On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in the
plot to blow up the British Parliament building, jumps to his death moments before
his execution for treason in London. On the eve of a general parliamentary
session scheduled for November 5, 1605, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the
peace, found Guy Fawkes lurking in a cellar of the Parliament building. Fawkes
was detained and the premises thoroughly searched. Nearly two tons of gunpowder
were found hidden within the cellar. In his interrogation, Fawkes revealed that
he was a participant in an English Catholic conspiracy organized by Robert
Catesby to annihilate England's entire Protestant government, including King
James I. The king was to have attended Parliament on November 5th.
Over the next few months, English authorities killed or
captured all of the conspirators in the "Gunpowder Plot" but also
arrested, tortured, or killed dozens of innocent English Catholics. After a brief
trial, Guy Fawkes was sentenced, along with the other surviving chief
conspirators, to be hanged, drawn, and quartered in London. On January 30,
1606, the gruesome public executions began in London, and on January 31st
Fawkes was called to meet his fate. While climbing to the hanging platform,
however, he jumped from the ladder and broke his neck, dying instantly. In
remembrance of the Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated across Great
Britain every year on the fifth of November. As dusk falls in the evening,
villagers and city dwellers across Britain light bonfires, set off fireworks,
and burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes, celebrating his failure to blow up Parliament
and James I.
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