Answer: King James I of England was the target of the gunpowder plot.
Explanation:
The idea was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England's Parliament on 5 November 1605 an event which would be attended by King James.
The plot was discovered when an anonymous letter was sent.
During a search of the House of Lords at about midnight, Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder—enough to reduce the House of Lords to rubble—and arrested.