The story behind the failed Gunpowder Plot, and how we remember it today. We also look at the challenges King James VI and I faced when he came to the throne and what else the Jacobean era is famous for.
What You’ll Hear
- 0:42: The background to the Plot
- 1:32: What was the reason for the Plot?
- 2:38: Why the Gunpowder Plot failed
- 3:16: How we commemorate the Plot, and the story of the ‘guy’
- 4:00: The further disruptions that James faced
Listen to the Episode
The Gunpowder Plot marks the culmination of a period of unrest in England in the early 1600s. In 1603, King James 6th of Scotland took the English Throne on the death of Elizabeth I, who we looked at in episode 5. Elizabeth had no direct heirs, so the crown passed to the son of her unfortunate cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.
James, now styled “James VI and I”, quickly found himself caught up in a tug of war between the Catholics and the Protestants, and attempted to please them both. At the time he became ruler, towards the end of the Reformation period, Europe was in flux from the challenges to the Catholic Church from reformers such as John Calvin, Martin Luther and of course, James’ ancestor Henry VIII.
James’ attempt at keeping the peace backfired when he reintroduced the recusancy fines (a punishment for continuing to support the Pope) he’d just got rid of, and threw out the priests. This, of course, led to Robert Catesby and his fellow conspirators to come up with the ill-fated Gunpowder Plot to blow up the House of Lords.
The Gunpowder Plot
Tired of the Protestant mistreatment, the gang hoped to kill the cabinet and replace the government with a Catholic one. The attack was planned for the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605.
As well as Catesby, there were 12 other conspirators, including a nobleman who’d only recently converted to Catholicism. Guy Fawkes had the responsibility for the explosives because he’d had a decade-long career in the army.
Catesby had already been involved with other rebellions, and started plotting to blow up Parliament nearly two years before the attempt. He spent considerable time recruiting the best people to help him in his scheme. The original date of attack was February 1605, but the opening of parliament was pushed back due to fears of the plague in London.
With the purchase of an undercroft (cellar), the gang had somewhere to store their illicitly-gained barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes was given the job of lighting the fuse and then to make his way across the Thames and then to Europe to let the Catholics on the continent know.
Discovery and Aftermath
However, some of the group got cold feet, and thought they ought to warn someone of the attack. They were particularly concerned that fellow Catholics may also be in Parliament on the 5th. An anonymous letter was sent to a peer, Lord Monteagle, and it eventually made its way to King James.
James requested a search of the buildings in and around Parliament, and firewood and gunpowder was found.
Fawkes was present at the discovery, but gave a false name and blamed it on his supposed master, fellow conspirator Thomas Percy. Although the gang fled, they were ultimately captured and executed.
The events of the 5th of November are marked across Britain with bonfires and firework displays. Traditionally, an effigy of Guy Fawkes is placed on the top of the fire and burned as well. However, in York, they don’t burn an effigy, because Fawkes attended St Peter’s School in the city.
The guy is usually made of old clothes sewn together and stuffed with rags or newspapers. Children used to carry the guy around the streets and ask passersby for a “penny for the guy.” Any money they got would go towards fireworks for bonfire night. Today this rarely happens, although I have been asked to contribute for a teddy bear wearing a football shirt. I declined.
King James VI and I continued to have problems. From the disruption of the Reformation came the Thirty Years’ War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648. It started off as squabbling between Protestant and Catholic states within the Holy Roman Empire but became more about who would rule Europe and resulted in eight million casualties.
However, James’ rule is also remembered for the rise of artists, playwrights and scientists. It was also significant for its architecture, which saw opulent, luxurious houses being built by the wealthy. It was heavily influenced by both the Italian Renaissance style and Dutch design concepts.
The buildings often featured symmetrical wings flanking a large, central building, often made of stone or brick. Decorative columns and arches were added, and roofs were flat or gable, and usually both. Inside, ceilings had wooden carvings, and ribbon-like patterns were carved into walls. Staircases were a key feature, set in the middle of the building and designed to impress.
This episode was inspired by a blog about Bessie Surtees House, a Jacobean building in Newcastle upon Tyne. A reference to the Gunpowder Plot was made in the post.
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