November 5: Remember, Remember…

Remember remember the fifth of November
the Gunpowder Treason and plot.
I see of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot…

On 5 November 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested. Fawkes was one of a group of thirteen Catholics who planned to blow up the British Parliament as part of a plan to restore the Catholic monarchy to English. The plan was to set off the explosion when King James VI and members of parliament were in the building.

Fawkes and his co-conspirators secured space below the House of Lords that they filled with gunpowder. After receiving an anonymous note, the British authorities searched the parliament building and discovered Fawkes with the gunpowder. After being arrested and tortured, Fawkes confessed to what is commonly known as the failed Gunpowder Plot and gave up the names of his coconspirators.

Fawkes was convicted of high treason and was set to be executed on 31 January 1606. The execution of Fawkes—along with three other conspirators—took place at the Old Palace Yard in Westminster.

After the plot was foiled, the public was allowed to celebrate the King’s survival with bonfires as long as there was no danger or public disorder. The following year, Parliament passed the “Observance of 5^th of November Act, 1605” which was also known as the “Thanksgiving Act” and more commonly known as “Guy Fawkes Night” or “Bonfire Night.”

Guy Fawkes Night is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and effigies of Fawkes. Effigies of the Pope were also common. In later years, others whom the crowds despised might also be burned in effigy.
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In the British American colonies, November 5 became known as Pope Day. It was especially popular in Boston. As Issac Winslow recorded in 1765:

On the anniversary of “Pope day” on the 5th of November, there had always existed a bitter rivalry between the South and North parts of the town, which party should capture and destroy each others Pope – the effigies of whom accompanied by others of the Devil and his Imps were carried about in procession on that day & he added by a distinguished fighting character from each Section…

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

Photo Caption: A contemporaneous drawing of eight of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Fawkes is the third from the right. It is likely that artist Crispijn van de Passe never saw any of the conspirators.

Although Today in History is primarily student written, there are some days when we do not have a student author. You will enjoy another student entry on November 8.

Posted on November 5, 2013 by stevenlberg
Categories: American History: Early, World History: Early Modern
Tags: England, politics, United States

8 Responses

andrea says:

5 November 2012 at 9:01 pm

This is very intresting ! I have never heard of this “tradtion” until this class. This makes me think of the Anerican Vaules that we had talked about in class, and how they relate to this topic.

Reply
Brandon Filipiak says:

27 November 2012 at 10:04 am

This certain act on the British parliament is one that not only should be remember but one that resembles much of what happens now a day in the modern world. There is so much war and violence now a days over the basis of this event, which is the difference in religious beliefs and how each religion lives out there faith. Why is it that that something like our faith and beliefs drives a wedge and wages war between different cultures and people. which for most people this raises question as to what really is true, what religion is superior, and how should one live out there faith without waging wars between people. this just gives us all something to consider and think about what we can do to bring peace between nations and cultures when it comes to differences in religious beliefs!

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Adam Clark says:

3 December 2012 at 12:15 am

Guy Fawkes was a revolutionary in his time, and his legacy continues even into today through the actions of the Hacktivist group Anonymous. Anonymous uses the Guy Fawkes mask as their trademark symbol when their members appear in public such as their appearances at various SOPA protests as well as the Occupy movements. Anonymous is famous for their internet related attacks and threats to major bodies in the political and private sectors in order to take a stand for some issue, like their hacking of various Ugandan websites demanding that various anti-LBGT laws not be passed or the group posting the user names of 1,589 members of Lolita City, a child pornography site. Anonymous is infamous for the ruthless ways they pursue their campaigns of Hacktivism, activism through hacking.

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Brooke Bode says:

3 December 2012 at 5:31 pm

Guy Fawkes’ face inspired a very well-known movie, V for Vendetta, which was published in 1982, and was created by Alan Davis. The man who created the mask was David Lloyd. The mask consists of a pale face, rose colored cheeks, an unusual mustache that turns upwards at the ends, a subtle smile, and a thinly stripe of facial hair on the chin. The mask was meant to look like Guy Fawkes. The movie V for Vendetta was about a man named V, who wore a mask of Guy Fawkes, who went around trying to destroy the totalitarian government. While V is taking down the government, he is also extremely violent with the people he comes in contact with, and most of the time he kills them.

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Allie Coleman says:

3 December 2012 at 5:36 pm

After doing research on Guy Fawkes I found out that the book and movie “V for Vendetta” was based around his character and they used his mask. I didn’t know this before and I have seen the movie. I will watch it again to learn more. Also, a group called “Anonymous” who makes videos on Youtube to try and expose the government and their secrets also use the mask. Is their a reason related back to Guy Fawkes that they wear this mask? I will have to research more to find out.

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fishface273 says:

4 December 2012 at 10:24 am

Another thing in history that people must remember is the Alamo. The Alamo was a fight that not winnable but with the force of one hundred and eighty two men and the help of an additional thirty two men. The men were given three choices of what they could do
1. Give up and then later be massacred by the Mexicans.
2. Rush the enemy and be killed quick
3. And last defend the Alamo to the last man
They chose the third and they did fight to the very last man. All of the two hundred and fourteen men that fought for what they believed were right all died, but with their death they helped bring liberty.

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Matt Solomon says:

9 December 2012 at 9:23 pm

Interestingly enough, when Fawkes was standing at the gallows soon to be hanged, he jumped off the platform and broke his own neck. Had he not done so, he would have experienced the following, as per tradition of the English penalty for high treason: he would be hanged until close to death, then his genitals would be removed, after which he (whether alive or dead by this point) would be disemboweled, and finally he would be beheaded with his body quartered into four pieces. He just might have made a wise decision by ending it just before punishment. One should note that his body was still quartered and his pieces distributed through the kingdom as a threat to anyone thinking of committing treasonous acts. Thankfully, England stopped serving this punishment for treason in 1870; nowadays, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment should one do such a thing.

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Reuben Kyle says:

5 November 2013 at 1:28 pm

The king was James I of England though James VI of Scotland.

Reply