House of Lords

During a search of the House of Lords in the evening on 5 November 1605, Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. Enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament. That is why the assassination attempt against King James I is known as the Gunpowder Plot. The plot was revealed to the authorities in an anonymous letter sent to William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, on 26 October 1605.

The attempt was an initiative of a group provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby. Most of the conspirators fled from London as they learned of the plot's discovery, trying to enlist support along the way. Several made a stand against the pursuing Sheriff of Worcester and his men at Holbeche House. In the ensuing battle, Catesby was one of those shot and killed. At their trial on 27 January 1606, eight of the survivors, including Fawkes, were convicted and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

That Fawkes is not always regarded as a villain is evident from the fact that one of the Galápagos Islands is named after him: Isla Guy Fawkes. Also a nature park in New South Wales bears his name: the Guy Fawkes River National Park.

Every year on November 5, Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom commemorates the Gunpowder Treason. On that occasion, straw dolls representing Guy Fawkes are set on fire along with large quantities of fireworks. Traditionally, the cellars of the British Parliament are inspected on that day to see if another attack is planned. The events surrounding the Gunpowder Betrayal are still a source of inspiration. It was the basis for the story of the graphic novel V for Vendetta, of which a feature film was made in America in 2005. In addition, the Guy Fawkes mask is used as an identifier by, among others, the group Anonymous.

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