Before I get to today’s story let me rewind the tape a bit for you and go back to Tudor times and King Henry VIII. Watch the pre-story by clicking here.
After the colorful life King Henry VIII had, what happens when he finally dies?
Who comes next?
When Henry made himself the head of the Church, that applied for every monarch after him. So after his death the crown goes to his son- Edward VI. He is a Protestant and so is the country. Sadly Edward was a sickly child and he dies very young. Next on the line for the throne is his half sister- Mary which becomes Mary I later known as Bloody Mary. Not because she fancied the drink but because she fancied blood. Mary was a Catholic and she really didn’t like Protestants. She rules for about 40 years, dies, and her half sister comes on the throne. Elizabeth I. Guess what… she is a Protestant so the country swings back to Protestantism again. Being a very successful monarch, still Elizabeth was not a fan of Catholics. Her Nickname was The Virgin Queen. As you can guess, she had no one to continue the name and Elizabeth I was the last of the Tudors.
When Elizabeth dies, there’s no direct successor to the throne. On her deadbed she selects King Henry VII’s great-great- grandson- James VI of Scotland who becomes James I of England.
Following the continuation (Protestantism – Catholicism – Protestantism), the Catholics were hoping for good times. Turns out James was a Protestant 😳 but he promised not to interfere with the Catholics 😏 but he lied 😐
And this is where today’s story begins 🙂
A group of 13 Catholics have decided to change the fate of the nation.
But HOW?
Every year there is a ceremony of opening of the Parliament, even nowadays, where the monarch, Lords and many important people go for. The plan is simple: blow up the Parliament while everybody is there, kill “the head” of the country and start a revolution 🔫
So this group of people rents a room in the basements and slowly, patiently fill it with 36 barrels, all full with gun powder 🛢️. Nobody suspects anything but one of the members knows one of the MP’s. The Member of the Parliament was either the husband of his sister or a fellow Catholic. So the gang member sends a letter to him with a warning not to go to the opening of the Parliament. The politician turns out to be loyal to the King and shows him the letter. A search is made. The police finds Guy Fawkes sitting in a room full with gun powder.
He’s captured, tortured, reveals where some of his crew is and shortly after they are captured. Now comes the “fun part”…
Execution…
Back then, people didn’t have cinemas, they didn’t go out for shopping or for a coffee. Their entertainment was executions and if you were a traitor.. hoho… that’s interesting. Let me explain you the process.
First they gonna tie you with a rope and the other end goes to a horse. Then they say “gedee a” and everybody watches the show. This is just the beginning. This is how you arrive at your final place. Next step is to hang you. But… how do you hang people? You lift the person on a chair, horse or something else and then you push him/her so they break their neck and do not suffer. In your case they wont push you. You will be lifted and hold long enough to see the white light in the dark tunnel and as soon as you get close enough to the light and start seeing the flowers in heaven, they will cut the rope. At that point you are half dead. Next, your male organ will be cut and burn in front of your eyes (if you are a woman, then they will burn you on the stake). After that they open your chest and take whatever they can from inside. At that point you should probably be dead but just in case, your head will be chopped off. And as an end, your legs and arms will be tied to 4 horses which will go in 4 different directions.
The Message…
The four pieces of you will be send to the 4 corners of the country and your head will be sitting on a spike at London Bridge. All this is made as a warning to anybody who dares to go against the King.
But how did Guy Fawkes die?
Guido, as Guy Fawkes was also known, was left to be executed last as he was considered to be the master mind of the whole operation. That is not true! Guy Fawkes was actually the last to be “hired” as he knew about gunpowder.
So when his turn comes to be executed, he jumps (somehow) while the rope is around his neck and breaks it avoiding the agony his crew members has experienced.
Different theories are following now. He either went through the whole process just like his friends (being quartered, etc) or was burned.
Legacy
Even a guy like Guy Fawkes can leave a legacy.
If you think you haven’t seen or heard or him, think again. Chances are you have seen the mask above in the movie V for Vendetta or in the video clips of the Anonymous. Well, this mask is known as Guy Fawkes Mask.
Even more, every hear there’s a celebration called Guy Fawkes Day or Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night where he participates. Well, not he in particular. Fawkes is represented by a doll. Children are encouraged to make those dolls, go around the city with them asking for money by shouting“Penny for the Guy”, buy fireworks with the money, in the evening make a fire, throw The Guy (as the doll is called) into the fire and enjoy the fireworks they have bought.
Watch the FULL story here⬇️⬇️⬇️
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