"Remember, remember, The Fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot."

On November 5th 1605 the Gunpowder Plot was foiled. this was an attempt by Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland by blowing up the House of Lords whilst he was inside it.

This was done by English Catholics in order to replace James with his daughter, Elizabeth, and make her Catholic head of state, after starting an uprising. The plot involved using 26 barrels of gunpowder, which would have been enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble.

Fawkes was discovered guarding the gunpowder and arrested, tortured and eventually executed.

The attempted assassination is celebrated on Bonfire Night every year. Guy Fawkes used to be popularly burned in effigy, the "Guy" on top of the bonfire. The Guy Fawkes mask has been popularised by the group Anonymous.

Image: Henry Perronet Briggs [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guy_fawkes_henry_perronet_briggs.jpg)