Bonfire Night
Are you going to a Bonfire Night celebration?
The plot to kill the king had failed and this was celebrated the year after on the 5th November 1606. King James I put a law in place that people would celebrate the failure of the plot and his survival. One of the ways people did this was to light bonfires.
It has been over 400 years since this happened and every year since the 5th November has been remembered. Bonfires have continued to be lit and the event was named Bonfire Night. More recently fireworks have also been used to celebrate so some people also call the 5th November Fireworks Night. Fireworks being lit and exploded in the sky with all their pretty colours is quite fitting for a Bonfire Night celebration. Fireworks are filled with gunpowder, the same thing Guy Fawkes tried to use to blow up the House of Lords.
Another tradition on Bonfire Night is to have a guy to put on the Bonfire. This is a life size model made of straw, newspaper and clothes made to look like Guy Fawkes. This is then put on the bonfire and lit along with the wood that makes up the bonfire. This tradition is not as common as it once was though.
What we've learnt...
King James I (and Queen Elizabeth I before him) made life difficult for the Catholics and some of them were very unhappy.
Robert Catesby, Guy Fawkes and others plotted to kill the King and everyone else at the opening of Parliament on 5th November 1605.
They filled 36 barrels of gunpowder and hid them in a cellar underneath the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was ready to set fire to them.
A letter was sent to a member of Parliament warning them not to attend on the 5th November. Because of this letter the plot was discovered.
Guy Fawkes was caught and him and the others were arrested and taken to the Tower of London, found guilty of treason and killed.
The King was safe…this was celebrated and has been ever since on Bonfire Night on the 5th November every year.
Test your knowledge...
The Gunpowder Plot Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If it’s the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was.
#1. Where was Guy Fawkes taken when he was arrested?
#2. How many barrels of gunpowder did they put under the House of Lords?
#3. Who was the plots leader?
#4. What was the date of the opening of Parliament?
#5. Who were the plotters plotting against?
Results
I really hope you have enjoyed learning about
The Gunpowder Plot, with me Tick Tock!
Question Time...
What would have happened if the plot had worked?
Vihaan
The amount of gunpowder in the 36 barrels would have exploded destroying Parliament and the buildings around it such as Westminster Abbey. The King, his wife the Queen, their son and all of Parliament would have been killed. What would have happened after that no one knows!
If you get a grown up to search for The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend it will show you what the explosion might have looked like!
Any other questions?
Is there anything else you’d like to know? Ask your grown up or teacher to ask me! Your question and my answer could then appear here.
