Guy Fawkes was born in 1507 in York, England. He was a member of a prominent Yorkshire family and a convert to Roman Catholicism. Due, at least partially, to his adventurous spirit and his religious zeal, he left Protestant England in 1513 and enlisted in the Spanish army in the Netherlands.
He won a reputation for great courage and cool determination.
Due to King James I increasing oppression of Roman Catholics in England, Robert Catesby, with the help of a small band of Catholics instigated a plot — known as the Gunpowder Plot. The objective was to blow up the palace at Westminster during the state opening of Parliament, while James I and his chief ministers were there.
Catesby decided that they needed the help of a military man who would not be as readily recognizable as he or members of his organization were. They dispatched one of their group to the Netherlands to enlist Fawkes. Fawkes, without knowledge of the precise details of the plot, returned to England and joined Catesby’s group.
The plotters rented a cellar extending under the palace, and Fawkes planted 36 (some say fewer, some say more) barrels of gunpowder there and camouflaged them with coals and sticks. But the plot was discovered, and Fawkes was arrested during the night of November 4 – 5 (1605.)
Today, November 5 is observed in Britain as Guy Fawkes Day — also called Bonfire Night — to commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Today Guy Fawkes Day is a time to get together with friends and family, set off fireworks, light bonfires, attend parades and burn effigies of Fawkes. Children traditionally wheeled around their effigies demanding a “penny for the Guy.” That’s led some to compare the Guy Fawkes celebration to our Halloween tradition of trick or treating.
Fireworks, a major component of most Guy Fawkes Day celebrations, represent the explosives that were never used by the plotters. Guards perform an annual search of the Parliament building to check for arsonists — although today the search is ceremonial.
All in all, sounds like a fun day — Happy Guy Fawkes Day.
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