What was the Gunpowder Plot? The Traditional Story Tested by Original Evidence

"What was the Gunpowder Plot? The Traditional Story Tested by Original Evidence" by John Gerard is a historical exploration of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, challenging the widely accepted story of a simple Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King James I and obliterate Parliament. The book begins by recreating the dramatic moment of discovery when Guy Fawkes was caught red-handed with gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, leading to the arrest and pursuit of other plotters. It then questions the official version that blamed Catholics, suggesting a more complicated political game where the government might have been involved or knew about the plot beforehand, aiming to use it for their own purposes; this then causes the reader to question the real reasons behind this failed attempt and how the plotters were portrayed.