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Monday 18 November 2013

Guy Fawkes and The Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes was born in 1570 in York in the north of England. He was born a Protestant but became Roman Catholic after his father died and his mother re-married. When he was twenty-three, he enlisted in the Spanish army in Flanders (north-east France and Belgium) and in 1596 participated in the capture of the French city of Calais by the Spanish in their war with Henry IV of France.

Around 1605, James I, king of England, applied oppressive anti-Catholic laws, so The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy to kill the King, the Lords and the Commons at the opening of Parliament (an annual event) on 5th November 1605.

The originator of the plot was Robert Catesby, a country gentleman, who took his cousin and two friends into his confidence, along with Guy Fawkes, a soldier of fortune. They in turn drew other Roman Catholic gentlemen into the plot.
The conspirator discovered a vault directly beneath the House of Lords (a division of Parliament) and rented it to store thirty-six barrels of gunpowder.

In the final arrangement, Guy Fawkes was set fire to the gunpowder in the cellar on 5th November and then flee to Flanders.
However, one of the conspirators wrote a letter of warning to a friend, who was one of the member of Parliament, and the plot was exposed.
Guy Fawkes was arrested as he emerged from cellar. He was tortured by the rack, until he confessed his own guilt and finally revealed the names of his associates, nearly all of whom were killed when captured or hanged along with Fawkes on 31st January 1606.

The Gunpowder Plot is still commemorated annually in Great Britain on 5th November. Effigies of Guy Fawkes are made by children and "Penny for the Guy" is usually asked for charity (though nowadays it's a lot more and who knows where it goes!). The effigies are placed on top of a bonfire and fireworks are set off to represent the gunpowder.

Source: Intermediate English Class on 08/11/2012, material by Sarah_SWC.