Who is Guy Fawkes?
Guy Fawkes was a British Catholic who is probably best remembered for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, a scheme to blow up the British Parliament which was developed in 1604. Although Guy Fawkes was not the mastermind of this plot, he came to be closely associated with it because he was caught in the bowels of Parliament concealing explosives on the eve of the planned attack. In Britain, people celebrate Guy Fawkes Day every year to commemorate the successful foiling of this attack. Fawkes was born in 1570, into an England which was struggling with religious ideas. The country had swung radically from a Catholic nation to a Protestant one, thanks to Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. Many Catholics struggled under Protestant rule; they were tortured, deprived of their rights, and generally made to feel unwelcome in the newly Protestant country. As a result, numerous groups of Catholics plotted against the crown, and Fawkes ultimately became involved in such a plot. Guy Fawkes was
Guy Fawkes is famous for his participation in the November 5, 1605 plot to blow up the British Parliament building. A group of 13 young men gathered 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar underneath the House of Lords. The plan was to ignite the barrels during the King’s visit to open the Parliament session and kill the King while hopefully taking out a few other annoying members of the government as well. Unfortunately for Guy Fawkes, the King’s guards inspected the buildings before the king’s visit and Guy was discovered hanging out by the barrels of gunpowder. Nowadays, November 5th is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day. People have bonfires and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes, although some say that instead of celebrating the safety of the king, they’re celebrating the rebel spirit of Guy Fawkes! Look here for more information: http://www.bonfirenight.net/gunpowder.ph…
