British Empire History

Henry VIII was born in 1491

1491

the son of Henry VII (the first
Tudor King)

Henry VIII reign's 1509 -1547

Period: 1509 to 1547

Henry was 17 when he became king in 1509. He died in
1547.
• He had six wives. Two were divorced and two beheaded.
• Three of his children reigned after him: Edward, Mary and
Elizabeth.
• He is one of the most famous and emblematic English Kings.

1517 Pope Leo X sold indulgences in order to rebuild St Peter’s Basilica

1517

In 1517, Pope Leo X sold indulgences in order to
rebuild St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He sold many of
them to a bishop who then in turn sold indulgences to
individuals, giving the Pope a 50% commission

The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517

Oct 31, 1517

On 31 October, 1517, Luther nailed this
devastating critique of the Indulgences to the
door of the University in Wittenberg.

1521 Excommunication of Martin Luther

1521

He was excommunicated (expelled from the
Church) in 1521 and declared a heretic.

1522 Martin Luther translated the Bible in German

1522

Martin Luther translated the Bible in
German (the New Testament was first
published in 1522 and was widely
disseminated).

1526 William Tyndale translated the New Testament

1526

In England, the Tyndale Bible was
published in 1526 = William Tyndale
translated the New Testament into
English

1527 The Royal Divorce: the King’s « Great Matter »

1527

According to him, this marriage was doomed.
Because Catherine of Aragon had first been married
to his brother, Arthur, before he died in 1502
(tuberculosis?).
The book of Leviticus forbade the marriage of man
with his brother’s wife: "And if a man shall take his
brother's wife, it is an unclean thing : ...they shall be
childless.” (And Henry had no male heir!)

1529: the Pope rejected Henry’s petition for a divorce

1529

1533: Act in Restraint of Appeals

1533

It gave the King the legal power to annul marriages.

1533: Henry VIII married Ann Boleyn

1533

(1534: Act of Succession: made Anne Boleyn a legitimate
Queen)

• 1534 : Act of Supremacy

1534

Act of Supremacy that founded the Anglican Church

and made King Henry VIII the sole leader and

supreme of the Church

1534 Schism

1534

• Under his reign, the church of England separated from the
Roman Catholic Church (1534). This is called a schism.

1536-41: dissolution of monasteries

Period: 1536 to 1541

They were disbanded (dissous)
and the Crown appropriated their income
and land (and at the time Church owned
25% of the land!)
o So the dissolution of the monasteries was
in effect a kind of nationalisation
o The valuables were confiscated and
melted down

1537 English Bible

1537

In 1537 permission was given for an English
Bible and not a Latin one. They were soon
made mandatory in every church.

Council of Trent (1545-63)

Period: 1545 to 1563

Held in the Italian city of
Trent = the symbol of Counter Reformation
o the Roman Catholic church attempted to correct
some of the abuses of the church
o and harshly condemned protestant heresies

Edward VI (1547-1553)

Period: 1547 to 1553

He was the son of Henry VIII and Jane
Seymour
• He was only 9 when his father died
• Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford and soon
to be Duke of Somerset, the new King's
eldest uncle, became Lord Protector.
• During his reign a series of measures pushed
England towards Protestantism
Edward VI was 15 when he died from tuberculosis in 1553

1549 Book of Common Prayer

1549

Revision of the mass-book, led to the
publication of the Book of Common Prayer in
1549
Roman Catholic practices (including statues
and stained glass) were eradicated.

Mary I, the first Queen of England (1553-1558)

1553

In 1553, Mary I (Tudor) became the first Queen of England
Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of
Aragon
• First Queen regnant
• Was 37 years old
• She restored Catholicism in 18 months.
• She repealed the Protestant legislation of
her father and half-brother.

Poor Laws were passed STARTING in 1553

1553

This established the idea that central and local governments had a

responsibility for helping the poor.

• BUT it also established a distinction between the “deserving poor” and the
“undeserving poor”.

• Very harsh laws against beggars and vagrants
SOME LAWS PASSED IN 1597 AND 1601.

« Bloody Mary » 1555 -1558.

Period: 1555 to 1558

She was married to the Catholic
Philip II of Spain.
• The marriage made her ally with Spain
• Many people in England opposed this
marriage
• Her popularity declined rapidly
Protestantism was confined to secrecy
as heretics were burned between • Under Mary’s brief reign, over 200
Protestants went to the stake
• Protestants were forced to leave the
country and fled to the Continent
(Switzerland where they were taught
the teachings of Calvin) = they were
the “Marian exiles”.

Queen Elisabeth I crowned in 1558

1558

Elisabeth I, born on September 7, 1533 at Placentia Palace in London and died on March 24, 1603
She was queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death. Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII, and the fifth and last member of the Tudor dynasty on the English throne.

The Act of Supremacy (1559)

1559

Church organisation
• abolished the authority of the Pope
• restored the authority of the Queen over the Church
•Elizabeth I became “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”.

The Act of Uniformity (1559)

1559

Religious belief
• every parish had to use the Book of Common Prayer
• people who did not attend an Anglican service were fined.

1563: House of Lords begged the Queen to marry

1563

“whomever you
want, wherever you want”
- The Queen had many suitors (prétendants):
Count of Arundel, Robert Dudley, King of Sweden, Archduke of Austria,
the Third and Fourth sons of Henry II, Duc d’Anjou, Duc d’Alençon, etc.
- Marriage was seen as women’s natural condition

The 39 articles of faith (1563-1571)

Period: 1563 to 1571

Doctrine
• stated the doctrine (religious belief) of the Church
• 3 important changes : a new ecclesiology (conception of the Church) / a new doctrine of
Salvation (doctrine du salut) / a new definition of sacraments and of the mass
• still in use today

The Northern Rebellion 1569

1569

o Rebellion against religious reforms.
o 6000 insurgents.
o An attempt to replace Queen
Elizabeth by Mary, Queen of Scots.
o The revolt was led by the Earls of
Westmorland and Northumberland.
o It was crushed.

Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth (1570)

1570

1570: Pope Pius V issued the papal bull “Regnans in
Excelsis”
- it called Elizabeth “The so-called queen” (!), “a
heretic favouring heretics”.
- It excommunicated Elizabeth
= almost giving Catholics licence to kill her with the
certainty that it would not be seen as a crime by
Rome.

The 1571 Treasons Act

1571

made it
treason for anyone to say that Elizabeth was not
the true Queen of England and Wales

Repression 1577-1603

Period: 1577 to 1603

163 persons killed during
repression in 26 years

The 1581 Act

1581

(“Act to retain the
Queen’s Majesty’s Subjects in
their due Obedience”):
• It provided for the death
penalty for any person
converting, or already
converted to Catholicism.
• It was now forbidden to
participate or celebrate the
Catholic Mass
• Anglican services were
compulsory: £20 per month
fine.

The Babington plot (1586)

1586

Young Catholics had sworn to kill Elizabeth and put Mary
Stuart on the throne but their strategies were discovered
by Francis Walsingham, when he managed to decipher a
coded letter between Marie Stuart and this group.

The execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1587)

1587

Mary Queen of Scots ( Mary Stuart (1542-1587))
She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and
Mary of Guise.
In 1568, Mary was involved in a civil war in
Scotland, and had to flee to England. Elizabeth
granted her shelter but kept her under close
watch (virtually a prisoner in England for 19
years).
Because she was a threat to Elizabeth
She was executed in

1587 in

Fotheringham

Castle, wearing a

bright red dress, the
colour of Catholic

martyrs.

The Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588)

1588

Philip II, the Catholic King of Spain

supported several plots against Elizabeth
In retaliation, and to support the cause of

Protestantism, Elizabeth supported the
Dutch Revolt against Spain

As a result, the King of Spain attempted to

invade England
A complete defeat, England was victorious

Speech to the troops at Tilbury: 1588

1588

The queen made this speech in Tilbury, Essex, in order to rally
the troops who were preparing to repel the invasion of the
Spanish Armada:
“I know I have the body of a weak woman but I have the heart and
stomach of a king, and a King of England too”.

East India Company founded by royal charter

1600

1600: East India Company founded by royal charter It began to build up a small empire of trading posts in India. Three main trading settlements: Bombay (Mumbai), Calicut (Calcutta), Madras (Chennai) The East India Company allowed England to control the trade of luxury goods like spices, cotton, silk 
and tea from India and China, and influenced politics.

Elizabeth died in 1603

1603

(at the age of 69)
She had secured the position of England in the world
She had imposed Protestantism
Her heir was the son of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart)

King James VI 1603

1603

James VI of Scotland: became James I
of England.

1605 The GUNPOWDER PLOT

May 11, 1605

A conspiracy devised by a small group of Catholics to blow up Parliament and kill James I.

English settlement in North America in 1607

1607

Virginia became the 1st permanent
English settlement in North America in
1607. Area named after the Virgin Queen.
This initiative resulted in the colonial
empire of the 17th and 18th centuries

1607: establishment of Jamestown in Virginia

1607

1607: establishment of Jamestown in Virginia The first permanent settlement
(1585 : a failed attempt by Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a settlement in Roanoke, Virginia) Named after James I

The Starving Time 1609-1610

Period: 1609 to 1610

• Period of starvation, only 60 of the 500 colonists survived!
• Why? Shortage of drinkable water Insufficient growing of crops Conflicts with the Native Powhatan tribe
  
• Some settlers even turned to cannibalism

1611 King James’ Bible

1611

a new English translation of the Bible (the King James’ Bible) completed in 1611

New brand of tobacco first sold in England in 1614

1614

Discovered by John Rolfe (a Jamestown settler) helped by his wife Pocahontas (daughter of the Powhatan’s chief) who taught him Indian techniques of cultivation
A huge success

1625 death of James I

1625

1628 Petition of Rights

1628

They requested the King to recognise the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation, billeting, martial law, imprisonment without trial.
Wanted to get Charles to recognise that there were limits to his powers
Charles reluctantly signed it but was furious, and as MPs were discussing impeaching Lord Buckingham again, he suspended parliament seating.

1629 Three Resolutions

1629

Declared that whoever tried to bring in “Popery or Arminianism” or to alter the protestant forms of the Church of England was an enemy of the Kingdom
as well as anyone advising the King to collect custom duties without Parliament’s consent = an act of open defiance!
Charles imprisoned these MPs and dissolves parliament.
He declared there would be no more parliaments = start of the “Personal Rule”

1629-1640 The Personal Rule

Period: 1629 to 1640

11 years when the King ruled without calling a parliament
Whig historians called it “The Eleven Years Tyranny”

1637 the introduction of the New Prayer Book

1637

(Book of Common Prayer) set Scotland aflame.

The changes were deemed unacceptable (new position of the altar, kneeling, etc).

1637 Bishop's war

1637

The riot would soon turn into a widespread rebellion known as the Bishops’ Wars

1637-1640 The Scottish crisis

Period: 1637 to 1640

Scotland was Calvinist
(Protestant too, but different religious practices /England)
The Kirk = the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly = the Kirk’s governing body

the Scottish National Covenant 1638

1638

The Scottish General Assembly removed the bishops.
To Charles, this was an act of open rebellion.
Scotland and England both started to form an army
The Bishops’ Wars

Treaty of Ripon October 1640

1640

Peace Treaty (Treaty of Ripon, Oct 1640): Charles was forced to pay the cost of the Scots’ army (humiliation!)
Charles had to call parliament again: “The Long Parliament”
(Because it would not be dissolved until 1660)

The Grand Remonstrance of 1641

1641

an important document voted by Parliament after heated debates.
It summarized all the wrong doing of Charles I and concluded on “revolutionary” demands:
the right of the House of commons to choose the King’s ministers.The right for Parliament to control any army sent to Ireland
the right for Parliament to reform the Church.
The text divided Parliament into 2 groups:
The PARLIAMENTARIANS VS The ROYALISTS

1641 The Irish Rebellion

1641

In October 1641, an armed revolt broke out in Ireland: The Irish Rebellion James I (Charles’ father) had implemented a plantation policy = sending English and Scottish protestant colonists to Ireland, taking the lands of Irish Catholics
In Oct 1641, Irish Catholics rebels rose up against Protestant settlers
 Massacre of 3 000/4 000 protestants
Rumours: Irish atrocities, 200 000 protestants massacred (fuelled the anti-Catholic sentiment in England) (cf brochure p. 29)

1642-1649 English Civil Wars

Period: 1642 to 1649

The New Model Army1644

1644

A new army created in 1644
by the Parliamentarians
Unlike the earlier regional armies, this was a national, centralized army, controlled and paid from Westminster rather than the counties Strong of 22 000 men
Armed with swords, pistols, pikes.
Wearing the redcoat
Religious fervour (nicknamed the “praying army”, soldiers carried Bibles in their breast pockets), convinced that the army was acting on God’s behalf

1645 Battle of Naseby

1645

The June 1645 Battle of Naseby was a turning point and saw the Royalist forces weaken.

victory of Parliament (1643-6)

1646

he First civil war would cost the lives of 190 000 Englishmen
(in combat/from diseases) and last for four years.

The Second Civil War 1648

1648

Nov 1647: the King escaped from army custody and allied himself with the Scots (he promised to introduce Presbyterianism/Calvinism into England, in return the Scottish army would invade England and restore him to power)
Horrified Parliament (using a foreign army to wage war on his own people!) and led to the Second Civil War
A series of revolts happened in the South of England, Wales and Scotland
The Royalists were easily defeated by Cromwell
Very short : January-Autumn 1648

Charles I's Kingslayer

1649

the king
Charles I is executed in 1649

1649-1660 The Interregnum

Period: 1649 to 1660

The Interregnum (1649-1660)
= between 2 reigns, between 2 kings
England declared a “Commonwealth” = governed by its people without a King
But failure to reach stability and creation of a military protectorate ruled by Cromwell

The Commonwealth 1649-1653

Period: 1649 to 1653

The Commonwealth (1649-1653)
A law abolished monarchy (described as “unnecessary, burdensome and dangerous”)
The House of Lords was abolished
The House of Commons had supreme authority
England was declared a Commonwealth
Ruled as a Republic

Blasphemy Act 1650

1650

Blasphemy Act 1650
The Quaker James Nayler who imitated Christ’s entry into Jerusalem was harshly punished

1653 Cromwell dissolved the Rump

1653

20 April 1653 Cromwell dissolved the Rump. Ordered the MPs to leave
Next Parliament: “The Barebones Parliament”
But internal tensions, the Barebones Parliament dissolved

1653-1660 The Cromwellian Protectorate

Period: 1653 to 1660

The Protectorate was a MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
Similar to a monarchy without a King
CROMWELL appointed Lord Protector (‘King’? Nope)
Executive power (return to a govt of a single person)
Controlled the military, diplomacy
Ruling with the help of the legislative power:

1658 Death of Oliver Cromwell

1658

Oliver Cromwell, Lord General and Lord Protector (1653-1658)Cromwell died in 1658
His son Richard became Lord Protector but resigned after 6 months
This led to a period of Anarchy
 7 governments in less than a year! People longed for a return to order, increasing support for monarchy

1660 Declaration of Breda

1660

1660: Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda.
It promised:
A general amnesty (pardon)
To continue religious toleration
To share power with Parliament
…in return for the restoration of monarchy.

1660- 1665 The CLARENDON Code

Period: 1660 to 1665

THE CLARENDON CODE: a series of laws passed during the first 5 years of Restoration
Repressive towards non conformists and dissenters
(= groups who lived their faith separate from the Anglican church, except for Catholics)

1660 The Restoration

Apr 29, 1660

It worked! King restored 29 May 1660 = The Restoration

The act of uniformity 1662

1662

The act of uniformity 1662: all ministers had to swear to conform to the Book of Common Prayer

1665 outbreak of Plague

1665

1665 outbreak of Plague

1666 Great Fire of London

1666

1666 Great Fire of London

The Popish Plot 1678

1678

The Popish Plot 1678
Rumour of a plot organised by the French to murder Charles II and replace him by his Catholic brother James II
Fear: James as king would implement pro-Catholic politics + might try to restore absolute monarchy, threatening Parliament (Just look at Louis XIV: absolute monarch + persecution of protestants!)

The Exclusion crisis, 1679-1681

Period: 1679 to 1681

The Exclusion crisis, 1679-1681
Parliament attempted to debar James II from the succession to the English throne (!! Parliament trying to modify the rules of succession? Divine Right of Kings?)
Charles’ reaction: dissolving the Parliament.

1688 William became King William III

1688

1689 Glorious Revolution

1689

In 1688, Parliament invited the King’s son in law (William of Orange) to invade England and seize the crown!
He landed with an army of 15 000 men and met no resistance
James’ army disintegrated, officers deserted.
James II fled to France and William became King William III

Toleration Act 1689

1689

Toleration Act 1689: established religious pluralism,
and freedom of worship for all Protestants

The Bill of Rights 16 Dec. 1689

Dec 16, 1689

Lists King James’ misdeeds
Fixed limitations on the sovereign’s powers
Parliament had to consent to new laws
Parliament gained control over finances and over the army
No Catholic was to inherit the throne
Set out the rights of Parliament
Regular parliaments
Free elections
Freedom of speech in Parliament
Set out basic civil rights
Ex: Freedom from cruel and excessive punishment, freedom to bear arms
A key political text

The Act of Settlement 1701

1701

Ensured a Protestant succession, ignoring dozens of Catholic heirs
Successor: Hanoverian descendants of James I
Key role in the formation of the Kingdom
of Great Britain

1707 Act of Union

1707

1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland

War of the Spanish 1710- 1714

Period: 1710 to 1714

1710-14: War of the Spanish Succession (= Queen Anne’s War), Britain gained Acadia over the French

George I's reign

Period: 1714 to 1727

George I (1714-1727)

George II's reign

Period: 1727 to 1760

George II (1727-1760)

Seven Years’ War 1756- 1763

Period: 1756 to 1763

Britain gained Florida over the Spanish and (most of) Canada over the French

James Cook's Expedition

1769

Expedition by James Cook in 1769.

the American War of Independence 1775-1783

Period: 1775 to 1783

The years  were a turning point in British history, as the nation lost a huge part of its empire in the American War of Independence This marked the end of what is now called the ‘First British Empire’. 

1801 : Second Act of Union

1801

United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland

Great Britain and Ireland

o After a first Act of Union in 1707 uniting the two

kingdoms of England and Scotland