After Elizabeth I died of cancer in 1603, James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. In one of his greatest political achievements, James was the first to refer to the now United Kingdom as "Great Britain."
Used to the Scottish form of government, however, James was soon at odds with the English Parliament. He was also at odds with English Catholics against whom strict laws had been passed. A group of those Catholics decided to strike against both the King and Parliament.
Using the mercenary Guy Fawkes as their "trigger man," Robert Catesby and his like-minded friends concocted a plan to kill King James and members of Parliament. The conspiracy - known as "The Gunpowder Plot" - was aimed at the King because of the oppressive anti-Catholic laws he was introducing.
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