History Extra podcast Remember, remember: The legacy of the Gunpowder Plot
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Nov 9, 2025 John Cooper, a historian at the University of York, dives into the rich legacy of the Gunpowder Plot. He explores the evolution of Guy Fawkes from a failed conspirator to a global symbol of rebellion. Celebrations on November 5 transformed from solemn remembrance to raucous bonfires, intertwined with anti-Catholic sentiment. Cooper reveals how the plot was leveraged for state propaganda while also discussing its reinterpretation during the Victorian era. Today, Fawkes represents a defiance that transcends the original political context.
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State Uses Ritual To Cement Authority
- The 1606 Act of Thanksgiving turned the Gunpowder Plot into an official Protestant celebration tied to state power.
- John Cooper argues the Act weaponized the event to reinforce monarchy and Protestant identity.
Bonfires Repurposed From Medieval Festivities
- Public celebrations adapted older medieval festival practices like bonfires into loyalty rituals for the monarchy.
- Cooper notes these traditions resurfaced after the Restoration and mixed royalist memory with local community festivity.
From Thanksgiving To Crowd Misrule
- Bonfire Night shifted from liturgical thanksgiving to often anti-authoritarian communal misrule.
- Cooper highlights 18th–19th-century fears about riots and crowd action around the celebrations.
