The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy by a group of English Catholics to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during the State Opening on 5 November 1605. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder had been smuggled into a undercroft directly beneath the Lords Chamber. The plan was discovered the night before.
Who Was Guy Fawkes?
Guy Fawkes was not the plot’s leader — that was Robert Catesby. Fawkes was a soldier and explosives expert, recruited because of his military experience in the Netherlands. He was assigned to guard the powder and light the fuse. He was the one who was caught in the undercroft in the early hours of 5 November.
Bonfire Night
Bonfire Night — 5 November — is celebrated across Britain with fireworks and bonfires. A Guy Fawkes effigy is traditionally burned. It began as a specifically anti-Catholic celebration of the Protestant king’s survival and has evolved into a more general autumn festival. Fireworks displays in London’s parks draw enormous crowds.
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