Catesby's Holy War
Terrorism in the 17th Century
Book
Paperback/Softback
190 pages
978-1-910705-56-8 (ISBN)
Description
Terrorism is not new for it has been around since the beginning of recorded history. Terrorism has been described variously as a tactic, a strategy, a crime, a holy duty.One autumn morning, a group of dedicated terrorists set in motion an earth-shattering strike against the very foundations of the most powerful nation in the world. They were aiming, at a stroke, to wipe out the seat of government as well as the executive and lawmakers, thereby creating a vacuum from which their new world order would emerge. The battle between the forces of the establishment against those seeking change by violent means is a timeless one, which still reverberates around the world today. History tells us that change is inevitable, and the failure of the plot, which was uncovered shortly before it was destined to wipe out King James, and all the nobles assembled for the opening of Parliament on November 5th 1605, is still celebrated today with bonfires and fireworks.The book relates the story in a dramatized form bringing the characters to life involved in a plot conceived and implemented by a group of religious fanatics, led not by Guy Fawkes, as everyone seems to believe, but by Robert Catesby, a charismatic but wild young man from a privileged background, the Bin Laden of his time.
Catesby had become embittered by an earlier brush with authority, and gradually became committed to extreme forms of violence to achieve his ends. Impressed by the force of his personality, a small group of malcontents were gradually drawn into the plot, who became equally dedicated to violence as a way forward. The group saw themselves as religious warriors in the forefront of a battle for religious supremacy, and for whom the slaughter of at least a thousand people in one explosive strike was a just cause. To that end they assembled over three tons of gunpowder packed into 36 barrels in a cellar under the House of Lords and were less than ten hours away from carrying out their deadly mission when the plot was foiled, thereby just averting a "ground zero" in London where research has shown the devastation would have spread over a three mile area.Written around three principal historical characters, who between them displayed a polarised attitude to terrorism.
Catesby who provides the reader's view of a terrorist mentality, illustrating the attitudes of those prepared to sacrifice themselves for a cause, and attempts to explain the atmosphere which started him on his fateful course of action. King James represents the powers that be, embodying the principals of divine right and a firmness of conviction of Protestantism, which was an anathema to Catesby and his friends. And Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, the King's Machiavellian first minister, and the man responsible for the discovery of the plot, is at the helm of executive power in England at the time. In his conversation with Fawkes, he seeks to understand the principles underlying terrorism. Catesby's Holy War has a number of tragic parallels with September 11th and London 7th July, and can be described as a view of the same battleground, from a different hilltop.
Catesby had become embittered by an earlier brush with authority, and gradually became committed to extreme forms of violence to achieve his ends. Impressed by the force of his personality, a small group of malcontents were gradually drawn into the plot, who became equally dedicated to violence as a way forward. The group saw themselves as religious warriors in the forefront of a battle for religious supremacy, and for whom the slaughter of at least a thousand people in one explosive strike was a just cause. To that end they assembled over three tons of gunpowder packed into 36 barrels in a cellar under the House of Lords and were less than ten hours away from carrying out their deadly mission when the plot was foiled, thereby just averting a "ground zero" in London where research has shown the devastation would have spread over a three mile area.Written around three principal historical characters, who between them displayed a polarised attitude to terrorism.
Catesby who provides the reader's view of a terrorist mentality, illustrating the attitudes of those prepared to sacrifice themselves for a cause, and attempts to explain the atmosphere which started him on his fateful course of action. King James represents the powers that be, embodying the principals of divine right and a firmness of conviction of Protestantism, which was an anathema to Catesby and his friends. And Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, the King's Machiavellian first minister, and the man responsible for the discovery of the plot, is at the helm of executive power in England at the time. In his conversation with Fawkes, he seeks to understand the principles underlying terrorism. Catesby's Holy War has a number of tragic parallels with September 11th and London 7th July, and can be described as a view of the same battleground, from a different hilltop.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Worksop
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-910705-56-8 (9781910705568)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
JOHN SEALEY has spent his entire working life in the film and television industry, beginning his career in the cutting rooms, becoming a film editor, working on many international feature films, as well as major filmed television series. John then decided to widen his scope, and moved into production becoming an assistant director, then moving into production management becoming a production manager, production supervisor, associate producer, and finally producer, working with many of the major US and British companies. John now concentrates his creative mind on writing, starting with the adaptation of bestselling author Anne Perry's quintet of books, 'No Graves As Yet' 'Angels In The Gloom' 'At Some Disputed Barricade' 'Shoulder The Sky' 'We Shall Not Sleep' a murder mystery thriller, spanning the First World War into an epic television series. Anne Perry considers it to be the best adaptation of any of her books. John recently wrote "If A Wicked Man" the biography of John Lawson, a one-time violent criminal who thought the world owed him a living and everything was there for the taking. His life of crime had no depth, until one day something remarkable happened. He found God and it changed his life completely, published 31st March 2016. Having written "Catesby's Holy War with co-writer Ric Gannon, John then went on to write 'Once We Were Friends" a story based on fact about the German occupation of Norway, to be published in April 2017. John has now completed 'The Redundant Fugitive' set in India and England is the story of a good man with values, who having been made redundant is innocently drawn into a world of crime. John is now working on his latest novel "A Blighted Awakening" Set in the 19th Century Ireland and England. John is a Freeman of the City of London. RIC GANNON has worked with John Sealey on and off for over 15 years. Together they started ViewInn Productions and between them developed a number of scripts which are still arousing considerable interest. Ric's early background was in international Sales & Marketing, in which capacity he was able to travel all over the world. He was one of the founder members of a company which went public on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in the early days of the .com boom, and was subsequently involved in a number of similar commercial ventures. Ric came up with the basic structure of Catesby's Holy War whilst coming back on a train from Paris, the day after 9/11. He was immediately struck by the similarities between terrorist atrocities in 21st Century and those of the 17th Century. He is a graduate of Leeds University.