / übrig bleiben
a brief trial / ein kurzer Prozess
to find sb. guilty (of sth) / jemanden schuldig sprechen
high treason / Hochverrat