Final answer:
The true leader of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was Robert Catesby, despite the common association of the plot with Guy Fawkes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The leader of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 was not Guy Fawkes, as is commonly thought, but rather Robert Catesby. While Guy Fawkes was the individual found guarding the explosives and became the most infamous member of the group, Catesby was the mastermind who conceived and led the plot. Their intention was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England's Parliament on 5th November 1605, in an attempt to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. Other conspirators, such as Thomas Percy, Francis Tresham, and several more, were involved in this failed attempt to change the course of English history.