Summary – King James I and the Gunpowder Plot
King James I
When Queen Elizabeth died without children, her advisors chose her third cousin, James VI of Scotland,
to become James I of England. He was a successful king who believed in the divine right of kings, meaning
he thought God had chosen him to rule and that he only had to answer to God. Therefore, he believed he
could not make mistakes.
In religion, James had problems with the Church. He especially angered the Catholics when he ordered all
Catholic priests to leave England, which caused a lot of resentment.
The Gunpowder Plot (1605)
A group of angry Catholics made a plan to blow up Parliament while the king was present, hoping to kill
him and place his daughter Elizabeth on the throne.
The conspirators were:
Robert Catesby (the leader)
Guy Fawkes (in charge of lighting the explosives)
Thomas and Robert Winter
Christopher and John Wright
Thomas Percy
Results: The plan failed when an anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle, warning him not to go to
Parliament. He gave the letter to the king, and when the building was searched, Guy Fawkes was found with
barrels of gunpowder.
Consequences: After being arrested and tortured, he revealed the names of the other conspirators. All of
them were executed brutally: dragged through the streets, hanged, cut into pieces, and their bodies were
displayed around the country as a warning.
King James I
When Queen Elizabeth died without children, her advisors chose her third cousin, James VI of Scotland,
to become James I of England. He was a successful king who believed in the divine right of kings, meaning
he thought God had chosen him to rule and that he only had to answer to God. Therefore, he believed he
could not make mistakes.
In religion, James had problems with the Church. He especially angered the Catholics when he ordered all
Catholic priests to leave England, which caused a lot of resentment.
The Gunpowder Plot (1605)
A group of angry Catholics made a plan to blow up Parliament while the king was present, hoping to kill
him and place his daughter Elizabeth on the throne.
The conspirators were:
Robert Catesby (the leader)
Guy Fawkes (in charge of lighting the explosives)
Thomas and Robert Winter
Christopher and John Wright
Thomas Percy
Results: The plan failed when an anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle, warning him not to go to
Parliament. He gave the letter to the king, and when the building was searched, Guy Fawkes was found with
barrels of gunpowder.
Consequences: After being arrested and tortured, he revealed the names of the other conspirators. All of
them were executed brutally: dragged through the streets, hanged, cut into pieces, and their bodies were
displayed around the country as a warning.
