Gunpowder Plot and Dolphin (character): Difference between pages

Revision as of 19:39, 2 November 2005

Revision as of 20:17, 9 November 2005

Line 1:

{{cleanup-date|August 2005}}

The '''Gunpowder Plot''' of [[1605]] was a desperate but failed attempt by a group of provincial English [[Catholicism|Catholic]] extremists to kill King [[James I of England|James I of England and VI of Scotland]], his family, and most of the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] aristocracy in one fell swoop by blowing up the [[Palace of Westminster|Houses of Parliament]] during the [[State Opening of Parliament|State Opening]]. The conspirators had then planned to abduct the royal children, not present in parliament, and then incite a revolt in the Midlands.

'''Dolphin''' is a [[fictional character]], a [[DC Comics]] [[superheroine]].

{{Superherobox| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->

The Gunpowder Plot was one of a series of unsuccessful [[assassination]] attempts against James I; the [[Main Plot]] and the [[Bye Plot]] of [[1603]] being earlier attempts. Many believe the plot to have been associated with the [[Catholic Reformation|Counter-Reformation]], due to the prior knowledge of the plot by the principal Jesuit of England Father [[Henry Garnet]]. The plot may be considered synonymous to an act of terrorism, though the concept did not exist at the time and would have been regarded simply as a seditious act of regicide.

image=[[Image:Dolphin_comics.jpg]]

|caption=Dolphin in her trademark outfit

|comic_color=background:#8080ff

|character_name=Dolphin

|real_name=Unknown

|publisher=[[DC Comics]]<BR>

|debut=Showcase #79

|creators=Jay Scott Pike

|alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0

|status=

|alliances=[[Tempest]]

|previous_alliances= Forgotten Heroes, [[Aquaman]]

|aliases=

|relatives=[[Tempest]], (husband) Cerdian (son)

|powers= artificially adapted for deep subaquatic life: underwater breathing, superhuman strength, resilience to deep water pressures

|}}

==[[Secret Origins]]==

On [[5 November]] each year, people in the [[United Kingdom]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]], [[Newfoundland|Newfoundland, Canada]], some parts of the [[USA]] and formerly [[Australia]] celebrate the failure of the plot on what is known as [[Guy Fawkes Night]] (also known as Bonfire Night or Fireworks Night).

Dolphin (real name unknown) was a very young girl when she fell overboard from a cruise ship ([[Secret Origins]] #50) only to be saved from drowning when a mysterious [[alien]] race abducted her to use as an experimental prototype for a subaquatic humanoid race. In the course of these experiments, she acquired gills, webbed fingers, superhuman strength, resilence to deep water pressures, and a slowed aging process.

When the alien scientists suddenly abandoned the experiment, Dolphin escaped their underwater lab. Oblivious to her former humanity, the [[feral]] young Dolphin scavenged underwater for her livlihood, finding her trademark short blue-jeans and white shirt in a sunken ship. She grew into young womanhood living an isolated, lonely life, until the day the crew of an [[oceanology]] vessel saved her from a near lethal encounter with a [[dolphin]]-killing [[shark]].

The crew of the ship tried to educate and care for the girl they'd dubbed "Dolphin", but her utter lack of contact with either humans or Atlanteans had left her [[mute]]. Though she grew to understand spoken language fairly quickly, the act of speech itself remained beyond her. Then, a young female [[doctor]] on the crew had the bright idea to instruct her in [[American Sign Language|sign language]]. Finally able to communicate, Dolphin explained what she could of herself and her story, and expressed her desire to resume her undersea life. At some point, Dolphin finally mastered spoken language, (especially when she started having contact with the superheroic community) but never lost her shyness and reluctance to speak. She has since been a woman of few words.

== The beginnings of the plot ==

[[Image:Gunpow1.jpg|thumb|320px|right|A contemporary sketch of the conspirators]]

The conspirators had become disillusioned in King James's refusal to give equal rights to Catholics. The plot was intended to initiate a rebellion during which, they hoped, James's nine year old daughter ([[Elizabeth of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth]]) could be installed as a Catholic [[head of state]].

==The Crisis Years==

The plot was masterminded from May [[1604]] by [[Robert Catesby]]. Other known plotters included [[Thomas Wintour]], [[Robert Wintour]], Christopher Wright, [[Thomas Percy (plotter)|Thomas Percy]] (also spelt Percye), John Grant, [[Ambrose Rokewood]], Robert Keyes, Sir [[Everard Digby]], [[Francis Tresham]] and Catesby's servant, Thomas Bates. The plot was executed by [[Guy Fawkes|Guido (Guy) Fawkes]], an explosives expert with considerable military experience who had been introduced to Catesby by a man named [[Hugh Owen]]. Some accounts indicate that Thomas Wintour was the prime mover in all of this, and that Fawkes was the tool towards the ultimate execution of the plot.

Dolphin has stayed mostly on the fringes of the superheroic community, although she was a member of the Forgotten Heroes until their dissolution, and fought alongside them during the ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]].''

==Meeting Aquaman==

The details of the plot were well known to the principal Jesuit of England, Father Henry Garnet. Many believe that, with his tacit approval, the plot was seen by the conspirators as part of the [[Catholic Reformation|Counter-Reformation]]. In any case, once informed, neither the Pope nor his representative acted to halt the proceedings.

During the [[Zero Hour (comics)|Zero Hour]] events, she met [[Aquaman]], and took part in the battle against [[Charybdis (DC Comics)|Charybdis]], a villain interested in the aquatic powers of the two heroes. When Charybdis, after robbing Aquaman of his [[telepathic]] powers, stuck Aquaman's hand in a pool of water teeming with [[piranha|piranhas]], the normally passive Dolphin was forced to shoot the madman. She then escorted Aquaman and a wounded [[Aqualad]] back to Atlantis for medical attention.

Afterwards, she became a supporting character in the Aquaman comic book, and soon won the affections of an Aquaman embittered by the loss of his hand. Over time, she came out of her shell, and displayed a more energetic and bubbly, though naive, personality.

== Planning and preparation ==

The conspirators were able to rent an [[undercroft]] in the house adjacent to the old [[House of Lords]] where the State Opening of Parliament would take place. There are suggestions that the initial plan was to tunnel from the undercroft of the adjacent building by mining and then plant the explosives under the meeting chamber in the House of Lords. This plan was abandoned, however, when Thomas Percy, one of the conspirators, was able to arrange the rent of an undercroft directly below the House of Lords.

In issue #25 of Aquaman volume 3 it was revealed that [[Kordax]], an evil [[merman]] ancestor of Aquaman's, had secretly set Dolphin free from the lab, and used mind control to prompt her to infiltrate the royal court and kill Aquaman as the agent of his revenge on the royal house of Atlantis. The strong-willed Dolphin broke free of his control, and her romantic involvment with the king of Atlantis grew into love.

Dolphin remained Aquaman's lover until [[Mera]], Aquaman's wife, returned from her exile in another dimension called the Netherworld. In the same period, Aqualad, now calling himself [[Aqualad|Tempest]], returned from several years of extradimensional [[magic]] studies with increased powers and confidence, winning Dolphin's heart with a kiss. Though initially taken aback, Aquaman blessed the relationship. Eventually, Dolphin became pregnant by Tempest, and the two were married in an Atlantean ceremony attended by Tempest's second family, the [[Titans (comics)|Titans]].

Fawkes assisted in filling the room with gunpowder which was concealed beneath bric-a-brac in the undercrofts of the House of Lords building. By March [[1605]] they had filled the undercroft underneath the House of Lords with 36 barrels belonging to John Whynniard, concealed under a store of winter fuel. The barrels contained an estimated 2.5 tonnes of [[gunpowder]]. Had they been successfully ignited, the explosion could have reduced many of the buildings in the Old Palace of Westminster complex, including the [[Westminster Abbey|Abbey]], to rubble and would have blown out windows in the surrounding area of about a 1 kilometre radius.

==Starting a family life==

According to the confession later made by Fawkes on 5 November 1605, he left [[Dover]] at about Easter [[1605]] for [[Calais]]. He then traveled to [[St Omer]] and on to [[Brussels]], where he met with Hugh Owen, and Sir William Stanley. Next, he made a pilgrimage in Brabant. He returned to England at the end of August or early September, again by way of Calais.

Dolphin gave birth to a son, whom Aquaman named Cerdian (after Cerdia, a surface nation annexed by Atlantis). The weight of new familial responsibilities initially strained the relationship between Dolphin and Tempest. These tensions came to a head when Dolphin demanded Tempest choose between his duties as a hero and his duties as a father and husband. Tempest complied, and quit the Titans. When Aquaman was exiled for his role in the sinking of Atlantis, the family fell under suspicion as friends of the deposed king. The new sorcerous rulers deemed Dolphin and her family "collaborationists" and put them under house arrest. As of recent issues, this goverment has been overthrown, and Dolphin and her family live happily in a free Atlantis.

[[Category:DC Comics superheroes]]

[[Guy Fawkes]] was left in charge of executing the plot, while the other conspirators fled to [[Dunchurch]] in [[Warwickshire]] to await news. Once the parliament had been destroyed, the other conspirators had planned to incite a revolt in the Midlands.

{{DC-Comics-stub}}

== The raid ==

During the preparation, several of the conspirators had been concerned about fellow Catholics who would be present on the appointed day, and inevitably killed. One conspirator, possibly Francis Tresham, wrote a letter of warning to [[William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle|Lord Monteagle]], a prominent Catholic. Lord Monteagle received it on Saturday, [[October 26]]. The other conspirators learned of the letter the following day, but resolved to go ahead with their plan, especially after Fawkes inspected the undercroft and found nothing had been touched. Meanwhile, however, Monteagle had shown the letter to [[Robert Cecil]], the [[Secretary of State]].

The tip-off led to a search of the vaults beneath the House of Lords, including the undercroft, during the early morning of the 5th of November (according to the [[Gregorian Calendar]]). [[Thomas Knyvet]], a [[Justice of the Peace]], and a party of armed men, discovered Fawkes posing as a Mr John Johnson. He was discovered possessing a watch, slow matches and touchpaper. When the barrels of gunpowder were discovered after a search of the area, Fawkes was arrested. Fawkes did not deny his intentions during the arrest, stating that it had been his purpose to destroy the King and the Parliament.

==The interrogation==

Fawkes was brought into the king's bedchamber at one o'clock in the morning, where the ministers had hastily assembled. He maintained an attitude of defiance, making no secret of his intentions. When the king asked why he would kill him, Fawkes replied that the pope had excommunicated him, that dangerous diseases require a desperate remedy. He also expressed to the Scottish courtiers who surrounded him that one of his objects was to blow the Scots back into [[Scotland]].

Later in the morning, before noon, he was again interrogated. He was questioned on the nature of his accomplices, the involvement of Thomas Percy, what letters he had received from overseas, and whether he had spoken with Hugh Owen.

[[Image:guy_fawkes_torture_signatures.jpg|thumb|220px|Top: "Guido" signed under torture<br />Bottom: Signature 8 days later]]

He was taken to the [[Tower of London]] and there interrogated under [[torture]]. Torture was forbidden except by the express instruction of the monarch or the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], In a letter of [[November 6]], [[James I of England|King James I]] stated:

:"The gentler tortours are to be first used unto him, ''et sic per gradus ad maiora tenditur'' [and thus by increase to the worst], and so God speed your goode worke".

Fawkes initially resisted torture, but verbally confessed on [[November 8]]. He revealed the names of his co-conspirators, and recounted the full details of the plot on [[November 9]]. On [[November 10]] he made a signed confession, although his signature was written in a trembling state, having been under torture on [[the rack]].

==Trial and executions==

The revolt in the Midlands failed, and came to an end at Holbeach House, where there was a dramatic shoot out ending with the death of Catesby, and capture of several principal conspirators. Jesuits and others were then rounded up in other locations in Britain, with some being killed during interrogation. A nominal [[trial]] ensued on [[January 27]], [[1606]], at which the sentences had already been predetermined. On [[January 31]], Fawkes, Wintour, and a number of others implicated in the conspiracy were taken to [[Old Palace Yard]] in [[Westminster]], where they were [[Drawing and quartering|hanged, drawn and quartered]].

==Aftermath==

According to historian [[Antonia Fraser|Lady Antonia Fraser]], the gunpowder was taken to the [[Tower of London]] magazine. It would have been reissued or sold for recycling if in good condition. According to historian [[Ronald Hutton]], however, it was discovered to be "decayed". This could imply that it was rendered harmless due to having separated into its component chemical parts, as happens with gunpowder when left to sit for too long &ndash; if Fawkes had ignited the gunpowder, during the opening, it would only have resulted in a damp splutter. Alternatively, "decayed" may refer to the powder being damp and sticking together, making it unfit for use in firearms. In this case the explosive capabilities of the barrels would not be greatly effected.

A test using decayed gunpowder carried out in for an [[ITV]] programme in [[2005]]{{ref|Hammond}} which enacted the explosion (see below) established that the impact of gunpowder's compression in barrels would have counteracted any deterioration in quality. In addition mathematical calculations done showed that Fawkes, who was skilled at the use of gunpowder, used double the amount of gunpowder needed. So even if some had deteriorated to the point of unusability (something judged highly unlikely by the experts) the amount of powder in situ could not but have blown up the chamber and killed all in it.

A sample of the gunpowder may have survived. In March [[2002]], workers investigating archives of [[John Evelyn]] at the [[British Library]] found a box containing various samples of gunpowder and several notes that suggested they were related to the Gunpowder Plot:

#"Gunpowder 1605 in a paper inscribed by John Evelyn. Powder with which that villain Faux would have blown up the parliament.",

#"Gunpowder. Large package is supposed to be Guy Fawkes' gunpowder.", and

#"But there was none left! WEH 1952".

== Historical impact ==

The plot backfired spectacularly upon England's Catholics. It halted any moves towards [[Catholic Emancipation]]: they would have to wait another 200 years until they received approximately equal rights. Some scholars argue that, in London, interest in evil, Satanism, and terror heightened by the Gunpowder Plot partly inspired [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]''.

== Modern theories ==

Many modern historians think that Cecil's agents had infiltrated the plot early on in its gestation but allowed it to continue for dramatic effect; certainly the [[propaganda]] value of a "[[Popish Plot|Popish plot]]" was not underplayed during the next few hundred years.

Another theory is that King James, searching for greater acceptance of Catholics, desired a test case with which to demonstrate Catholic loyalty to Parliament and the nation. Father Henry Garnet, the chief Jesuit of England, had turned in Catholic plotters in an earlier event. On this occasion, however, he did not, however he passed the information on to the Pope who in turn took no action. Because the plot was allowed to proceed, the Catholic cause for freedom in Britain was set back considerably. True freedom was denied until the mid 19th century.

A darker supposition is that Cecil helped to arrange the Gunpowder Plot himself, though assuring a means to insulate himself from blame, as a mechanism to remove a Catholic absolute royalist sovereign. The sovereign had wanted to unwind everything that the Cecils and allied aristocratic Protestant families had worked on for generations, but collapsed within two years of James I's accession to the throne. These actions included James I's revocation of Dutch Protestant support, his rejection of religious toleration, and his refusal to work with Parliament. The idea of the state spy agency faciliating the assassination of an abrasive sovereign such as James I is not unheard of. For example, only two years before, in 1603, Robert Cecil's own brother-in-law [[Henry Brooke, Lord Cobham]], was himself implicated in the two other plots against James I&mdash; the [[Bye Plot]] and the [[Main Plot]]. These plots were attempts to remove James I from the throne and replace him with Lady [[Arabella Stuart]], who would then be paired with the continental [[House of Savoy]].

==Modern re-enactment: Would the plot have killed the King?==

A study on an [[ITV]] [[programme]] broadcast on [[1 November]] [[2005]]{{ref|Hammond}} re-enacted the plot, by blowing up an exact replica of the [[17th century]] [[House of Lords]] filled with test dummies, using the exact amount of gunpowder in the undergroft of the building. The test proved unambiguously that the explosion would have killed all those attending the State Opening of Parliament in the Lords chamber.

The power of the explosion was such that seven-foot deep solid concrete walls (made deliberately to replicate how archives suggest the walls in the old House of Lords were constructed) were reduced to rubble. Measuring devices placed in the chamber to calculate the force of the blast were themselves destroyed by the blast, while the skull of the dummy representing King James, which at been placed on a throne inside the chamber surrounded by courtiers, peers and bishops, was found a large distance away from the site. According to the findings of the programme, no-one within 100 metres of the blast would have survived, while all the stained glass windows in [[Westminster Abbey]] would have been shattered, as would all windows within a large distance of the Palace. The power of the explosion would have been seen from miles away. Even if only half the gunpowder had gone off, everyone in the House of Lords and its environs would have been killed instantly.

The programme also disproved claims that some deterioration in the quality of the gunpowder would have prevented the explosion. A portion of deliberately deteriorated gunpowder, at such a low quality as to make it unusable in firearms, when placed in a heap and detonated, still managed to create a large explosion. The impact of even deteriorated gunpowder would have been magnified by impact of its compression in wooden barrels, with the compression overcoming any deterioration in the quality of the contents. The compression would have have created a cannon effect, with the powder first blowing up from the top of the barrel before, a milisecond later, blowing out.

The impact of the test explosion in the specially constructed chamber visually surprised even gunpowder experts. The entire concrete chamber was demolished as if made from wood the moment of the explosion. Plans to examine the test dummies to see the nature of the impact of their injuries and whether they could have survived, were abandoned such was the force of the blast and complete destruction caused by the explosion.

== The plot in popular culture ==

The plot is immortalised in the popular verse:

:'' Remember, remember the fifth of November,''

:'' gunpowder, treason and plot,''

:'' I see no reason why gunpowder treason''

:'' should ever be forgot.''

:'' Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,''

:'' 'twas his intent''

:'' to blow up the King and the Parliament.''

:'' Three score barrels of powder below,''

:'' Poor old England to overthrow:''

:'' By God's providence he was catch'd''

:'' With a dark lantern and burning match.''

:'' Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.''

:'' Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!''

:'' Hip hip hoorah!''

(traditionally the following verses were also sung, but they have fallen out of favour because of their content)

:'' A penny loaf to feed the Pope.''

:'' A farthing o' cheese to choke him.''

:'' A pint of beer to rinse it down.''

:'' A faggot of sticks to burn him.''

:'' Burn him in a tub of tar.''

:'' Burn him like a blazing star.''

:'' Burn his body from his head.''

:'' Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.''

:'' Hip hip hoorah!''

:'' Hip hip hoorah!''

In the [[dystopia]]n [[science fiction]] [[graphic novel]], ''[[V for Vendetta]]'', V, a mysterious [[anarchist]] who disguises and models himself as a latter day Guy Fawkes, finally explodes the abandoned parliament buildings on a future [[November 5]] as his first move to bring down the nation's [[fascism|fascist]] [[tyrant|tyranny]].

The Gunpowder Plot is also the topic of a several songs and ballads&ndash;of note, the song ''Remember'', from [[John Lennon]]'s album ''[[Plastic Ono Band]]'', ends with the phrase "the fifth of November" and an explosion.

== See also ==

*[[UK topics]]

== Footnotes ==

'''1 & 2''' {{note|Hammond}} ''The gunpowder plot: Exploding the Legend'', presented by Richard Hammond, broadcast on [[ITV 1]], [[1 November]] [[2005]]. Due to the amount of gunpowder needed the programme had to import gunpower from [[Spain]] because not enough was available in the [[United Kingdom]]. The explosion took place on an army base. All aircraft flights overhead had also to be cancelled while the experiment took place.

== External links ==

* [http://www.gunpowder-plot.org The Gunpowder Plot Society]

* [http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5567/publications.html Publications about the Gunpowder Plot]

* [http://www.bcpl.net/~cbladey/guy/html/song.html Songs for Fawkes Day Celebration]

* [http://www.bcpl.net/~cbladey/guy/html/maina.html The Center for Fawkesian Pursuits]

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/monarchs_leaders/gunpowder_hutton_01.shtml What if the gunpowder plot had succeeded]

* [http://www.exmsft.com/~davidco/History/fawkes1.htm A contemporary account of the executions of the plotters]

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/games/gunpowder/index.shtml The Gunpowder Plot Game] [[BBC]]

*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,1605605,00.html Interactive Guide: Gunpowder Plot] [[Guardian Unlimited]]

[[Category:History of England]]

[[Category:History of Catholicism in Britain]]

[[Category:Terrorism in London]]

[[da:Krudtsammensværgelsen]]

[[de:Gunpowder Plot]]

[[fr:Conspiration des poudres]]

[[ja:火薬陰謀事件]]

[[no:Kruttsammensvergelsen]]

[[sv:Krutkonspirationen]]

[[zh:火药阴谋]]