The Gunpowder Plot was a conspiracy to blow up the House of Lords at the opening of Parliament on November 5, 1605. The plot was discovered before it could be carried out. Guy Fawkes guarded the gunpowder, but he was one of a group of conspirators, not the sole planner.
UK Parliament’s history places the conspiracy within religious and political conflict. Its account also explains the warning letter sent to Lord Monteagle and the searches that led to discovery.
Read like a historian
- Use Parliament’s account to list a warning, a search, and an arrest in order.
- Label each entry as a plan, an event, or a later interpretation.
- Explain why a modern celebration is not the same thing as the original event.
Check a claim
A source says “Fawkes alone planned everything.” Which evidence in the linked account challenges that statement? Name at least one other conspirator and explain their connection.
Discussion guide
Parliament identifies several conspirators, including Robert Catesby. A careful account distinguishes the group’s plan from Fawkes’s particular role and from later stories about him.
Sources & further reading
Source links are provided for editorial review. Recovered historical text has not been independently verified.