Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), English conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot. Angered by James I’s oppression of Catholics, Fawkes conspired with several others to blow up the House of Lords while the king was there. On 4 November 1605, Fawkes was discovered in the cellar with the gunpowder that was to be set alight the following day. He was arrested and condemned to death, and after severe torture revealed the names of his fellow conspirators. The Gunpowder Plot is commemorated in Britain each year on 5 November, when effigies of Guy Fawkes are burnt.
