New Delhi: How to blow up the Parliament and the king, thereby plunging the nation into a state of anarchy and chaos by dint of the treason? This was possibly the question that the conspirators of Gunpowder Plot thought. It was a conspiracy hatched by the English Roman Catholics to blow up King James I, his queen and eldest son and ofcourse, the Parliament. The attempt took place on November 5, 1605, and Robert Catesby was the leader of the plot along with other conspirators like Thomas Percy and John Wright.
The conspirators were zealous Roman Catholics and the refusal of James to grant more religious toleration to them angered the conspirators. They apparently hoped that after their plan was executed, there would be a chance for the English Catholics to take over the country.
The Gunpowder Plot and the conspirators
On November 5, 1605, the conspirators planned to blow up the House of Lords during the Parliament’s State Opening. After that, there was going to be a revolt in Midlands in which Princess Elizabeth, the nine-year-old daughter of King James was to be made the new head of state.
According to historians, Robert Catesby possibly formed the plot after there were no hopes of greater religious tolerance under King James I. His fellow conspirators were Robert and Thomas Wintour, John and Christopher Wright, Guy Fawkes, Thomas Percy, Robert Keyes, John Grant, Thomas Bates, Sir Everard Digby, Francis Tresham and Ambrose Rookwood. Fawkes had 10 years of military experience and was given charge of the explosives.
The failure of the plot
As can be guessed, the Gunpowder Plot failed badly. On October 26, 1605, William Parker, a Catholic member of the Parliament received an anonymous letter of warning. He showed it to the authorities and on November 5, while the House of Lords was searched, the authorities discovered Fawkes guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder, which would have reduced the House of Lords to dust.
Most of the conspirators fled London after coming to know that the plot was already discovered. During the flight to survive, Catesby was shot and killed. On January 27, 1606, the trial of the surviving conspirators took place and they were convicted and sentenced to be hanged.
Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy hatched by the English Roman Catholics to blow up King James I, his queen and eldest son and ofcourse, the Parliament. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
