“Remember remember the fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot….
I see of no reason that the Gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.”
-John Milton

You might be familiar with Guy Fawkes Day (especially if you’ve got roots in the UK), but if you’re not, you may find the story fascinating.

Let’s rewind to the year 1605. A group of English Catholics were enraged at the lack of religious tolerance by King James I (a devout Protestant) and said “enough is enough” to the strict penalties and persecution that the king imposed on their church and followers.

This was the birth of the Gunpowder Treason Plot. On November 4th, 1605, a search of the House of Lords (the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom) had uncovered Guy Fawkes guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder – enough to absolutely level the entire building. The plan was to kill the king and everyone in that building and install a Catholic ruler in his place.

The plan failed because an anonymous letter was sent to William Parker (an English baron) on the 26th of October. He ensured that the letter made its way to the king.

It’s speculated that someone either wanted to protect William Parker from being in the House of Lords when it was destroyed, or perhaps William authored the letter himself to win the favor of the King.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how or why the letter ended up in William Parker’s hands. What matters is that the plot was a complete failure and those behind it suffered terrible retribution.

An Act of Parliament decreed that November 5th would be a day of celebration for the plot’s downfall and called the holiday ‘Gunpowder Treason Day’ until 1859 when it became known as ‘Guy Fawkes Day”.

Although he was far from the only one involved in the plot, Guy Fawkes became the most well-known perpetrator. For his involvement, he was tried and executed in January 1606. But, is someone truly dead when their memory lives on? After all, Guy Fawkes is now a symbol of anarchy and revolution more than 400 years later.

That’s about as close to immortality as it gets!

But, I can’t help but think about what might have happened if the plot had been successful. I’ll bet that history would have looked a lot different, and the ripple effect would have had massive repercussions on the economy! 9/11 is an excellent example of that.

You can build a legacy of your own (without getting burned in the process) by talking with us about your financial future. Call 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online today and let’s brew up our own plot to overthrow money woes in your retirement.

Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®