What failed conspiracy is commemorated by Guy Fawkes Night?
Answer
Gunpowder Plot
The failed conspiracy commemorated by Guy Fawkes Night was the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
A group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby planned to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, killing the Protestant King James I and much of the political leadership. Guy Fawkes, who had military experience and expertise with explosives, was discovered guarding the gunpowder beneath Parliament late on 4 November 1605.
The plot failed after an anonymous warning letter reached William Parker, Lord Monteagle. A search of the undercroft found Fawkes and 36 barrels of gunpowder. The surviving conspirators were later captured, tried, and executed, while the government promoted 5 November as a day of thanksgiving for the king’s survival.
The other options were separate alleged or historical conspiracies. The Main Plot and Bye Plot concerned James I’s reign, the Rye House Plot targeted Charles II, and the Popish Plot was a later fabricated anti-Catholic scare. None is the event behind Bonfire Night.