In 1605, members of the Catholic resistance in England hatched a plot that would have completely changed the political landscape of the country.

They wanted to blow up the entire parliament and the king on November 5th, which they thought would return a Catholic monarch to the throne.

The plotters got caught, and their demise has been celebrated for the last 400 years.

Learn more about Guy Fawkes Day, the Gunpowder Plot, and why the 5th of November is still remembered on this episode of

Everything Everywhere Daily. To understand what brought about the gunpowder plot, we need to back up about 70 years.

Henry VIII was the King of England, and his wife, the Spanish and very Catholic, Catherine of Aragon,

wasn't able to provide him a son in air.

Actually, she had three sons and three daughters, but none of them survived more than a month,

save for her daughter Mary.

In order to have the son he wanted, he petitioned the Pope to get his marriage annulled so he could get married again.

The Pope was having none of this, so in 1534 he did what any monarch would do in a similar

situation, he started his own religion with himself at the head.

So he got married again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

When Henry created the Church of England, he made being Catholic a treasonable offense confiscated all church property and there were many

executions.

After he dies his daughter Mary eventually takes a throne who is Catholic and she

restored Catholicism as a state religion and she

executed many Protestants. Then Mary dies and she's replaced by her half-sister

the Protestant Elizabeth who once again makes the Church of England the official religion, and makes it compulsory to both Catholics and other Protestants alike.

Most of those other Protestants became what we call the Puritans.

Elizabeth is on the throne for a very long time, 44 years and during

that time Catholics are forced to practice their religion underground. She dies

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