Guy Fawkes: Terrorist or Hero? Quiz

Answer: Guido Fawkes

Also called the Dutch War of Independence, the Eighty Years' War was fought from 1568-1648, between Spain and the Netherlands. It appears that Fawkes fought for Spain against the Netherlands and France during this time. England was not directly involved in the conflict.

However, there were still hostilities between England and Spain after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. In 1603, Fawkes traveled to Spain to seek support for a rebellion against the English king; at that time he apparently choose to adopt the Italian "Guido," which he continued to use.

It is believed that he thought the name made him sound more continental. When he was first captured by the King's men, Fawkes gave the name John Johnson; he used the name Guido on his signed confession. (Edward was Fawkes' father's name; it is believed that the name "Guy" might have been popular where he was born in York because of Guy Fairfax, an English judge).

Answer: Roman Catholic

While Guy's father's family was staunchly Anglican and he was baptized in the Anglican Church, his mother's family was known as recusant Catholics, those who refused to attend Anglican worship. His father passed away when he was eight; eventually his mother married a man who family was known for recusancy.

In addition Fawkes attended St. Peter's School in York, which was run by a governor who had served time in prison for recusancy, and the headmaster also followed that belief. Of the students that attended St. Peter's with Guy, three went on to become involved in the Gunpowder Plot and three became Roman Catholic priests.

Answer: James I

The Protestant Reformation was in full swing by the time James became king of Scotland, and religion was a very complicated issue. Although his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was known to be a devout Catholic, James became a devout Presbyterian. As king of Scotland, he was also head of the church there.

When he inherited the throne of England, he also became head of the Church of England. James was forced to enforce severe laws against Catholics there that were already in place when he became king, even though he would have preferred to have been tolerant of "any that will be quiet and give but an outward obedience to the law".

The failed Gunpowder Plot, of course, just brought more anti-Catholic feeling to England.

Answer: The king was a foreigner.

Following His capture, Fawkes was brought to a meeting of the Privy Council, which had assembled in the bedchamber of James I. When asked why he was in the possession of so much gunpowder, it is said that Guy replied, "to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains".

He also said the king was a disease due to his recent excommunication by the pope. Most sources say that while the king was impressed by Fawke's calm manner, it did not prevent his order the next day, which involved torturing him to uncover the names of the other conspirators.

Answer: Robert Catesby

Catesby, who wanted to replace King James I with a Catholic monarch, had already proposed blowing Parliament up with gunpowder before Fawkes joined the group of conspirators. Working with a group of thirteen, the plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England's Parliament. One of the conspirators voiced concern that fellow Catholics present would perhaps be killed; a warning, which suggested that they stay away, raised concern and led to the discovery of the gunpowder.

After Fawkes was arrested, word spread quickly, and many conspirators fled London. Some were captured, and others, including Catesby, were killed in a siege at Holbeche House, the home of one of the conspirators, within a few days of the failed plot. Catesby was found dead, holding a picture of the Virgin Mary.

His head was later displayed outside Parliament.

Answer: He was supposed to light the fuse.

Guy had experience working with munitions during the Eighty Years' War; it was said that he had been taught to "fire a slow train". While the other conspirators made plans to leave London, Fawkes was to fire the powder, leave for Flanders, and spread the news of the explosion. Guy was the one who was caught with the gunpowder, and for two days, he was the only known conspirator. Claiming that his name was John Johnson, he finally capitulated.

It is unknown as to exactly how he tortured, but by the looks of his signature on the confession, he was racked.

Answer: False

One of the conspirators, Thomas Wintour, told that the plan was to dig a tunnel from the home of John Whynniard, Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, to the House of Lords. Thomas Percy, one of the members of the group, had gained employment at Whynniard's home as a caretaker.

Although in his fifth interrogation Fawkes claimed there was a tunnel, no trace was ever found. Instead, it appeared that the group was able to rent an undercroft, which, as luck would have it, was directly below the House of Lords. An undercroft is a brick-lined cellar or storage room; usually at ground level, it is opened at the sides, but covered by the building above.

This undercroft is where Guy was discovered, along with the supplies needed to blow up the House of Lords, which included thirty-six barrels of gunpowder! Destroyed by a fire in 1834, the undercroft used by the conspirators no longer exists; it is said, however, that every year before the State Opening of Parliament, it is a tradition that the Yeomen of the Guard sweep the area, looking for explosives!

Answer: He died from a broken neck.

All of the captured conspirators were convicted of high treason; Fawkes watched as three of his co-conspirators were hanged and quartered. It is unclear as to what exactly happened when it was his turn. Either the hanging killed him (it wasn't supposed to - it was just to make the prisoner a bit uncomfortable), or he jumped off the scaffold and died from the injury of a broken neck. Nevertheless, his body was quartered, and the remains were distributed to the four corners of the kingdom as a warning to others.

Answer: November 5

As the people began to hear about the Gunpowder Plot, they began to light bonfires in celebration that the plot at failed. In January of 1606, Parliament designated November 5 a public day of thanksgiving. Also called Bonfire Day in England, in the American colonies the festivities became known as Pope Day; it was customary to burn an effigy of the pope.

As time went on, Guy Fawkes Day became more of a time in Britain for friends and family to get together, shoot off fireworks, attend parades, have a bonfire, and, of course, burn an effigy of Fawkes.

Answer: True

Fawkes indeed was voted the 30th Greatest Briton, edging out the likes of Henry VIII who was voted 40th, and King Arthur, who was voted 51st! Many see Guy Fawkes not as a terrorist, but as a person who tried to fight against tyranny - a would-be freedom fighter ! He is viewed as an advocate of religious freedom, which Catholics in England did not achieve until the passage of the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1829, when most of the restrictions placed on Roman Catholics were finally removed.