British teachers probably know about the Gunpowder Plot like American teachers know the assassination of JFK, but for everyone else, here is the story of the origin of Bonfire Night.
In 1603, Elizabeth I died without an heir. The son of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland was crowned as James I. Catholics, who had been persecuted under the reign of the Protestant Elizabeth, had hopes that James would be more lenient. He wasn’t. Robert Catesby, a devout Catholic, recruited like-minded plotters to assassinate James and many more. Their goal was to restore the Catholic monarchy and end persecution of Catholics. Once James was dead, his 9-year-old daughter would be kidnapped and then crowned a Catholic queen. But how to spark this coup?
The conspirators decided to go big. On the annual State Opening of Parliament on Nov. 5, 1605, they would blow up the House of Lords! Attending would be James and his family (not including Elizabeth), all members of the House of Lords plus many members of the House of Commons, the Privy Council, judges, and bishops. The assassins leased a building near Parliament that had a basement that extended under the House of Lords. Over a period of time, they smuggled 36 barrels of gunpowder into the basement. Guy Fawkes was in charge of the explosion. He was a veteran of the Dutch Revolt in the Spanish Netherlands, fighting for the Catholic Spanish.
Things unraveled after an anonymous person sent a letter to a English noble named Monteagle. The writer warned the Catholic Monteagle to avoid Parliament on Nov. 5. Monteagle passed the letter on to James I. His advisers determined that the letter was referring to some type of explosion. Parliament and all the buildings around were searched. On the night of Nov. 4, Fawkes was discovered in the basement guarding the barrels, which were behind a pile of wood. The searchers found Fawkes to be suspicious and upon a thorough search, the gunpowder was discovered. His co-conspirators fled the city. Catesby and several others took refuge in Holbeche House near Staffordshire. Having ridden through rain, they decided to dry their gunpowder by spreading it near the fire in the chimney! A spark set it off, injuring several. The morning of Nov. 8, a force of 200 men under a sheriff besieged the house. Several of the conspirators were shot dead, including Catesby. The survivors, plus other men associated with the plot, were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. On Jan. 31, 1606, Fawkes and others were led to the gallows. Fawkes jumped off the ladder leading to the hangman. He died of a broken neck.
The Gunpowder Plot being foiled is celebrated in Great Britain as Bonfire Night. Bonfires are lit, there are fireworks, and an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned. I think Catesby would be upset to know that it is not his effigy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot
https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/gunpowder-plot
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