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Period: 1509 to 1547
Reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII was the first Tudor King. Uder his reign, the Church of England split from the Roman Catholic Church, and even though he used to be a devout Catholic, he undertook a Protestant Reformation. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
In 1529 the Pope rejected Henry VIII's petition for a divorce with Catherine Of Aragon, so in 1533 he passed the Act in Restraint of Appeal, giving him the legal right to annul marriages. Henry then divorced Catherine of Aragon and married Anne Boleyn in 1534. He was excummuncated by the Pope the same year, which caused the Church of England to split from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry passed the Act of Supremacy, making him Supreme Head of the Church of England. -
1536
Pilgrimage of Grace
After rejecting the influence of the Pope, Henry VIII decided to disband all monasteries, as he considered them 'bastions of popery'. The dissolution process was interrupted by rebellions in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, called the Pilgrimage of Grace. The rebels were common people, who were against the dissolution of monasteries and the Reformation. The rebellions lasted 6 months and were the greatest rebellions ever faced by a Tudor monarch. -
Period: 1547 to 1553
Reign of Edward VI
Edward IV was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, who was a Protestant. He was 9 when he was crowned King of England at the death of Henry VIII. He was fiercely Protestant. -
1549
Book of Common Prayer
During his short reign, Edward reinforced the Protestantism installed by his father: the mass book was revised, which led to the publication of the Book of Common Prayers (containing the doctrine and the services of the Church of England) in 1549. The Roman Catholic practices such as statues and stained glass were eradicated and marriage of clergy was allowed. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Reign of Mary I
Mary Tudor was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. She restored Catholicism in 18 months. Mary was not popular: she was nicknamed Bloody Mary for protestantism was confined to secracy and heretics were burned. The protestants who fled the continent (to Switzerland with Calvin, for example) were called the Marian Exiles. She was married to Catholic King Philip II of Spain, which made England ally with Spain in war against France, where She lost Calais. -
Period: 1558 to
Reign of Elizabeth I
At the beginning of Elizabeth I's reign, a lot was at stake: she needed to prove her legitimacy as an unmarried woman; and she needed to pacify religious divisions after 25 years of change. Elizabeth was a sincere protestant, supported by all the Marian exiles who came back to England. She wanted to find a 'Middle Way' (Via Media) i.e. a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism to maintain national unity and keep an alliance with France and Spain: the Anglican Church. -
1559
Creation of the Anglican Church
Elizabeth I passed new legislation that created the Anglican Church.
- A new Act of Supremacy in 1559.
- The Act of Uniformity also in 1559 stating that every parish had to use the Book of Common Prayer and that the people who did not attend service were fined.
- The 39 Articles of Faith, written between 1563 and 1671, stating the doctrine of the Anglican Church.
The Anglican Church retained some Catholic features like the hierarchal structure, and adopted new Protestant ones. -
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary Stuart had been imprisoned by Elizabeth I for 19 years for she was seen as a threat to the Queen. Many English Catholic nobles plotted numerous times (at least 8 known) to replace Elizabeth with Mary, who was a Catholic. The Babington Plot, in 1586, aiming to kill Elizabeth, was stopped when a coded letter between Mary and the group of Catholics was deciphered. Mary was beheaded on the 8th of February 1587, wearing a bright red dress, the colour worn by Catholic martyrs. -
Period: to
Reign of James I
James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was proclaimed king of Scotland in 1567, and of England in 1603 (on the death of Elizabeth I). England and Scotland were then two separate countries and he was the first monarch to rule over both. James held Calvinist (Protestant) views, and firmly believed in the divine rights of Kings. During James' reign, England saw many conflicts arise due to the numerous conflicts between the King and the Parliament. -
The Gunpowder Plot
When James I (son of Mary, Queen of Scots; who was a Catholic) became King of England, the English Catholics hoped for a return to Catholicism. However, James continued using Elizabethan laws. In 1605, a small group of Catholics plotted to blow up Parliament and kill James I: The Gunpowder Plot. The conspiracy was discovered and the men of the group were arrested and executed. -
The first English colonies
The first English colonies were formed in North America. In 1607, Jamestown was established in Virginia: it was the first permanent settlement, named after James I. Between 1609 and 1610, the colonists went through The Starving Time, only 60 out of 500 survived. Jamestown was saved by the discovery of a new type of tobacco, first sold in England in 1614, and that was one of the causes for the development of slavery. -
Period: to
The Thirty Years' War
Wanting to make peace between Catholics and Protestant powers abroad, James I arranged for his daughter Elizabeth Stuart to marry a Protestant prince (Elector) of Palatine (a part of Germany). The Elector Palatine was invited to take the throne of Bohemia in place of Emperor Ferdinand Habsburg. The Emperor sent his army, supported by the Spanish, and this marked the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. The war importantly impacted the English population and had a considerable strain on finances. -
Period: to
Reign of Charles I
Charles I was the son of James I. He firmly believed in the divine rights of Kings and interpreted all criticism as a challenge to his authority. He was married to a French Catholic and absolutist princess, Henrietta Maria, but he favoured a minority wing of Anglicans: the Arminians, who wished to restore traditional ceremonies and increase the authority of the clergy. During His reign, the already existing crisis developped and led England to civil wars. -
The Three Resolutions
Parliament had become suspicious of Charles' religious support for Arminians and his attitude toward Parliament. In 1629 passed the Three Resolutions, asserting that whoever tried to alter the Protestant forms of the Church of England or bring in 'Popery or Arminianism' was an enemy to the Kingdom, as well as anyone who would advise the King to collect custom duties without the consent of Parliament. Charles took it as an act of open defiance, imprisoned these Members and dissolved Parliament. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
After dissolving Parliament in 1929, Charles declared there would be no more Parliaments. That was the start of the Personal Rule, an 11-year period during which Charles ruled without ever calling a Parliament. He also implemented religious policies that were destructive of Elizabeth's compromise: importance of the sacraments was emphasized, reuse of signs of the Cross, bowing at the name of Jesus and relocating the altar in churches. People saw all of this as a return of Catholicism. -
The Long Parliament
The Scots invaded England and emerged victorious and Charles was forced to pay the cost of the Scotts' army. He called another parliament, The Long Parliament, which wasn't dissolved until 1660. The Long Parliament, determined to remedy 11 years of grievances, passed 2 acts ensuring that Parliament should meet at least every 3 years, and the dissolution of Parliament required its consent. -
The Irish Rebellion
James I, Charles I's father, had implemented a plantation policy, sending English and Scottish Protestant colonists to Ireland, taking the lands of Irish Catholics. In October 1641, Irish Catholics rebels rose up against them: the Irish Rebellion. Rumours say that 200 000 protestants were massacred in atrocious ways, which fueled the anti-Catholic sentiment in England. Parliament passed the Militia Act so that they could raise an army, taking away the King's ability to choose a general Himself. -
The Grand Remonstrance
The Militia Act led to the Grand Remonstrance, an important document voted by Parliament summarizing all the wrong-doings of Charles I, giving Parliament the rights to control the army, choose the King's ministers, and reform the Church. The text divided Parliament into 2 groups: the Parliamentarians, who believed the reform was necessary, and the Royalists, who thought the Grand Remonstrance's demands were too extreme. The creation of these two sides was one of the causes of the civil wars. -
The attempt of the King to arrest 5 Members of Parliament
In January 1642, Charles marched into the house of Commons with troops and attempted to arrest five Members of Parliament. It was a breach of privilege and showed there could be no peace between King and Parliament. Fearing for his life, Charles fled London for York. The Parliament came up with the 19 Propositions to the King, containing extreme demands that would make the King a constitutional monarch. Charles I formally declared war on Parliament in August 1642. -
The First Civil war
The First Civil war oposed the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. It cost the lives of 190 000 Englishmen and lasted 4 years. In May 1646, the King and the Royalists surrendered. Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, the 2 key commanders of the Parliamentarians relied on the New Model Army, created in 1644, a national army controlled by Westminster and strong of 22 000 men, who were convinced of acting on God's behalf. IN June 1647 the New Model Army seized the King. -
Execution of King Charles I
Charles escaped from army custody and allied Himself with the Scots, promising them to introduce Presbytarianism into England, in return of them invading England and restore Him to power. This led to the Second Civil War, and the Royalists were easily defeated by Cromwell in 1648. The army wanted the King to be tried, but the vote was stopped by the Colonel Pride who arrested 45 Members. The remainder Members (The Rump Parliament) tried the King and He was executed for high treason in 1649. -
Period: to
The Interregnum
In 1649, monarchy and the House of Lords are abolished, England was declared a Commonwealth. The House of Commons had supreme authority. Some Royalist revolts took place in Scotland and Ireland but were brutally repressed by Cromwell. The Rump Parliament led by Cromwell increased repression of internal critics and radical sects. In April 1653 Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament, and in December 1653, it was the end of the Commonwealth and the beginning of the Protectorate. -
Period: to
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Europe gave cloth, iron, weapons and wine to Africa, and Africa gave slaves to North America, and North America gave coffe, sugar and tobacco to Europe. The slave trad had a slow start in the 17th century, then a rapid increase in the 18th century. It was establised by law in the Thirteen Colonies in the course or the 17th century. -
Period: to
The Cromwellian Protectorate
The protectorate was a military dictatorship (monarchy wothout a King). Cromwell refused to become King and was appointed Lord Protector, which means he ruled with help of Parliament, a Parliament of 460 Members was elected every 3 years. The Instrument of Government of 1653 was the only English constitution ever written. Cromwell died in 1658, and after that came a period of Anarchy: 7 governments in less than a year. People longed for a return to order, increasing support for monarchy. -
Period: to
Reign of Charles II
In 1660, Charles II, son of Charles I, issued the Declaration of Breda, promisinge a general amnesty for executing His father, to continue religious toleration and to share power with Parliament, in return for the restoration of monarchy. It worked, and the King was restored. Parliament became permanent, representing the people; and the King was the royal prerogative. The Clarendon Code, a series of repressive laws towards non-conformists. The bishops were restored in the House of Lords. -
The Political Crisis
Between 1678 and 1681, England experienced a political crisis with:
-The Popish Plot in 1678: rumour of a plot orchestrated by the French to murder Charles II and replace him by his Catholic brother James II.
-The Exclusion Crisis in 1679-1681: the Parliament attempted to debar James II from the succession to the English throne, Charles dissolved Parliament. James' supporters were the Tories, and his opponents the Whigs.
Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by James II. -
The Act of Union
Creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain: England (and Wales) and Scotland. -
The British Empire
By 1783, Britain had established an Empire which composed of:
- Colonies in North America including the West Indies, and the Pacific including New Zealand.
- Trading posts in India
- Naval bases in the Mediterranean - Gibraltar and Minorca But Britain's defeat in the American War if INdependance meant the loss of the American colonies (Treaty of Paris, 1783). -
Second Act of Union
Creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England and Scotland) and Ireland.
