The Gunpowder Plot of 1605

The History of the Famous Conspiracy to Assassinate King James I of England

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Scott Clem

In 1605, Guy Fawkes was one of over a dozen conspirators in the famous Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to assassinate England's King James I. When the plot was discovered on the fifth of November, Fawkes and other conspirators were quickly convicted and executed, and the king asked his subjects to remember the date as "the joyful day of deliverance". Fawkes was but one of a countless number of failed assassins, but in a perversely ironic way, the king's declaration ultimately turned November 5 into Guy Fawkes Day, a celebratory day that usually had children creating an effigy that would then be burned in a bonfire. While the effigy was usually Fawkes, others made it a custom to burn an effigy of the pope, a tradition that came to the 13 colonies in America as well. Though he was only one of the plotters, Fawkes became the one most associated with the act, and he was viewed as a symbol of treason.

©2016 Charles River Editors (P)2016 Charles River Editors

informative, but very dry

Just the facts. I appreciated the brevity and simultaneously wished there was more here. A pretty good listen.