Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of English Catholics who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. The plot involved blowing up the House of Lords during the opening of Parliament on November 5, 1605. Fawkes was in charge of guarding the barrels of gunpowder that were placed in the cellar of the Parliament building. However, he was arrested on the night of November 4, after an anonymous letter tipped off the authorities. Fawkes was tortured and confessed to the plot, implicating his co-conspirators. He was tried and convicted of treason and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. On the day of his execution, January 31, 1606, he jumped from the scaffold and broke his neck, avoiding the gruesome fate. His body was still mutilated and his remains were dispersed to different parts of the country. Fawkes became a symbol of the Gunpowder Plot, which is commemorated every year on November 5, also known as Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night. On this day, people light bonfires and fireworks, and burn effigies of Fawkes, also known as “guys”. Fawkes is also associated with the mask of his face, which has become a popular icon of protest movements, such as Anonymous and Occupy.