Skip to main content

Primary sourceLetter1605

The Monteagle Letter

Unknown · 1605

An anonymous letter warning Lord Monteagle of a plot against Parliament, which exposed the Gunpowder Plot to kill James in 1605.

This letter warned of a plot to kill James, and he claimed to have personally deciphered its hidden warning.

Ask James I about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Photograph of a handwritten early 17th-century letter in brown ink on aged paper, with a fold line across the middle and the number 11A in the top right corner. The cursive text is partly legible and faded.
Anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, 1605. The National Archives, Kew (SP 14/216).

About this source

What it is

This is an anonymous handwritten letter sent to Lord Monteagle a few days before Parliament was due to open in 1605, warning him to stay away because of a planned attack. It is held by The National Archives in Kew.

Why it matters

The letter helped uncover the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to kill King James and much of Parliament. According to James's own account, he personally took part in interpreting the letter's warning. The plot's failure strengthened James's rule and was remembered for centuries afterward.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the writer chose to stay anonymous?
  • What clues in the wording hint at danger without giving exact details?
  • Why might a king want to claim credit for figuring out the warning himself?

This letter is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James I sources

Meet the AI James I →
Engraved title page of the 1611 King James Bible. Large white central panel reads 'The Holy Bible' and 'Anno Dom. 1611'. Above, figures in clouds and a dove with rays. Moses holds tablets on the left, Aaron on the right, and four evangelists sit in the lower corners.Book

Secondary source

King James Version

1611

Title page of a early 17th-century book. Ornate woodcut border at top. Text reads: DAEMONOLOGIE, IN FORME OF A DIALOGUE, Diuided into three books, written by the high and mighty Prince, James by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith. Below is a small ornament, then LONDON, Printed by Arnold Hatfield for Robert Waldegraue, 1603.Book

Primary source

Daemonologie

James VI and I · 1597 (reprinted 1603)

Title page of a 1598 book reading 'The True Lawe of free Monarchies: or, The reciprocal and mutuall duetie betwixt a free King, and his naturall Subiectes', printed in Edinburgh by Robert Waldegrave, printer to the King's Majestie, with a printer's device at the bottom.Book

Primary source

The True Law of Free Monarchies

James VI and I · 1598

Title page of an early 17th-century printed book, 'Basilikon Doron, Devided into Three Books', printed at Edinburgh by Robert Waldegrave, Printer to the King's Majestie, 1599. Ornate border with figures of Justice and Peace, Latin mottoes Amor, Pax, Pacis Alumnus, and Infestamalis, and a central printer's ornament.Book

Primary source

Basilikon Doron

James VI and I · 1599 (published 1603)

Map of the eastern North American coast showing territories granted to the Plymouth Company (green outline, northern area) and the London Company (red outline, southern area), with latitude lines 41 and 38 degrees marked, and cities labeled Q, R, Po, and SA.Document

Primary source

Charter of 1606

James VI and I · 1606

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James I now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions