November: Gunpowder, treason and plot

22 de November de 2017

Have you seen this face? It was made famous in “V for Vendetta” and it is also known as the face of the online activist group Anonymous. Did you know that is the actual face of Guy Fawkes? Guy Fawkes is a very famous English historical figure who tried, and failed, to blow up the The Houses of Parliament in London in 1605. Read all about him here…

 

 

Guy Fawkes: International traitor

Remember, remember

The fifth of November,

The gunpowder, treason and plot,

I know of no reason,

Why the Gunpowder treason,

Should ever be forgot. 

(English children’s nursery rhyme)

November is a very special month in the UK. It’s famous for cold nights, fireworks, bonfires and baked potatoes. It’s the month of Guy Fawkes and November 5th is the date when English people get together with sparklers to remember the Gunpowder plot.

In the 1600s Guy Fawkes had converted to Catholicism and he was well-travelled for the times. He had been to France and had spent time in Spain, where he was known as “Guido” Fawkes.

In 1604, after he returned to England, he joined a secretive group whose main aim was to kill King James I, a Protestant, and replace him with a Catholic monarch. The group planned the Gunpowder Plot and began to put explosives under the Houses of Parliament. The idea was to blow up the government to kill King James. Unfortunately for Guido, the plot was discovered and in 1605 he was found in the cellars with barrels of gunpowder. It didn’t end well for Mr.Fawkes.  He was tortured and died a horrible death but he eventually achieved global fame.

Now every year in the UK people build images of him to burn on top of their bonfires. Known to this day as a traitor and conspirator, Guy Fawkes is one of England’s most famous faces and a huge global brand.

For more information on Guido, watch the YouTube video below: Who was Guy Fawkes? Anglophenia Ep.18.

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