Guy Fawkes was born in York, England, in 1570.
Fawkes was baptised at St Michael le Belfrey church in York on 16 April 1570. His family lived in the city, and York remained important to his early life. He later attended St Peter’s School, where his classmates included John and Christopher Wright, who would also become Gunpowder Plot conspirators.
Fawkes converted to Roman Catholicism after his stepfather’s death and eventually left England. He served as a soldier for Catholic Spain in the Netherlands, gaining experience with military explosives. That background helped make him the plotters’ explosives expert in 1605.
A common mix-up is to associate Fawkes primarily with London because he was arrested beneath the Palace of Westminster. However, his birthplace and early education were in York. The city still commemorates his connection through local historical displays and references to St Peter’s School.