#High Treason

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

By Ben Johnson

Published 30 October 2020

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!

Fireworks can be seen all over France every July 14 as the nation celebrates Bastille Day.

Across the USA some ten days earlier on the 4th of July, Americans celebrate their Independence Day.

In Britain, the words of a children’s nursery rhyme “Remember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot” are chanted as fireworks fly and bonfires gradually consume a human effigy known as the ‘Guy.’

So who was this Guy? And why is he remembered so fondly 400 years after his death?

It could be said that the story started when the Catholic Pope of the day failed to recognise England’s King Henry VIII‘s novel ideas on separation and divorce.

Henry, annoyed at this, severed ties with Rome and appointed himself head of the Protestant Church of England.

Protestant rule in England was maintained and strengthened through the long and glorious reign of his daughter Queen Elizabeth I.

When Elizabeth died without children in 1603, her cousin James VI of Scotland became King James I of England.

James had not been long on the throne before he started to upset the Catholics within his kingdom.

They appear to have been unimpressed with his failure to implement religious tolerance measures, getting a little more annoyed when he ordered all Catholic priests to leave the country.

A group of Roman Catholic nobles and gentlemen led by Robert Catesby conspired to essentially end Protestant rule with perhaps the biggest ‘bang’ in history.

Their plan was to blow up the King, Queen, church leaders, assorted nobles, and both Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder strategically placed in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster.

The plot was apparently revealed when the Catholic Lord Monteagle was sent a message warning him to stay away from Parliament as he would be in danger, the letter being presented to Robert Cecil, James I’s Chief Minister.

Some historians believe that Cecil had known about the plot for some time and had allowed the plot to ‘thicken’ to both ensure that all the conspirators were caught and to promote Catholic hatred throughout the country.

And the Guy? Guy Fawkes was born in Yorkshire on 13 April 1570.

A convert to the Catholic faith, Fawkes had been a soldier who had spent several years fighting in Italy.

It was during this period that he adopted the name Guido (Italian for Guy), perhaps to impress the ladies.

What we do know is that Guido was arrested in the early hours of the morning of November 5th 1605, in a cellar under the House of Lords, next to the 36 kegs of gunpowder, with a box of matches in his pocket and a very guilty expression on his face.

Under torture, Guy Fawkes identified the names of his co-conspirators. Many of these were the relations of a Catholic gentleman, Thomas Percy.

Catesby and three others were killed by soldiers while attempting to escape.

The remaining eight were imprisoned in the Tower of London before being tried and executed for High Treason.

They experienced that quaint English method of execution, first experienced almost 300 years earlier by William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace.

They too were hanged, drawn, and quartered.

*Hanged, drawn and quartered:

Victims were dragged on a wooden hurdle behind a horse to the place of execution where they were first of all hanged, then their genitals were removed.

They were disembowelled and beheaded.

Their bodies were finally quartered, the severed pieces often displayed in public.

—

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against King James I by a group of English Catholics led by Robert Catesby, who considered their actions attempted tyrannicide and who sought regime change in England after decades of religious persecution.

The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which King James's nine-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was to be installed as the new head of state.

#Guy Fawkes #Guido Fawkes #Gunpowder Plot of 1605 #Gunpowder Treason Plot #Jesuit Treason #King James I #Robert Catesby #5 November 1605 #House of Lords #State Opening of Parliament #King Henry VIII #Queen Elizabeth I #King James I of England #Palace of Westminster #Lord Monteagle #Robert Cecil #Thomas Percy #Tower of London #High Treason

[whats-in-a-sentence]

They all went out in the daylight and crowded around Peter as he read out the following words:

The former occupant of these premises, the Faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of High Treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands, etc., also of comforting her said Majesty's enemies, harboring spies and fraternizing with Humans.

signed MAUGRIM, Captain of the Secret Police,

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - C. S. Lewis

#book quotes #the chronicles of narnia #the lion the witch and the wardrobe #c s lewis #daylight #letter #faun #mr tumnus #arrested #under arrest #high treason #jadis the white witch #queen #narnia #chatelaine #cair paravel #empress #lone islands #enemies #spies #fraternizing #humans #maugrim #secret police #police captain #wolf #peter pevensie

[pointless-letters]

CORONATION: Geoff from Eastbourne very generously taking account of human rights there.

#Daily Mail #Coronation #Absolutely fucking deranged #High treason #Law #Death penalty #Human rights #Hard Labour #No appeal #Best legal minds at work

[thequeenkida]

I'm seeing people say it's hypocritical for The Boys to air on Amazon. I despise Amazon but this line of thinking reminds me of the "and yet you live in society" meme. The only guaranteed way for a vast audience of people to see art is through the backing of people with money-it sucks but that's how our capitalist society works. The ruling class must deem it acceptable or you won't get funding. I'm pretty shocked they get away with half the stuff they do which means Amazon either isn't paying attention, doesn't recognize the satire, or deems it ultimately more profitable than harmful. IDK, I just feel like it's ultimately good the show is airing on a huge platform because more people will hopefully pick up on the ideas that are more progressive. For example: they brought up Iran-Contra last episode. The United States sold weapons to an "enemy" government in exchange for hostages and used that money to arm death squads and participate in a civil war against the left wing government of a sovereign nation (Nicaragua) all while flying in drugs on government planes to traffic into communities of color. And these examples of high treason have just faded in the public consciousness! So ultimately, if it inspires people to take a second look at what they think they know, the delivery system is just a way to spread that message.

#the boys #the boys season 3 #woohoo I get to talk about the evils of capitalism! #don't know if anyone will even see this but it's worth a shot #amazon #jeff bezos #anti capitalism #amazon prime #capitalist hell #united states #high treason #she can talk!

[dawntrailing]

#high treason #ken ito #final fantasy series #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #ffxiv: music #final fantasy xiv: shadowbringers #shadowbringers: final fantasy xiv original soundtrack

[alightinthelantern]

A futuristic NYC in the 1929 film High Treason, considered one of the first British science fiction films

#High Treason #1920s #futurism #retrofuturism #architecture #art deco

[bleeding-star-heart]

Trump stealing the nuclear papers compilation

Just when you think he can’t go any lower after the coup business... here he goes again. 

#trump #fuck trump #treason trump #trump committed treason #treason #high treason #fbi raid #mar a lago raid

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

(..)Russian natural gas supplies to Germany via the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 have been halted for 10 days for annual maintenance work. But German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned that EU countries had to be prepared in case gas shipments did not resume. He has accused the Kremlin of using gas "as a weapon" in response to EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

P.S. Already at least in 2006, German politicians received a serious warning from the Baltic States, as well as such warnings with all the evidence also came from the USA that the Kremlin was going to use natural gas as a weapon against Europe, however, Berlin demonstrated absolute arrogance towards the Allies and European security interests. Now all Europeans have to pay a very high price for Angela Merkel's huge political mistakes. Moreover, Europe's inaction on energy and military security matters encouraged the Kremlin to risk and start a major war in Europe by attacking a sovereign and democratic country...

The saddest thing about this whole story is that the European Union, as well as Germany, actually had enough natural resources, technological capabilities and financing to keep their energy markets from falling under the blackmail of the Kremlin...

#expensive fossil fuel #political mistake #angela merkel #political disaster #political corruption #high treason #nord stream 1 #Germany

[i-am-my-own-angel]

#4th of july #fourth of july #independence day #high treason #america #england #It's only treason if you lose

[russianreader]

Degenerate Art

The FSB has opened a criminal case on charges of “high treason” against artist and former Mediazona publisher Pyotr Verzilov. The details of the case are not yet known, but as part of their investigation, law enforcers raided the homes of a number of artists and activists across Russia. Many of those whom the law enforcers raided are not personally acquainted with Verzilov. In the early hours of…

View On WordPress

#anti-war art #apartment exhibitions #Bulldozer Exhibition #Bumaga (news website) #Collective Actions #guerrilla art #high treason #Katrin Nenasheva #Lianozovo school #Mediazona #Party of the Dead #Pussy Riot #Pyotr Verzilov #Russian police state #underground Soviet art

[tenth-sentence]

Husband-killing was called 'petty treason', as the murder of a king was high treason.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

#book quote #normal women #philippa gregory #nonfiction #husband #killing #death #treason #petty treason #high treason #king #murder

[tarynisbunhead]

#1920s #silent film #British Silent film #High Treason #Youtube

[taiwantalk]

I would not have publicized such success. I would’ve just let the rumor fester.

#High treason #spying #ukraine #russia

[buzzdixonwriter]

Yesterday Looks At Tomorrow: HIGH TREASON (1929; sound version / US edit)

Skipping back to High Treason, a 1929 film that is simultaneously the silliest yet liveliest of our trio of vintage futuristic films.

It’s the least expensive looking of the three, and while the special effects work is interesting, it’s far below the quality of Metropolis and Things To Come.

But -- Surprise!  Surprise! -- it comes closer than either of the other two in predicting the future!

Filmed and released in two versions -- silent and sound -- High Treason was long considered a ultra rare film almost impossible to view.

Thank God for YouTube.  Their version is colorized, which gives it a nice pulp sci-fi feel.  I recommend adjusting the speed setting to 1.5X to pick up the pace.

Based on a play by Noel Pemberton Billing (and ye cats, even though the field of science fiction is crowded with world class eccentrics, this guy easily makes the finals!), it predicts a future (1940) in which the world is divided between The United States of Europe (basically the former English Empire) and the Empire of the Atlantic States (basically the US and South America).

After a border incident (presumably on the former US / Canada border though it’s hard to tell), we learn a sinister cabal of terrorists and war profiteers are planning to stir up another world conflict to line their pockets.

It should be noted that all sides in politics have their adherents who feverishly believe such cabals are the rule rather than the exception, and too often act on spurious accusations rather than recognize their own contributions to current problems.

But I digress…

In what was merrie olde England we find Dr. Seymour, leader of the Peace League, trying to persuade the president of the US of E not to declare war on the E of AS.  As is to be expected, his daughter Evelyn has the hots for Michael Deane, leader of the US of E air force.

The terrorists blow up the Chunnel and push both sides closer to war.  The president of the US of E orders universal mobilization; Evelyn is drafted to work in a munitions plant.  Dr. Seymour keeps trying to persuade the US of E not to go to war.  The terrorists bomb the Peace League headquarters but Dr. Seymour survives.  The president of the US of E indicates he will declare war.  Evelyn persuades the other female munitions workers to block the US of E air force from taking off; they face down a platoon of soldiers sent to kill them.  Dr. Seymour goes to make one last effort to persuade the president of the US of E not to declare war and when the president gets ready to announce the declaration on television, Dr. Seymour shoots him!

Yes, you read that right.

Anyway, war is somehow averted (because killing a superpower’s leader just as he’s about to declare war will of course get everybody to realize they’ve been a bunch of silly billies), Dr. Seymour is put on trial for murder, and the final verdict is left up to the audience.

Noel Pemberton Billing was simultaneously an avowed pacifist and a promoted of air power.  He was a big proponent of saturation bombing and hated Germans with a passion that led him to accuse Germany of sending over homosexuals to seduce red blooded English men.

The version of High Treason I saw was the roughly hour long US theatrical sound release; the silent and sound UK releases run 97 minutes.

It’s a goofy film but it’s not a bad one.  There’s certainly passion in the project,  no matter how ridiculous or cliché the story.

And it’s actually about something.  It’s easy for us to overlook the enormous psychic damage World War One did on Europe, particularly England.  They lost enormous numbers of young men, traumatizing families and communities in the aftermath.

Most Europeans did not want war ever again in the 1920s and early 30s, and as Goering observed, it took relentless propagandizing by Hitler and the Nazis to stir up trouble in Germany, forcing the rest of the world to rearm.  For a science fiction film to suggest another such war could be averted was a welcome fantasy for many.

While many English reviewers liked the film, by and large critics eviscerated it.  It’s very clearly influenced by Friz Lang’s Metropolis as well as other films of his including Spione and the Dr. Mabuse series.

While imaginative and striving for epic scale, High Treason also reveals its budget limitations, sometimes in good / ingenious ways (the bombing of the Chunnel is accomplished with a lot of flicker images instead of detail effects shots), sometimes in bad / cheap ways (a brief reaction shot lifted from Battleship Potemkin is instantly recognizable by film buffs everywhere).

But as inept and as inexpensive as it may appear at times, it’s also trying to say something worthwhile.  For all its sins and shortcomings, the passion it brings feels genuine. 

How well did it predict the future? Surprisingly well.  The Nazi / terrorist linkage is noted above.  The date of the start of the war isn’t far off.  They assumed Prohibition would still be a thing in 1940.  The costumes look like things people might wear.  There’s a lot of T&A (not uncommon in European films of the era, very uncommon in US films); at one point Evelyn wears a costume that makes it appear she’s half dressed above the waist (she also gets a lengthy shower scene to a jazz accompaniment; the producers knew what would keep the meat in the seat).  The futuristic dance is not sillier than real dances of the 1940s / 50s / 60s and the film features a musician / DJ who plays pseudo-synth music by using a futuristic keyboard to get music from dozens of remotely operated instruments.  The communication screens don’t look very different from an iMac.  In terms of details, this came the closest of the three.

Is it a Big Film with Big Ideas? Yes.  The idea of governments being pushed into war even against the will of their citizens gives this more gravitas than dozens of better films, and while the problem is personified in Evelyn, the factories and nightclubs are filled with dozens of characters who convey the full range of responses to the possibility of war. 

Bonus:  Raymond Massey of Things To Come is also in this film as a cabinet maker

  © Buzz Dixon

#High Treason #Metropolis #Things To Come #Noel Pemberton Billing #media #science fiction #sci-fi #sci-fi movies #duty now for the future

[wishiwasadruid]

Merlin: Hey Lance! Wanna commit treason with me?

Lancelot: Merlin, what the hell?

Merlin: Wait, sorry, my bad.

Merlin: [whispering] wanna commit treason with me?

Lancelot: [whispering back] yeah of course :)

#merlin #chaotic lawful and Chaotic disaster on their way to commit high treason #bbc merlin #incorrect quotes #merlin incorrect quotes #merlin bbc #lancelot du lac #merlin and lancelot #sir lancelot

[ilynpilled]

microaggressing each other from a distance i cannot believe how devastating internalized omegaphobia is

#stannis is soo funny respecting jaimes title in his letter accusing him of high treason tears in my eyes