The Gunpowder plot, at its most basic, was a conspiracy to blow up the English parliament, along with King James I and the entire English nobility, on the 5th of November, 1605.

However, the true nature of the plot is more far-reaching than simply the plans of a small group of disaffected Catholics. For this conspiracy grew out of a religious and spiritual divide that had racked the nation for over half a century.

The chasm between Protestant and Catholic that had polarised the country would see persecution, discrimination and bloody conflict seize the realm.

The bitterness that consumed the hearts of the population was such that not even the King himself was safe. Anyone and everyone was a target in this medieval terrorism that swept the State.

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A nation divided:

It was Henry VIII who set the country along the path to religious disunity, when he broke the union of the English church with Rome after the Pope's refusal to grant his request for an annulment of his marriage to Katharine of Aragón.

The 1534 ‘Act of Supremacy’ acknowledged the King as the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England. Thus the Reformation in England under Henry was at first a matter of policy, not doctrine.

However, there were more obvious, and unnerving, signs of change. The monasteries were suppressed and, under Edward VI, Protestantism gained ground.

The Act of Uniformity of 1549 required the use of the first ‘Book of Common Prayer’ and increased tensions between Roman Catholics and reformers, leading to an unsuccessful rebellion in the west.

The dissolution of private chapels and the destruction of relics, both begun under Henry, quickly gathered pace.

But just as this new religion began to establish dominance amongst the populace, the country was again turned on its head as Mary I, a Catholic, inherited the throne.

All the measures that had separated the Church of England from Rome were reversed; the Roman ritual returned and the nation was received again into the communion of Rome.

There then began a period of religious persecution. The number burned at the stake amounted almost to 300 and Mary I would soon earn the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.

After Mary’s death Elizabeth I was crowned and quickly steered the country back to a Protestant path. The ‘Elizabethan Settlement’ set the English church upon a middle course between Roman Catholicism and Protestant Calvinism.

Upon the death of Elizabeth the throne passed to the son of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland. The Scottish King had been brought up as a Protestant and was now crowned James I of England.

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The Third Way?

Many Catholics held out hope that James would reverse the anti-Catholic policies of his predecessor. Indeed, James himself was the son of a Catholic and had chosen the Protestant path for political as well as religious reasons.

Coupled with this, the suspicion arose that the king favoured the Catholics, because he sought to reconcile with Spain and attempted to arrange a marriage between a Spanish princess and Prince Charles (later Charles I).

But much as James may have wished to promote unity within his new nation, he was faced with a populace that remained deeply suspicious of Catholics. The Spanish Armada, coupled with a succession of Catholic plots against Elizabeth and the often brutal rule of ‘Bloody’ Mary had ensured it would be near impossible for James to dispose of anti-Catholic laws.

Yet James’ difficulties did not end there, for he also faced the problem of Puritanism. This was a movement that had emerged during the reign of Elizabeth I and believed that the Church of England was too political, too compromising, and too Catholic in its liturgy, vestments, and Episcopal hierarchy.

On his arrival in England, the king was presented with the ’Millenary Petition’, a plea for the accommodation of Puritans within the established Church. However, at the Hampton Court Conference, James displayed an uncompromising anti-Puritan attitude, which aroused great distrust.

Facing increasing pressure to appease these disparate factions, James condemned Catholicism and ordered all Catholic priests to leave the country. Any lasting hopes that the Catholic population may have held that James would somehow benefit their cause were now dashed.

By 1604, far from unifying a nation, James now found himself facing a widening religious diaspora that saw Puritans and Catholics alike feeling disaffected and cut off from the establishment.

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The Plot thickens:

The Gunpowder Plot itself was the brainchild of a member of one of the leading Catholic families in England – Robert Catesby.

It was intended to be the beginning of a great uprising of English Catholics and called for the destruction of the King and parliament, followed by a Catholic uprising – led by Catesby – which would restore a Catholic tradition to the English crown.

The conspirators, who began plotting early in 1604, expanded their number to a point where secrecy was impossible.

They included Robert Catesby, John Wright, and Thomas Winter, the originators, Christopher Wright, Robert Winter, Robert Keyes, Guy Fawkes - a soldier who had been serving in Flanders - Thomas Percy, John Grant, Sir Everard Digby, Francis Tresham, Ambrose Rookwood and Thomas Bates.

In March 1605, Percy hired a cellar under the House of Lords, in which 36 barrels of gunpowder, overlaid with iron bars and firewood, were secretly stored.

In October the conspirators met to finalise the details of their plan. It was agreed that Fawkes would be the one to light the fuse and would then escape across the river and join Catesby and the other conspirators in the Midlands, where an uprising would already be underway.

However, even as they put the finishing touches to their scheme the conspirators’ plan was unravelling as they were betrayed by a still-unknown turncoat within their midst.

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Discovery:

The conspiracy was brought to light through a mysterious letter received by Lord Monteagle, a brother-in-law of Tresham, on Oct 26, urging him not to attend parliament on the opening day. The letter warned that parliament would receive a ‘terrible blow’ and he immediately informed the authorities.

Rather than clamp down immediately, the King’s chief advisor - Lord Salisbury - and others to whom the plot was made known, decided to allow the plot to mature.

After carrying out surveillance on the cellar, government forces swooped and discovered both the gunpowder and Guy Fawkes, who was promptly arrested and tortured for information.

Catesby still favoured an uprising, but found himself without the manpower or resources to mount a serious campaign. He, along with his fellow plotters, was hunted down by government forces and captured.

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Aftermath:

Some of the conspirators had the good fortune to die before being captured. To those who remained there was absolutely no chance of clemency.

The plotters were executed in Westminster and the brutal fate of being hung, drawn and quartered ensured their deaths would show no mercy and inflict maximum suffering.

While the plot was the work of a small number of men, its implications were far reaching. It provoked hostility against all English Catholics throughout the nation and led to an increase in the harshness of laws against them.

Yet, beyond the immediate ramifications, the plot would have a more sinister effect on the nation, for this treachery was not easily forgotten.

For centuries the Gunpowder Plot would fuel the anti-Catholic fervour in England, leading to suspicion and resentment of Catholics throughout the nation.

Even today, although our celebrations no longer mark religious division, thousands of effigies of the traitor Guy Fawkes are burnt on bonfires and the child’s rhyme that rings out on November 5th carries a message of warning, fear and alarm:

Remember, remember,
The 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot,
I see no reason,
Why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.