Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - Research Paper Example

Guy Fawkes & the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Introduction Spying and shoot-outs, torture, and treachery and gruesome deaths,the gunpowder plot explains it all, but the main question is why the Catholics were so bitter to an extent of planning the plot. Where the year 1603 marked an end of Queen Elizabeth 1 era, which was an era of suffering for the Catholics. In the year 1605, November 5, the gunpowder plot was discovered. The Gunpowder plot refers to conspiracy also a failed attempt to eliminate the king and the House of parliament. Their main aim of the plot was to mark the beginning of the English Catholic rule, who were certainly distressed due to the increase severity of penal laws against their religion and practices. The paper will therefore, outline the political and historical context of the Gunpowder plot and the effect it had to Britain’s culture. Gunpowder Plot Guy Fawkes is one of the York’s known historical characters, being famous for his involvement in the failed Gunpowder plot. Guy Fawkes was a protestant by birth, born in Stone gate, York in the year 1570, after which he became a Roman Catholic after his marriage. Fawkes was the only son in his parents who lived and married in Scotto. He attended school at St. Peter’s where he received Roman Catholic influences among others. Over the years, those who knew him painted him as ‘a man of great piety’ (Fraser 2010, p. 10-15). In the year 1593, he was enlisted in the Spanish Army and in the year 1596, he participated in the capture of the Calais city by the Spanish, as their war with Henry IV of France was underway. In his service in the army, he was furnished as a bravely man and an expert in mining. In the year 1602, he moved to Madrid where he met with Kit Wright and later with Thomas Winter who enrolled him in the gunpowder plot as a useful expert and was unknown to the authority. He played his part well in the plot and behaved in courage and dignity even after his arrest. For several days, Guy Fawkes withstood torture rather than selling his fellow plotters out (MALAM, & MALAM 2008, p. 20-25). Queen Elizabeth 1 had made England one of the Protestant strongholds in Europe, in which under her reign, the Catholics had suffered because of the anti-catholic laws that had been implemented. Therefore, when she died, the Catholics had hoped that King James 1 would scrap out the laws, but as time went by, the religion became stronger and the king felt that his authority was threatened so he implemented the anti-Catholic laws again. Therefore, Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Thomas Wright among others thought that violence was the only method they would resolve the issue, and this was done through plotting to blow up the Houses of Parliament using barrels of gunpowder (Fraser 2010, p. 10-15). In the year 1605, it should be remembered that King James 1 had arrived from Scotland where in the reign of his predecessor Elizabeth 1 who served from the year 1533-1603, the Church of England had consolidated its break with Rome, catholic religion retained several believers in England. Therefore, there was a great disappointment when it was discovered that, despite the initial indications to the contrary, King James 1 was doing nothing to reverse or to rectify the religious status quo of the end of Elizabeth’s reign, or else permit greater toleration. Though the genesis of the plot until today is unclear, several people accept the plot as a genuine attempt of the Catholics to re-establish their religion. On the other hand, some people speculated that, a group of provocateurs plotted the attack to discredit the Jesuits. In any case, whatever the truth was of the genesis, the plotters felt that it was an honest attempt to eliminate deviation in order to re-establish the true religion, which was the catholic religion. The plotters had also been stimulated by several executions of the Catholics in the year 1604 (Taunton, & Hart 2003, p. 695-715). The progress of the plot The first meeting of the plotters, Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Thomas Wright among others, first met in 20 May 1604 at the Duck and Drake. The plotters discussed their plan to blow up the parliament and it was thereafter where they rented a small house in one of the houses under the parliament building with Guy Fawkes as the caretaker of the room. Over time, the number of the plotters gradually increased, and most of them came from one family, either by marriage or by blood, from one or more members of the original plotters. They later leased an underground store directly underneath the House of Lords. They were alleged to have drilled a tunnel supported by wooden piles directly to the thick foundation of the parliament. Directly under the Parliament, there was another coal cellar rented to a man called Bright, and it was here they plotted to make a cavity (Fraser 2010, p. 20). Over the months, they were able to accumulate 36 barrels of gunpowder in the house enough to blow up everything. However, still hoping for support from Guy Fawkes, he went back to Flanders but later came back, also later they recruited Rookwood, and Digby, who were essential to the operation since they were wealthy, and the plotters needed horses for the uprising. In the month of October, the final details were made, with Fawkes assigned to light the fuse of the gunpowder and later escape to continental Europe. Consequently, Digby would later lead an uprising in the Midlands where they were to kidnap King James’ daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and crown her as a puppet queen. On the other hand, Guy would have gone to the continental governments to secure their acceptance by them also granting them support (MALAM, & MALAM 2008, p. 20-25). Discovery On the eve of the planned day, everything seemed okay, but on the night of 26 October, Lord Monteagle received a letter that warned him about attending the opening of the parliament. Despite the warning to the plotters of Thomas Ward, a servant of Moteagle, about the letter, they decided to push through with their plan. So they returned to London on 4 November to check whether everything was still in order. In any event, it was customary for them for them to do check up, so Lord Montegle, Lord Suffolk, and Lord Chamberlain made an initial search and they discovered Fawkes attempt to cover the barrels of gunpowder with wood in one of the cellars. At the second round of their search, they found the barrels and arrested Fawkes, and a warrant of arrest was issued to Percy since it was the name that was linked to the person who leased the second house (Taunton, & Hart 2003, p. 695-715). At this time, the plotters escaped from London and headed for Midlands, in this case, Rookwood with his fastest horse was able to get to the other plotters and warn them of the issues that had arisen. The six main plotters rode their horses towards Warwickshire, while Guy on the other hand was being interrogated. By 6 November, Guy Fawkes had maintained his silence, thus it prompted King James 1 to give authority to use torture on him, but this did not make him talk for the next two days. Mysteriously, the government had already acquired a list of all plotters and their whereabouts, thereafter raiding their Holbeche house in the morning of 8 November and several of them died in the fight while others were captured (MALAM, & MALAM 2008, p. 20-25). The Aftermath By December, the government did still not capture only Robert Winter. However, while still in interrogation, Bates had admitted everything and had provided full details of the plot to the Jesuit Father, and this resulted to the government ransacking Catholic homes. Meanwhile, the King had ordered severe torture if the plotters refused to provide information. The results of the torture was no doubt since all the captured plotters had confessed of being involved in the plot, resulting to the trials finding them guilty of treason ad were sentenced to death by hanging, drawn, and quarter. Guy Fawkes was the last to suffer, named as the main plotter. The execution was undertaken in two main places, where the last recruited plotters, Digby, Bates, Grant, and Robert were to be executed at St. Paul’s Churchyard, while the main plotters Fawkes, Rookwood, Thomas, and Keyes were to be executed at the Old Palace Yard. In addition to them was the Jesuit Priest, Henry Garnett, was implicated for concealing the treason information since he had heard the confession of the plotters thus was later executed in 1606 (Taunton, & Hart 2003, p. 695-715). After the executions, the ordinary Catholic suffered due to the Gunpowder plot. King James 1 implemented new laws thus preventing them from either practicing law, serving as officers in the Army or in the Navy, or voting in elections. Their suffering did not end there; this is because their community was blackened for one century also blamed for several other incidences in London such as Great Fire of London and Popish Plot of 1978. The Catholics were made to suffer for centuries not until 1829 when the ban was lifted and were allowed to vote in elections (SHARPE 2005, p. 38). Until today, several questions remain unanswered; this is because the government seemed to know more about the plot than it was ever imagined. Moreover, they may have also encouraged the plot so to make a dramatic discovery that would have made a successful propaganda. If the argument is correct, Robert Ceil who around the sale of the gunpowder, was a spy to the government as used his position to get important information from the plotters. In my thinking, I believe Robert Ceil had a lot to do with the plot and framing the Catholics in favor of the government. Meaning that, the framing to implicate the Catholics was successful, since the anti-catholic feeling was to remain and increase in strength and the position of the Roman Catholics who remained loyal to their faith was made more difficult (MALAM, & MALAM 2008, p. 26-27). Commemoration of the Plot The 5 November currently is commemorated as the ‘Firework Night’, ‘Guy Fawkes Day’, or ‘Bonfire Night’. During this period after the gunpowder plot, the government implemented an Act of parliament that appointed 5 November every year as a day of thanksgiving, because the deliverance the King and his people went through, but the act remained in celebration until 1859. During the celebration, the people in London would celebrate through fires and street festivals, that is, after the defeat of the plot and in the consecutive anniversaries (SHARPE 2005, p. 70). On the other hand, despite commemorating the day with fireworks each year, people in Britain also commemorate Guy Fawkes by making effigy supposedly of Fawkes made from old and torn clothes, newspapers, and outfitted with ugly mask and later burnt on the commemoration day. During the 19th century, the word Guy would mean weirdly dressed person while in the 20th and 21st Century it was used to mean, in jargon usage to any male person. The extent of the bonfire celebration and the size of the bonfire are different according to various communities since it is not only celebrated in Britain but also in the British colonies and other places such as New Zealand and Newfoundland Canada (SHARPE 2005, p. 70). References FRASER, A. (2010). The gunpowder plot: Terror and faith in 1605. Hachette UK. TAUNTON, N., & HART, V. (2003). King Lear, King James and the Gunpowder Treason of 1605. Renaissance Studies, 17(4), 695-715. MALAM, J., & MALAM, J. (2008). The gunpowder plot. Slough, Cherrytree. SHARPE, J. (2005). Remember, remember: a cultural history of Guy Fawkes Day. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press. Read More