The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot was a scheme devised by a ring of Catholics in 1605 to blow up the Protestant King James I of England and VI of Scotland on the state opening of the Parliament. Lately, English Catholics had become discontent with that there was going to be another Protestant monarch and this was only exacerbated when James I passed a law that imposed heavy fines on people who did not attend Protestant church services.
The schemers
included Robert Catesby, Guy Fawkes, Thomas Winter, John Wright and Thomas
Percy. Fawkes had expertise in handling explosives after serving with the
Spanish army for a time in Holland. Their train of thought was that the murder
of the King would lead to a Catholic King taking the throne.
A cellar that lay directly beneath the House of Parliament
was leased and the group stored it with about 20 barrels of gunpowder which
were provided by Fawkes. Rallying for more supporters of their plot, Francis
Tresham, whose brother-in-law Lord Monteagle was a Parliament member, joined
the group. Settling on the date of the 5th of November to set off
the explosives, Tresham sent Monteagle a letter imploring him not to attend
Parliament on that day.
Monteagle went to the authorities with the letter and an
immediate search of the Houses of Parliament was commissioned. This led to the
discovery of Fawkes who guarded the cellar with the explosives, and under
torture, he revealed the other conspirators. Catesby and Percy were killed
whilst resisting their arrest, and the others were executed for treason after
being tried.
There is debate relating to whether the group was actually
responsible for the plot or that they, as Catholics, were framed by the
Protestant king.
Arguments that it was a Catholic plot:
v
All those involved were Catholics.
v
Fawkes was an expert in explosives and had
recently just returned to England (perhaps solely for setting up the
explosives).
v
Tresham only thought to save his brother-in-law
instead of the whole Parliament.
v
Gunpowder is not normally kept under the
Parliament.
v
Fawkes revealed names of his fellow
conspirators.
Arguments that it was a Protestant framing:
v
Many modern historians believe that King James
I’s chief minister, Robert Cecil, framed the Catholic group because he wanted
to portray Catholics in general as against England.
v
Tresham may have been working for Cecil.
v
Cecil is quoted as saying ‘...we cannot hope to
have good government while large numbers of people (Catholics) go around
obeying foreign rulers (The Pope).’
v
Monteagle received the letter at night and
coincidentally on the only night in that year which stayed at home.
v
All gunpowder supplies were kept in the Tower of
London.
v
A fried of Cecil rented the cellar out.
v
Tresham was the only conspirator not to be put
to death.
v
The signature on Fawkes’ confession did not
match his real signature.
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