Exactly 407 years ago today,on 5 November 1605, a group of English Catholics attempted to assassinate King James I of England and blow up the House of Lords during the state opening of England’s Parliament, an attempt known as the Gunpowder Plot. The plotters hoped that they could place Princess Elizabeth—James’s 9-year-old daughter—as the Catholic head of state.Though the plot was led by Robert Catesby, it was Guy Fawkes whose name became associated with the infamous day. Guy Fawkes had ten years of military experience and was put in charge of the explosives. On the evening of November 4th, the night before the attempt was to go off, authorities were warned of the plot and, while searching the House of Lords, found Fawkes and the gunpowder. Most of the other plotters fled, but Fawkes and the few others who stayed were arrested and executed.
After the event, a national holiday was put into place to celebrate the survival of King James I under the Observance of 5th November Act. Later, in the 18th Century, it became an anti-Catholic holiday, and eventually became known as Guy Fawkes Day. The meaning of the holiday slowly transformed as it worked its way into popular culture. At age seventeen, John Milton wrote a poem about the Gunpowder Plot, which later influenced his most famous work, Paradise Lost. Later, Guy Fawkes became a heroic and sympathetic character in William Harrison Ainsworth’s romance novel, Guy Fawkes; or, The Gunpowder Treason, published in 1841, as well as in penny dreadfuls and children’s books.
In the popular comic book series V for Vendetta—as well as in its film adaption—the protagonist wears a Guy Fawkes mask. Guy Fawkes is also mentioned in the Doctor Who Virgin Missing Adventures novel The Plotters, and in Harry Potter Dumbldore’s phoenix is named Fawkes.
Whether you’re watching fireworks or re-reading V for Vendetta, make your Guy Fawkes Day a good one!