THE GUNPOWDER PLOT TERROR IN SHAKESPEARE’S ENGLAND

AN ENTHRALLING AND FRESH RE-EXAMINATION OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND DRAMATIC EVENTS IN BRITISH EARLY MODERN HISTORY

Writer: James Travers Publisher: Amberley Price: £20

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, the failed assassination attempt of James I by a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby, is perhaps one of the most well-known events in modern British history. The plan had been to blow up the Houses of Parliament during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November, after which the plotters hoped to install James’s young daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, the so-called ‘Winter Queen’, as a Catholic head of state. The plot, of course, was thwarted and led to the rather grisly executions of some of those implicated, not to mention the long-standing tradition of Bonfire Night that is still enjoyed by many today.

However, what is interesting about the Gunpowder Plot is that it was particularly welldocumented at the time, which has allowed subsequent generations of historians to closely examine events in ways perhaps not possible with other historically important events. Many of these documents are held at the National Archives in Kew, London, where author James Travers works as a cultural property manager. As such, he has been able to study these documents in incredible detail.

Travers has produced an intriguing re-examination of the Gunpowder Plot from these period sources, expertly weaving through the complex issues of the day and the motivations of those who sought to kill their king. He has taken a new look at the investigation made into the plot at the time as well as examined fresh evidence of the torture of Guy Fawkes, the ‘unknown face’ of the plot.