The Gunpowder Plot - House of Lords

Why did the gunpowder plotters try to kill the king and blow-up Parliament?  A significant reason was repression of the Catholic faith through laws passed by the Houses of Lords and Commons.

The Act of Uniformity, ostensibly uniting the country, was instead tearing society apart.  Catholics were forbidden, among many other things, from attending mass.  A new order of priests, called the Jesuits, were operating illegally throughout Britain - in an effort to keep the faith alive.  The situation, for Catholics, was becoming intolerable.

Credits

From The Gunpowder Plot, courtesy BBC Worldwide.