Guy Fawkes Night
The gist
Guards found Guy Fawkes with 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords on November 5, 1605.
Britain still marks the foiled plot each year with bonfires, fireworks and effigies.
How it unfolded
- Nov 5, 1605Guards searching the cellars beneath Westminster on the night of November 4–5 found Guy Fawkes with 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, foiling the plot to blow up Parliament and kill King James I.
- Jan 1606Parliament passed the Observance of 5th November Act, making November 5 an annual day of thanksgiving.
- 1606The first official celebration was held.
Key terms
- Gunpowder Plot
- Failed 1605 attempt by English Catholics led by Robert Catesby to kill King James I by blowing up Parliament.
- Observance of 5th November Act
- English act of Parliament passed in 1606 making 5 November an annual day of thanksgiving after the Gunpowder Plot.
- magistrates
- A civilian officer who administers the law, often a judicial officer hearing minor or preliminary cases in a lower court.
Source: Wikipedia