The Gunpowder Plot Essay
The Official Story
In 1603 a man named Robert Catesby and several other Catholics plotted to blow up King James of England.
They planned to dig a tunnel under the houses of parliament and using gunpowder and blow it up along with the king and many other important men. A soldier and explosives expert named Guido Fawkes would light the fuse during a meeting between the king and the members of parliament. Catesby rented a house next to the House of Lords. They began to dig a tunnel underneath the House of Lords but hit a problem. The tunnel was near the River Thames and the tunnel began to fill up with water
Luckily the meeting was delayed until the fifth of November, and a cellar under the House of Lords was available to rent. They rented the cellar and quickly filled it with 36 barrels of gunpowder. On the 26th of October Lord Monteagle received an anonymous letter telling him he must not attend the meeting, as there will be a large explosion. Monteagle took the letter to Robert Cecil who was the king’s chief minister. Cecil showed the letter to the king who on the fourth of November had the cellar searched.
The guards found a man known as John Johnson standing next to the barrels. He was arrested and tortured until he admitted he was Guy Fawkes and revealed the plot.
The other plotters were hiding in a house in the midlands waiting for news when soldiers surrounded the house and most of the plotters including Thomas Percy and Robert Catesby were killed. The remaining plotters were hung, drawn and quartered in the gardens of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Were the plotters framed?
Modern Historians believe that Robert Cecil set the plotters up.
Arguments For:
One of the plotters, Francis Tresham was Cecil’s brother in law, did he work for Cecil, and give the letter to Monteagle to frame the plotters. Tresham was also the only plotter not to be executed.
The man who rented the cellar to the plotters was a close friend of...