GUY FAWKES (Guido Fawkes)

Born: 13 April 1570, Stonegate, Yorkshire
Died: 31 January 1606, Old Palace Yard, Westminster

Guy Fawkes was the only son of Edward Fawkes of York and his wife Edith Blake. Before Fawkes's birth, Edith had given birth to a daughter Anne in 1568, who lived only seven weeks. Two sisters followed Guy, another Anne and Elizabeth who later married.

In 1579, when Guy was eight years old, his father died. His mother remarried several years later, to the Catholic Dionis Baynbrigge (or Denis Bainbridge) of Scotton, Harrogate. Guy got his education at St. Peter's School in York, which was founded by Royal Charter of Philip and Mary in 1557. John and Christopher Wright, Thomas Morton (afterwards Bishop of Durham), Sir Thomas Cheke and Oswald Tesimond were among his schoolfellows there.

After leaving school Fawkes entered the service of Anthony Browne, the 1st Viscount Montagu. The Viscount didn't like Fawkes and after a short time fired him; he was then employed by Anthony-Maria Browne, the 2nd Viscount Montagu, who replaced his grandfather at the age of 18. There is at least one source which says that Fawkes married Maria Pulleyn and had a son, Thomas but it's not for sure.

In October 1591 Fawkes sold the estate in Clifton that he had inherited from his father. He travelled to the continent to fight in the Eighty Years War for Catholic Spain against the new Dutch Republic . Fawkes became a junior officer, fought well at Calais in 1596, and by 1603 had been recommended for a captaincy. That year, he travelled to Spain for support for a Catholic rebellion in England. Although he was received politely, the court of Philip III didn't offer him any support. Here he took a nickname Guido.

In 1604 Fawkes became involved with a small group of English Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, in the Gunpowder Plot because of which he was caught, tortured, found guilty and executed.

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