Who was Guy Fawkes, and what did he do?

The Guy Fawkes from history was born in the 1500's in
York, England, and was a former soldier who served England during the Eight Years War
against Spain. He was also a spy against the Protestant reformation movement that was so
controversial in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fawkes is most famous for the "Gunpowder
Plot" that intended to eliminate the Protestant King James I, in favor of a Catholic
monarch. This monarch would hae been the King's daughter, Elizabeth, who was a
Catholic.

There were five original plotters and their
original plan was to contain barrels of gunpowder on the basement of the House of
Parliament, and cause an explosion. Fawkes was the person in charge of guarding the
gunpowder barrels. The way that he got caught was because the guards got an anonymous
tip. For this, he and the other plotters got arrested for high treason. The punishment
was harsh for treason and was the worst a criminal could get: You would be hung,
drowned, and quartered. Fawkes kind of got it easy because he tried to escape the
scaffold and broke his neck as a result of jumping off
it.

Today England celebrates Guy Fawkes day by torching a
stuffed doll in the shape of a man who is intended to represent Fawkes. To some, he was
a hero. To others, he was a traitor. The important thing is that England (most of its
citizens anyway) hold a deep respect for its monarchic history whether it was a good or
a bad reign. It is out of respect for the institution that this day is remembered and
still celebrated every year on November 5th.