The Gunpowder Plot of 1605
Equivocation examines an important event in English History: the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an attempt by Catholics to kill King James I of England.
 
In the late 16th Century, England was divided by religion. Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 and declared himself the head of the Church of England. Following Henry’s death, his daughter Mary I reigned briefly, during which time Catholicism was restored in England. The Protestant monarchies of Henry VIII and his other daughter, Elizabeth I, however, oppressed Catholicism, forcing Catholics to practice their faith in secret. Priests, if caught, were executed as traitors. When Elizabeth died without a direct heir, James I ascended to the throne. Catholics hoped for increased religious tolerance under their new king. When James failed to significantly relax Britain’s stance on the Catholic Church, a group led by Robert Catesby, and including the infamous Guy Fawkes, resolved to kill James and install a more progressive monarch.

With Guy Fawkes in charge of explosives, the conspirators planned to blow up both the King and the House of Lords during the next State Opening of Parliament. Before the attack could be carried out, however, authorities were alerted about the planned assassination attempt via an anonymous letter. On the morning of November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in a storage room under the Houses of Parliament surrounded by 36 barrels of gunpowder. The conspirators were killed, some in the skirmish surrounding their capture, others in official executions. To this day, the British celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th to commemorate the event.