Gunpowder Plot

English Catholicism already began to fade within the first years of the Stuart era. This is partly due to the plot of Catholics who tried to blow up the English Parliament on the day of its opening on 5 November 1605.

What Happened

An oppositional group of Catholics planned to blow up the Parliament and with it the whole political elite of England (the Commons, the Lords, King James I and his court). The plot had to be delayed because the Parliament was prorogated several times, e.g. due to plague outbreaks at the end of 1604. The group hid the gunpowder in the cellars under the Parliament, it was directly stored under the House of Lords. The plot was discovered before something could happen. Lord Chamberlain Suffolk, accompanied by Lord Monteagle and others, made his rounds of the palace and encountered Guy Fawkes. Fawkes was mistaken for a servant and Lord Chamberlain noticed brushwood and faggots, which conceiled the gunpowder. But nothing else was discoverd as the goods were declared as belonging to a Mr. Thomas Percy, the tenant of the house. But then the king ordered a further inspection of the cellar and in the night of 4 November Fawkes was found and arrested. He was instructed to light the gunpowder on the 5 November at the very moment the king entered into the Lords.
But the leaders of the plot did not give in, they fled and hid in Catholic 'safe houses'. In several incidents, some of the plotters were killed or wounded others were caught and put into the Tower and trialed on 27 January 1606.

Who was involved

One of the main plotters was Guy (Guido) Fawkes (1570-1606), a professional blaster. He was the son of a Protestant solicitor, who converted to Catholicism and who was finally executed in 1606, after he had served under the Spanish troops in the Netherlands.

"Last of all came the great devil of all, Guy Fawkes, alias Johnson, who should have put fire to the powder. His body being weak with the torture and sickness he was scarce able to go up the ladder, yet with much ado, by the help of the hangman, went high enough to break his neck by the fall. He made no speech, but with his crosses and idle ceremonies made his end upon the gallows and the block, to the great joy of all the beholders that the land was ended of so wicked a villainy." (Fawkes 2008)

The Thirteen Main plotters

Thomas Bates
Robert Catesby
Sir Everad Digby
Guy (Guido) Fawkes
John Grant
Robert Keyes
Thomas Percy
Ambrose Rookwood
Francis Tresham
Robert Wintour
Thomas Wintour
Christopher Wright
John Wright

Effects

Just after the plot had been detected, the inhabitants of London were called to light bonfires as celebrate to both the king and the nobility which had survived. Although this was just an individual action of some fanatics, it had a remarkable effect on England’s public opinion. Catholicism became something dubious and evoked thoughts of murder and assassination. English Catholics, who were involved in numerous political intrigues and conspiracies under the reign of Elizabeth I, withdrew from politics after the Gunpowder Plot had failed. Despite this plot King James I did not introduce stricter rules against Catholics.
Until this day, the uncovering of the plot is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day on 5 November, when after a procession effigies are burnt. Thus, nobody should forget what a danger Catholics can be for a state.

Sources

Buchanan, Brenda; et al. Gunpowder Plots: A Celebration of 400 Years of British Carelessness with Explosives. London: Allen Lane, 2005.
Eßer, Raingard. Die Tudors und die Stuarts: 1485-1714. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2004.
Haan, Heiner; Niedhart, Gottfried. Geschichte Englands vom 16. bis zum 18. Jahrhundert. München: C.H.Beck, 1993.
Maurer, Michael. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Stuttgart: Reclam, 1997.

Plotters. Gunpowder Plot Society. 2008 http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/plotters.asp 21.07.2009

Guy Fawkes. Gunpowder Plot Society. 2008. http://www.gunpowder-plot.org/fawkes.asp 21.07.2009