Who is fawkes

How we remember Fawkes, as both a person and a symbol, presents a case study for how the meaning of historical events can be bent to serve the religious, political, and cultural needs of the present.

But it also presents a fundamental question about how much is too much historical alteration. The Guy Fawkes celebrations are, paradoxically, rooted in his failure. Though born into a Protestant family in York, in the north of England, Fawkes converted to Catholicism in his teens.

At the time, Catholics suffered severe repression across the country and were barred from voting, holding public office, and owning land. The religious persecution prompted Fawkes to leave England for the Netherlands, where he served in the army for Catholic-ruled Spain. As he rose in the ranks, Fawkes became notorious for both his skill as a soldier and his handling of explosives—a talent that caught the eye of a fellow English Catholic, Robert Catesby.

But although Catesby was the ringleader, Fawkes has garnered most of the publicity over the past plus years. Born in in York, England, Fawkes spent about a decade fighting for Spain against Protestant rebels in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands. He also personally petitioned the king of Spain for help in starting an English rebellion against James. According to writings in the Spanish archives, Fawkes believed the English king was a heretic who would drive out his Catholic subjects.

Fawkes also apparently expressed strong anti-Scottish prejudices. By Fawkes was calling himself Guido rather than Guy. He also used the alias John Johnson while serving as caretaker of a cellar—located just below the House of Lords—that the plotters had leased in order to stockpile gunpowder.

Under the plan, Fawkes would light a fuse on November 5, , during the opening of a new session of Parliament. James, his eldest son, the House of Lords and the House of Commons would all be blown sky-high.

On October 26, an anonymous letter advising a Catholic sympathizer to avoid the State Opening of Parliament alerted the authorities to the existence of a plot. To this day, no one knows for sure who wrote the letter. Some historians have even suggested that it was fabricated and that the authorities already knew of the Gunpowder Plot, only letting it progress as an excuse to further crack down on Catholicism.

In March Percy rented a basement storeroom at the Palace of Westminster. The gunpowder was then transported directly there, where, under the expert supervision of Fawkes, it could do the most damage. Three wealthy, influential men—Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham, and Sir Everard Digby—joined the conspiracy, bringing the total number to Several times they had planned to launch the attack when Parliament opened, but delays forced them to wait.

Finally, in November , it appeared that the plan would finally be set in motion. It is remarkable that, with a total of 13 plotters, the conspiracy stayed secret until Lord Monteagle received his letter. Scholars have long puzzled over the identity of the sender.

In any case, once Monteagle handed over the letter, the search was ordered, and Fawkes arrested and brought to the Tower of London in the early hours of November 5. Fawkes was able to resist interrogation, until King James issued an order on November 6, , authorizing the use of torture on Fawkes, who only then relented and confessed. The rest were caught, taken back to London, and convicted of treason except for Francis Tresham, who died in prison before the trial. All who were tried were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

On the day of execution, he jumped from the gallows, breaking his own neck in the fall. He was anxious to avoid both a pogrom against his Catholic subjects and diplomatic tensions with Catholic states. His speech to Parliament and official sermons preached by leading churchmen stressed the heinousness of the plot—but also accepted that many English Catholics were still loyal subjects.

Even before the executions of the plotters, Parliament passed the Thanksgiving Act of requiring every parish church in England to deliver a sermon on November 5 thanking God for deliverance from a Catholic plot.

Despite not being the leader of the conspiracy, Fawkes became the face of it, and was elevated to lasting fame. National Geographic National Geographic. By James Sharpe. Published 9 Apr , BST. Who wrote these hasty lines to Catholic peer Lord Monteagle, warning him of the plot?

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