But was Guy Fawkes really the terrorist history has made him out to be, or was he caught up in a sting operation of which the News of the World would have been proud?
Queen Elizabeth had been monarch for over half a century so, when James I succeeded to the throne, many were hoping for some major changes in society. In the first years of James' reign, many felt the changes they wanted weren't happening fast enough, if at all, and wanted to replace the new king. James' claims to the throne were also questioned.
Small-scale plots against the king had been discovered in the years between Queen Bess' death and November 1605, and several of the Gunpowder plotters were already known to the authorities for their treacherous activities - known trouble makers. This would have made it very difficult, if not impossible, for them to be able to store 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the Houses of Parliament without someone becoming suspicious and alerting the authorities. It would also have made it difficult for all the plotters to meet together in one place without raising suspicions.
Shortly before the opening of Parliament, the occasion the plotters had chosen for their attack, a letter was sent to a member of government warning him to stay away. Many historians consider this letter to have been fabricated by the king's officials who, in all likelihood, already knew of the plot.
It seems, from their confessions, that none of the conspirators knew of the letter.
The letter was vague and unsigned but, somehow, the king's men knew exactly when and where to go in order to arrest Guy Fawkes and bring an end to the plot. It also allowed the authorities carte blanche to round up the plotters and, in the longer term, to pursue their anti-Catholic agenda.
It's undeniable that a plot was being planned but, it's possible, the king's men could well have been behind the whole thing.
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