The History
• The Plot: On November 5, 1605, a group of radical English Catholics—led by Robert Catesby and including Guy Fawkes—tried to assassinate the Protestant King James I and blow up the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament). • The Arrest: Fawkes, an explosives expert, was caught guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the House of Lords after authorities received an anonymous tip. • The Tradition: Following the king's survival, Londoners lit celebratory bonfires. In January 1606, Parliament passed an act making November 5 an official day of public thanksgiving.
They subsequently went full medieval on him
Hanged.(untill almost dead...revived...then)....Drawn.....and Quartered. How It Is Celebrated Today • Bonfires & Effigies: Communities and families light large bonfires. Traditionally, straw effigies called "Guys" (representing Guy Fawkes) are burned on top of the fire. In recent years, effigies of modern political figures have sometimes been used. • Fireworks: Public and private firework displays light up the sky to symbolize the explosives that were never detonated.
Bring back the Guy Fawkes treatment for traitors today.
Except.... Guy Fawkes was set up by spies. I know this. I’ve researched it quite deeply. One of my ancestors was sent to the Tower of London for the “Spanish Blanks Plot” during Elizabeth I. Everyone he was in contact with was one of Elizabeth’s spies and he was set up/framed. He was pals with Anthony Babington (sucker and another set up fall guy), Kit Marlowe (also a spy), the Earl of Shrewsbury (just an asshole and turncoat—he tried to murder his own brother using poisoned gloves), the whole rotten lot. It’s quite fascinating and I intend to write a book about it one day.