Eliz1 rainbow

British Literature 1485-1603

By biblit2012
  • Jan 1, 1485

    Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth

    Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth
    Accession of Henry VII inaugurates the Tudor Dynasty.
  • Jan 1, 1509

    Accession of Henry VIII after death of Henry VII

    Accession of Henry VIII after death of Henry VII
  • Jan 1, 1516

    Sir Thomas More's Utopia was published.

    Sir Thomas More's Utopia was published.
  • Jan 1, 1517

    Martin Luther's Wittenberg Theses

    Martin Luther's Wittenberg Theses
    This was the beginning of the Reformation.
  • Oct 31, 1527

    Henry VIII Appeals to the Pope to annul his Marriage

    Henry VIII Appeals to the Pope to annul his Marriage
    In 1532 the Church agrees to support Henry VIII in his confrontation with the papacy. After his divorce from Catherine of Aragon in 1533 he married Anne Boleyn (pictures). Anne Boleyn is executed in 1536.
  • Oct 31, 1534

    Henry VIII Declares Himself Head of the English Church

    Henry VIII Declares Himself Head of the English Church
    In 1535 former Chancellor Sir Thomas More is executed for treason for not supporting Henry VIII as the head of the English Church.
  • Oct 31, 1536

    Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Receives the First Bible in English

    Archbishop Thomas Cranmer Receives the First Bible in English
  • Oct 31, 1553

    Bloody Mary Assumes the Throne as Queen

    Bloody Mary Assumes the Throne as Queen
    She advocates for a return to Catholicism. In 1554 Sir Thomas Wyall leads a rebellion against Mary. In 1554 Mary marries Philip of Spain despite widespread opposition. 1556 Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burnt for heresy.
  • Oct 31, 1557

    Publication of Tottel's "Songs and Sonnets,"

    Publication of Tottel's "Songs and Sonnets,"
    This contained poems by Sir Thomas Wyatt; Henry Howard, Earl of Surry; and Others
  • Period: Oct 31, 1558 to

    Queen Elizabeth I Takes the Throne

    Queen Elizabeth I takes the throne after the dead of her sister Mary. She is the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Much happened during her reign:
    - 1559: the Book of Common Prayer becomes the only legal form of worship
    - 1560: the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed between Englnd and France
    - 1571: Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange associating the crown with the commercial Prosperity of London
    - 1585: First treaty of Nonsuch sparks conflict with Spain at the Battle of Gravelines
  • Oct 31, 1564

    Birth of William Shakespeare

    Birth of William Shakespeare
  • Oct 31, 1576

    Building of the Theatre

    Building of the Theatre
    This was the first permanent structure in England for the presention of plays

  • Queen Elizabeth Defeats the Spanish Armada

    Queen Elizabeth Defeats the Spanish Armada

  • Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene was Published

    Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene was Published
    The first half was published in 1590; the second half was published in 1596.

  • Death of Elizabeth I

    Death of Elizabeth I
    And accession of James VI of Scotland (later James I) to the throne, the first of the Stuart kings.