The Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot was a failed conspiracy in 1605 by a group of English Catholics, including Guy Fawkes, to assassinate King James I and blow up the House of Lords. They aimed to restore Catholic rule in England after years of Protestant leadership. On November 5, they secretly stocked gunpowder in a cellar beneath the House of Lords, but authorities discovered the plot. Fawkes was arrested, and the conspirators were executed. The event is commemorated annually in the UK on Bonfire Night, when people light bonfires and fireworks, remembering the thwarted attack and the importance of religious tolerance.