Biographie de Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes Biography

Guy Fawkes was born in York, in England, on April 13th 1570. When he was young, he learnt in the York's school with a protestant education, but Fawkes became catholic at the age of 16. His father died in 1579 and in 1592 he married Anne Pullyan.

In 1593 he entered in the catholic army of Spain to fight against Protestants, under the order of King phillip II of Spain. He stayed soldier during few years, which allowed him to learn a lot about explosives. Fawkes tried to convince Phillip II to send his army in England to abolish the dominance of Protestantism, but his plan failed. At that time in england, Catholics were oppressed by the Queen Elizabeth I, who wanted to convert everybody to the Protestant religion, but many people (the «recusants») wanted to remain Catholic.

In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth, her nephew became King James I. The recusants, hoped that the new King will allow the Catholic religion, but he was in fact worst than queen Elizabeth : he taxed, punished and killed the Catholics. When he returned to England, he was recruited by Robert Catesby, a Catholic who wanted to blow up the Parliament, kill King James, and put the Catholic, Princess Elizabeth on the throne.

They decided, with their group of conspirators to blow up the House of Parliament on the 5th of November 1605, at the opening of the Parliament. They bought a cellar under the House of Lords : it was the perfect place.The conspirators filled the cellar with barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes, because of his explosives and munitions experience in the army, had to create the explosion. But the plot was discovered when the cellars were searched the night before the opening. Fawkes was caught in this cellar by guardians and he has been tortured and executed on the 31st January 1606. After that, his companions were tracked, and they were all arrested, or killed.

Each yeat, on the November the 5th, is celebrated the capture of Guy Fawkes with fireworks and burning men who represents Fawkes.

This man was not truly a hero, because of the means he used to make fall the Protestant government, but the reason why he wanted to do that was right : he hoped for a better England, with the toleration of an other religion.

This character inspired the movie «V for Vendetta», who remakes the story with the character «V» who wants to change the fascist government in England and leading a Vendetta against it to give a real freedom of expression to the people.

The face of Guy Fawkes inspired also the famous mask of «Anonymous».

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