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On 5 November 1605, a plot was discovered to blow up parliament, at its opening, with a stash of gunpowder stored in the cellars below the House of Lords. Although the event is closely linked to the name of Guy (or Guido) Fawkes, he was not the leader of the group of conspirators. Instead, Robert Catesby was acknowledged as the foremost of the Catholic conspirators.James, who had already escaped assassination attempts in Scotland (such as the 1600 Gowrie conspiracy), declared 5 November a day of national celebration. Guy Fawkes Day is still celebrated today (although the symbolic figure initially burned was the Pope rather than the plot\'s agent).
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