On this day 406 years ago, in 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested after being discovered underneath the House of Lords guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. He followed eight of his comrades to the gallows.
The Gunpowder Plot aka the Jesuit Treason was a failed assassination attempt on King James I. The perpetrators were a band of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby. The plan was meant to completely decapitate the power structure of the reigning aristocracy, and secure greater religious tolerance in England. After James was dead, his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, would be installed as a Catholic Queen.
There were a total of 12 conspirators, each one hand-picked for their various talents. Fawkes was a military veteran with ten years of experience. He had helped suppress the Dutch Revolt in the Spanish Netherlands. For this reason, he was given charge of the explosives.
November 5 was the chosen date because Parliament would begin a new session, which was brought on by a ritual ceremony called the State Opening. The group secured the use of an old building whose kitchen was directly beneath the House of Lords. It was perfect, considering it had been unused for centuries, and didn't attract attention.
But the plot was revealed to the authorities by an anonymous letter, the author of which is still unknown. Fawkes was apprehended before he could detonate the powder and the remaining eleven plotters fled the city. King James dispatched dozens of agents to hunt them down. Only eight would survive to be captured. They were all convicted and executed.
In 2005, a replica of the House of Lords was built and the exact measure of black powder was placed underneath. The test showed that only half of the powder used would have been enough to completely destroy the building and kill everyone inside.
