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Period: 1509 to 1547
King Henry VIII " The 1st Tudor King"'s reign
Born in 1491, he became king at 17 as the first Tudor King. Under his reign, the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church (schism). He is also known for having had 6 wives (2 divorced and 2 beheaded). He is one of the most famous and emblematic kings. He had 3 children who would all end up on the throne later on. -
1517
The Ninety Five Theses
written by German priest and theologian Martin Luther, it expressed his ideas about the Bible, religious authority, the role of the papacy in society and how to get to heaven. He mainly denounces the lucrative use of indulgences. The protestant reformation was the first modern media event. -
1521
Martin Luther excommunicated
After stating his opinion, that salvation was free and that any priest declaring that buying indulgences could free a man of his sins was lying, and should turn to charities instead. Martin Luther was excommunicated and declared heretic . -
1526
The Translation of The Ninety Five Theses
Due to it's success, the Ninety Five Theses were translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. -
1526
Publishing of the Tyndale Bible
In England, the Tyndale Bible was published by William Tyndale -
1527
King Henry VIII files for divorce from Catherine of Aragon
After 18 years of marriage with Catherine of Aragon and a daughter together,Mary, Henry goes against the Church of England in order to have his marriage annulled because she failed to conceive a male heir, because of her support to the Habsurgs when he wanted an alliance with France and most importantly, he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn (her lady in waiting). However he gives fake reasons such as his conscience, the forbidden romance of a man and his brother's wife. -
1527
Annulment request denied
Henry VIII requested an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon but Pope Clement VII refused. This led to the downfall of the Catholic Church in England. -
Period: 1529 to 1526
The break of England from the Catholic Church
The reformation parliament passed laws abolishing papal authority in England and declared Henry to be head of the Church of England. This new reform enabled Henry VIII to annul marriages. -
1533
Henry VIII married Ann Boleyn
After the new reformation, they were able to get married and for Ann to be a legitimate Queen. However the pope disagreed and excommunicated both, as he did not support protestant ideas. -
Nov 3, 1534
The Act of Supremacy
Founding of The English Church and makes King Henri VIII the only one with the sacred power. -
1536
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The smaller monasteries started disappearing and the greater ones followed two years later. This had important consequences on the population as a lot of monks and nuns lived there, some even leaving the profession. It also had an impact on the clergy's finances and the social fabric of communities as the church was involved in local life, education and hospitality. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
Crown overtakes the Church of England
Churches were disbanded and the Crown appropriated their income and land ( 25% of the land in England). The dissolution of the Monasteries was seen as nationalisation, with their valuables being confiscated and melted down. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
The Pilgrimage of Grace
The dissolution process was interrupted by rebellions in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, the greatest rebellion ever faced by a Tudor Monarch. It was ended by both peaceful negotiation and brutal suppression. The rebels were against the dissolution of Monasteries and the reformation as they also demanded the restoration of the pope and of Mary Tudor. -
May 19, 1536
Beheading of Ann Boleyn
She was Queen from 1533 to 1536 and the mother of Elizabeth I. He left his wife and the catholic religion to be with her. However, because she wouldn't give him a son, she was later beheaded under unconvincing evidence of engaging in sexual relations with her brother. Therefore killed for adultery, high treason and incest. -
May 30, 1536
Henry VIII and Jane Seymour Get married
Jane Seymour was known for her peaceful nature as she even managed to repair Henry's and Mary's relationship. She was considered as the true Queen, because she gave birth to the royal heir. -
1537
Permission of the English Bible
The English bible was made mandatory in the Church of England. -
Oct 24, 1537
Death of Jane Seymour
She was the only wife to receive a royal burial as she died 12 days after giving birth to the King's only son due to complications. -
Jan 6, 1540
Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves's marriage
She was his fourth wife and they were married for just 6 months. -
Jul 9, 1540
Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII get divorced
Henry VIII did not find her attractive enough, and as they never consummated the marriage it was annulled shortly after. -
Jul 28, 1540
Catherine Howard and Henry VIII get married
She was Henry VIII's fifth wife at only 16 -
Nov 1, 1542
Catherine Howard is beheaded
She was beheaded for he alleged adultery with Thomas Culpeper, Henry Mannox and Francis Dereham. She was stripped of her title as Queen and beheaded on the grounds of treason for committing adultery. -
1543
Henry VIII and Catherine Parr get married
She was the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, she is also best known for her role in the Third Succession Act as well as being the most married Queen of England (4 times). -
Period: 1547 to 1553
"Young King" Edward VI's reign
Edward was the son of Henri the VIII and Jane Seymour, however when his father died he was only nine years old therefore unable to properly reign. His uncle Lord Edward Seymour became his Lord Protector. During Edward's reign a series of measures pushed England towards Protestantism. -
Jan 28, 1547
Death of King Henry VIII
He died after being on his deathbed for a long time, preparing prince Edward to succeed him. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary"'s reign
Born in 1516, she became the first Queen of England at 37 years old and she restored catholicism after just 18 months. She was also married to the very catholic Philip II of Spain as he made her an ally with Spain during the war against France. Under Bloody Mary's reign, protestantism was confined to secrecy as heretics were burned (over 200 protestants),protestants hid or fled. Her death was celebrated . -
Period: 1558 to
Queen Elizabeth I"the Virgin queen"'s reign
As Queen her goal was to pacify religious divisions as she had to appease religious tensions: she stabilised the Church of England by giving it religious settlements, she also expanded England's influence, she stayed queen for 45 years without getting married with reinforced independence in England. -
1559
2nd Act of Supremacy
This new law under Elizabeth I's reign dealt with the organisation of the Church of England: such as the abolition of the authority of the pope, the restoration of the authority of the Queen over the Church of England, the Queen was now known as "The supreme governor of the Church of England". -
1559
The Act of Uniformity
This act created under Elizabeth I'd reign dealt with the religious beliefs such as: every parish had to use the book of Common Prayers, individuals who did not attend an Anglican service were fined. -
Period: 1559 to 1563
New Legislation
In this period of time, multiple events took place such as the Act of Supremacy, the Act of Uniformity and the 39 Articles of Faith. -
Period: 1563 to 1571
The 39 Articles of Faith
These articles, published under Elizabeth I's reign, stated the doctrine of religious beliefs of the Church of England. There were three important changes, such as: a new ecclesiology, a new doctrine of salvation, a new definition of sacrements and of the mass. -
1569
The Northern Rebellion
This rebellion was against religious reforms with 6000 insurgents and an attempt to replace Queen Elizabeth by Mary Queen of Scots. The revolt was led by the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland. -
Apr 27, 1570
Pope Pius V 's Bull against Elizabeth I
Given at St Peter's at Rome, this letter was an attack on the queen and on her protestant principles. He even denies her legitimacy as true Queen declaring her as a heretic. -
1571
The Treason Act
In response to Pope Pius V 's comments, it was deemed treason for anyone to say that Elizabeth was not the true Queen of England and Wales. -
1581
The 1581 Act
This act was issued 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 celebrate or participate catholic mass. Anglican services were also compulsory or they were fined. A total of 163 people were killed during repression in Elizabeth's 26 years of reign. -
The Babington plot
Young Catholics had sworn to kill Queen Elizabeth and to put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne.However their strategies were discovered by the Queen's spy Francis Walsingham, when he managed to decipher a coded letter between Mary Stuart and this group. This led to her execution. -
The execution of Mary Queen of Scots
She was a threat to Elizabeth I,her cousin and next in line for the throne as well as the legitimate Queen of England according to the Catholics.Her closeness to France and Spain endangered the English Kingdom. There had been many plots by catholic nobilities to replace Elizabeth I by Mary Stuart.After imprisoning her for 19 years,instead of killing her,but new evidence came to light suggesting that Mary had been working with a group of catholics in order to kill her.She was beheaded wearing red -
Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury
She gave this speech as England prepared for an invasion by king Philip of Spain and his powerful Armada. In the speech, Elizabeth I proved that a female monarch was as suited to lead a nation in wartime than a male. -
The defeat of the Spanish Armada
The navy battle between Spanish troops led by the "unbeatable" king of Spain, Philip II and Queen Elizabeth. This confrontation started because of several plots made by Philip II aiming to defeat her. In retaliation and to support the cause of protestantism, Elizabeth supported the dutch revolt against Spain . This resulted in an attempt of the king to invade England, however, due to Elizabeth's strategy and leadership, England emerged victorious. This event strengthened her power as a Queen. -
Act of Union
This Act of Union united the Great British Empire and The Irish one.