The Gunpowder Plot – November 5, 1605
November 5, 1605, a group of English Catholics enact their plan to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament. Led by Robert Catesby, this group of men allegedly began planning this regicide in 1604 before finally deciding to carry out their plan on November 5, 1605. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords to trigger a regime change after decades of religious persecution against Catholics in England. At the time, James I was the king of England, his daughter, Elizabeth was to forcibly replace her father, with the plan to raise her as Catholic so that they could end the years of religious persecution for Catholics in the English Empire.
Their plan may have been successful if not for an anonymous letter sent to William Parker, a catholic member of parliament, that outlined the plans, who immediately showed the letter to authorities. After hearing that the plot had been discovered, many of the conspirators fled London, a few died in a gunfight with the Sheriff of Worcester, and eight were brought to trial before being sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.
This day went down in infamy for English History, spurring many holidays, movies, plays, tv shows, and countless other pop culture pieces that are hugely relevant in the modern world.
The Conspirators ~
There were 13 men involved in the Gunpowder Plot, Robert Catesby, John Wright, Christopher Wright, Robert Wintour, Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, Guy (Guido) Fawkes, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, John Grant, Ambrose Rockwood, Sir Everard Digby, and Frances Tresham. The main conspirators were Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright, and Guy Fawkes.
Henry Garnet ~
Henry Garnet was the Superior of the Jesuits of England from 1589 – 1605. Garnet was one of the eight men tried for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot and was executed on May 3, 1606. According to the English government, Garnet was aware of the plot to overthrow the government, as Catesby told him about the plan in confession, but failed to tell authorities and was deemed a traitor to the crown and state. For centuries, this was the accepted narrative, until the Catholic church began to publish their version of events.
In their account, Garnet was never told the specifics of the plan. Allegedly, Catesby went to Garnet during confession and asked him for advice because he was getting called up to battle in the Netherlands. Catesby told Garnet that he was worried about having to kill innocent women and children and wasn’t sure if he should go to battle or if he should flee to avoid his deployment. Garnet then responded by saying God created everything, including war. Casualties are inevitable in war, and since God wants us to be able to defend ourselves, we shouldn’t ignore war summonings. Catesby then went back to the group of men and told them that God wanted them to defend themselves and used that as justification for the plot.
Based on this account of events, the Catholic church considers Garnet a martyr for the Catholic faith and has spent centuries defending him against those who still consider him a traitor to the state of England.
Because we may never know the true story of Henry Garnet’s involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, he’s considered an incredibly controversial figure in British history. The question remains: Henry Garnet, traitor or martyr?
Aftermath ~
As mentioned above, the Gunpowder Plot became the subject of many pop culture pieces ranging from the 1660s until today.
Notably, the plot inspired an unpublished Shakespeare play, aptly named The Fifth of November, or, The Gunpowder Plot. In the 1660s, Shakespeare retired to the countryside of England to focus on writing. Unfortunately, during this period he passed away and the plays he wrote during that period remained unpublished. One of these was The Fifth of November, which was later published in 1830 by Baldwin and Cradock, publishers from London.
Perhaps one of the biggest holidays to come out of the Gunpowder Plot is Guy Fawkes Day, celebrated every November 5 to serve as a day of thanksgiving that the plot failed. Today, Guy Fawkes night is a night celebrated with bonfires and fireworks and people dressing up as ornately decorated and dressed versions of Guy Fawkes. These costumes created a mask that is used on Guy Fawkes night that was most notably featured in the film V for Vendetta by James McTeigue.
The Catholic Church considers Guy Fawkes night an offensive holiday to their faith and has been calling for it to be unrecognized for centuries.
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