The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to assassinate King James I of England during the Opening of Parliament in November 1605.

The plan was organised by Robert Catesby, a devout English Catholic who hoped to kill the Protestant King James and establish Catholic rule in England. As part of the plan, Catesby intended to kidnap James's nine-year-old daughter Princess Elizabeth and install her as a puppet queen.

English Catholics had expected more religious tolerance under James I compared to the reign of his predecessor, Elizabeth I. James's wife, Anne of Denmark, was a Catholic, and the king initially appeared sympathetic to English Catholicism.

However, these hopes were dashed in early 1604 when in a speech to Parliament James I said he `detested' the Catholic faith. Days later, he ordered all Jesuit and Catholic priests to leave the realm.

Following the king's declaration, Catesby joined forces with other Catholic conspirators to bring down the Protestant government.

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'Sapere aude'