-
Period: 1400 to 1500
Religion before the schism
Catholicism was the main religion in Europe, represented by the Catholic Church led by the Pope. The Church had an important political role, mainly in England, as it could organize law courts and some members were even part of the government. -
Period: 1517 to 1534
The European Reformation
The Church started receiving criticism, mainly accusations of corruption and abuse. As a matter of fact, the Church started selling indulgences, which were supposed to reduce the time spent in the purgatory, originally accomplished by praying and making good deeds. It was said to encourage the richest to not do anything to redeem themselves. It also served as a sort of donation; money that the Church could use to realize other projects. The two main reformers were Martin Luther and John Calvin. -
Oct 31, 1517
Luther's 95 Theses
A bunch of texts written by Luther criticizing the acts of the Catholic Church, and especially the system of indulgences. He considered that salvation should be free for everyone. Text was spread thanks to the recent creation of the printing press. Marks the start of the European reformation. -
1526
Tyndale's Bible
William Tyndale for the first time translated the Bible in English for everyone to understand. In Protestantism, people were the only leaders of their faith, and therefore needed the Bible translated to understand it and become 'independent' from the Church. It used to only be in latin, and the Priests were the only ones able to translate it. Luther translated it in German some years prior, in 1522. -
Period: 1529 to 1547
Henry VIII's reign
Henry was at first a devout catholic. However, due to some circumstances, he ended up wanting to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon. The Pope refused, which led him to disengage with the Roman Church and adopt a new religion: Protestantism. -
1533
Henry VIII's re-marriage
Henry wanted to divorce his current wife for several reasons:
* his wife's failure to bear a male heir
* her support of the Habsburgs (Hungarian) whereas he wanted an alliance with France
* his love for her lady in waiting, Anne Boleyn.
Those are however not the official reasons he gave, among which was 'a doomed marriage', as the old testament forbade marrying with your brother's wife.
Thus, he turned to Protestantism, married Anne, and ended up excommunicated by the Pope, not approving of it. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
Signs the creation of the Protestant Church in the UK, putting Henry VIII as its only leader. Marks the schism with the Roman Church. Diminishes the power of the clergy and transfers it to the King. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
Pilgrimage of Grace
Henry started destroying monasteries as he considered them 'bastions of popery', and he refused to have anything to do with the Pope. Monasteries were places of social fabrics and hospitality and therefore, people started revolting against it. They started interrupting the destructions, which was thereafter called the 'Pilgrimage of Grace'. More than that, the rebels also had economic grievances, as well as demands to restaure the Pope's authority and make Mary I the crown princess. -
1545
Council of Trent
Council held by the Catholic Church in the city of Trent, Italy. It was a symbol of Counter Reformation, in which the Church attempted to correct some of their abuses (indulgences among other things) and harshly condemned Protestantism. Held from 1545 to 1563. -
Period: 1547 to 1553
Edward VI's reign
He was Henry VIII and Jane Seymoure's son. His uncle became Lord Protector whereas Edward became King at only nine. He was a fierce protestant and strengthened the power of Protestantism by putting up a series of measures, like allowing the clergy to get married or eradicating Catholic practices (statues; stained glass). Died of tuberculosis and was replaced by his eldest sister, Mary I. -
1549
Book of Common Prayer
A book introduced during Edward VI's reign which revised what was accepted to do during the Protestant mass. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Mary I's reign
She was the 1rst queen ever to reign in England. Catherine of Aragon's daughter. She restored Catholicism in 18 months, but was not an extremely popular monarch. She married the King of Spain, which was not well accepted among the people. She was nicknamed "Bloody Mary" because she considered Protestants to be heretics and would therefore put them to burn on the stake. Over 200 died during her reign. Protestants were forced to flee to get to the continent. Those were called "Marian exiles". -
Period: 1558 to
Elizabeth I's reign and the Golden Age
As she became queen, she needed to prove her legitimacy due to her background, along with appeasing religious tensions all over the country. She succeeded in all of these, and also stabilized the church of England, installed a foreign policy expanding England's influence on its neighbours, and reinforced England's independence by not marrying. It is why the time during her reign was called "The Golden Age". -
1559
Act of Supremacy (pt.II)
Elizabeth, as a protestant, wanted the return of Protestantism as the country's main religion. However, for the sake of national unity, of an alliance with Catholic countries and not alienating her subjects, she had to find a compromise; a Via Media. She used elements from both religions, appealing to the largest number and proving her moderation: the Anglican Church.
She re-installed the Act of Supremacy, abolishing the Pope's authority and making her "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" -
1559
Act of Uniformity (of Common Prayer, and Service in the Church, and Administration of the Sacraments)
Another act she installed after the Act of Supremacy was the Act of Uniformity. This act tackled the subject of how to practice the religion rather than how it is organized. Among other things, it said that all parish had to use the Book of Common Prayer, and that all those who did not attend Anglican services would be fined. -
1563
39 articles of Faith
Those articles were published all throughout her reign, from 1563 to 1571. They dealt with the religious doctrine, which means what you should believe in and how you should believe in it. It made three important changes: a new ecclesiology (study of the Church and its origins and concepts), a new doctrine of Salvation and new definitions of Sacraments and mass.
It is still used nowadays. -
1569
Northern Rebellion
6000 insurgents rebelled against Elizabeth's religious reforms. They attempted to replace the Queen by her cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. The revolt was lead by Earls, and was crushed by Elizabeth. -
1570
Elizabeth I's excommunication
The Queen's excommunication, issued in the papal bull "Regnans in Excelsis" was violent and encouraged English Catholics to rebel and not attend Anglican Church services. He delegitimized the Queen or anyone who would follow her principles. The Queen issued the Treason Act in 1581 as a response, which made it treason to say that Elizabeth was not the legitimate Queen of England and Wales. -
1581
1581 Act
Elizabeth strengthened her measures against Catholic services. The Act issued the death penalty for anyone converting/ed to Catholicism, forbade to participate in Catholic mass, and Anglican services were made mandatory. If not attended, you were fined £20 a month.
163 Catholics were killed from 1577 to 1603.
It mainly has to do with her excommunication, with Protestantism increasingly associated with patriotism, with many Catholic plots organized against her, and the Northern rebellions. -
Babington Plot
This plot will be the one to seal Mary's fate, and will get her executed. The Master Spy intercepted a coded letter between Mary and the Catholics planning the plot, deciphering the code and revealing Mary's treason. However, some think that it might have been organized by some of the Queen's advisers, as they wanted Mary executed while she did not. -
Mary, Queen of the Scots's execution
Mary paused a threat to Elizabeth by her mere existence. She was her cousin, and therefore her legitimate heir if she ever were to die (which was why she was in the middle of many plots against the Queen organized by Catholics) and her closeness with France and Spain endangered the kingdom. Elizabeth however did not want to kill her, and kept her 'captive' (not officially) for 19 years.
She died in a bright red dress, which was the color of the Catholic martyrs. -
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
The King of Spain supported several plots against the Queen. She decided to support the Dutch rebellion against Spain, and Philip II therefore decided to invade England. His invincible armada was however defeated by the Queen's fleet, mainly thanks to more modern ressources (ships and sailors) and luck. This victory proved the Queen's qualities in her role, strengthened the national cohesion and showed the divine protection she received, proving Protestantism's legitimacy as a religion. -
Speech to Troops at Tilbury
Speech made by the Queen to motivate the troops going to fight off the Spanish armada. It embodies all the rhetorical techniques she used to prove her legitimacy as a woman ruler, as it created problems of succession and complicated relationships with politicians and her subjects. She used the two bodies theory, explaining that she had a natural body of a weak woman, but the political body of an immortal. She also emphasized that she was not ordinary, and often gave herself masculine attributes. -
Period: to
James I (VI)'s reign
Son of Mary Stuart. Elizabeth's official heir after her death. Was already King of the Scots under the name James VI. He wants to continue Elizabeth's legacy, but he unfortunately doesn't manage too well, and a lot of issues start to arise. He indeed has troubles with Puritans and Catholics, as Elizabeth did, but also had troubles with his own Government, and also various financial issues that he inherited from Elizabeth but also created. -
The Gunpowder plot
A conspiracy devised by a small group of Catholics to blow up the Parliament and kill James I. It ended up failing, as Guy Fawkes (the one who was guarding the explosion site) was arrested before anything could blow up. He was sentenced to death as a traitor. -
The Great Contract
A financial reform introduced by the King for the Parliament, which states that the King should receive a fixed sum of money (the Parliament is normally the one allowing or not for the King to get money). The Parliament refused to vote in its favor, because it would mean that the King would become financially independent and he wouldn't call them anymore. James I therefore dismissed the Parliament. -
Parliament agrees to finance the war
James I wanted to start a war against Spain, because he married his daughter with a Protestant prince called The Elector Palatine, and as a protestant power, he wanted to support his beef with the Catholics. Therefore, in 1621, James I summoned the Parliament to ask for a financial support. However, along with that, the Parliament ended up discussing foreign policy (which is the King's prerogative) and he dissolved the Parliament again. In 1624, the Parliament ended up agreeing to finance it. -
Period: to
Charles I's reign
Charles I was a firm believer in the divine right of King. He would interpret all criticism against him as a challenge to his authority and he also married a french princess Harrietta Maria (who was an absolutist and a Catholic). In addition, he favours one subcategory of Protestants called the Armenians, who are closer to Catholics than Anglicans. He had to take care of his father's legacy of financial crisis as well as the on-going war. -
Petition Of Right
Petition made by the Parliament against Charles I which requested the King to recognize the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation, billeting, martial law and the imprisonment without trial (all things the King did). They wanted to remind the King that there are limits to the Crown's power. Charles signed it but he was furious. -
Three Resolutions
The Parliament members passed it, saying that whoever tried to bring Popery or Arminianism, or to alter Protestant forms would be considered an enemy of the Kingdom. It also said that anyone advising the King to collect custom duties without the Parliament's consent was also an enemy to the Kingdom. It was actually an act of open defiance towards the King. Charles I imprisoned them and dissolved the Parliament, declaring there would be no more Parliament. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
11 years during which the King ruled without calling the Parliament once. Historians called it 11 years of Tyranny. However, the Personal Rule didn't help with the arising crisis. -
Period: to
The Scottish Crisis - The Bishops' War
At the time, Scotland was still an independent country, and therefore had its own main religion: Calvinism, with The Kirk that served as the Church. In 1637, Charles attempted to bring the Kirk closer to the Church of England, which resulted in a vast public discontentment. A riot ended up erupting in St Gile's Cathedrale in Edinburgh, after Charles tried to impose the new Book of Common Prayer onto them. Those riots soon turned into a rebellion, which will be known as "The Bishops' War". -
The Short Parliament
Charles I needed money to wage war against the Scots and shut down the rebellion taking place. After 11 years of radio silence, he therefore called on the Parliament to ask for the money. It however only lasted three weeks, as the Parliament Members demanded their grievances to be addressed by the King. -
Period: to
The Long Parliament
The Scots ended up invading England as the Short Parliament turned out unsuccessful. The Scots won, and gave a Peace Treaty to the King (1640), signaling that he was forced to pay for the Scots' army. Charles I had no other choice but to call the Parliament yet again. They wanted to make sure that their grievances would be heard, and therefore passed 2 acts, stating that the Parliament should meet at least every 3 years and that its dissolution required its consent. -
The Grand Remonstrance
The Parliament passed an important document stating all the wrong doings of the King and concluding on revolutionary demands: the right for the House of Commons to choose the King's ministers, the right for the Parliament to control any army sent to Ireland, and the right to reform the Church. This divided the Parliament into 2 groups: the Parliamentarians, who agreed with it and thought it was their right; and the Royalists, who believed negotiation with the King was still possible. -
The Irish Rebellion
James I had implemented a plantation policy in Ireland, sending Protestants to 'colonize' Irish territory. The Catholic Irish rose up against the settlers, and it ended up in the massacre of 3000 to 4000 protestants. Many false rumors however started to spread in England about it, which fed the already anti-catholic mindset settled there. -
Militia Act
After the Irish and Scottish rebellion, it was necessary for England to raise an army. However, no one could decide who would be able to control it. The Parliament therefore passed the Militia Act, stating that the army should be placed under the control of a general appointed by the Parliament. The King was furious, because it took away his prerequisite to put whoever he wanted in that position. -
Charles I declares war on the Parliament
Charles I believed that 5 members of the Parliament organized a plot against the Queen and wanted to impeach them, but the Parliament disagreed. So, he later marched into the House of Commons with troops and attempted to arrest those members. This settled that there could be no peace between the two parties. Fearing for his life, the King decided to flee London. The Parliament then presented the 19 propositions, reducing a LOT the King's power. He therefore decided to formally wage war on them. -
Period: to
The First Civil War
There were two sides battling: the Royalists or cavaliers, who believed in the divine right of the King; and the Parliamentarians or Roundheads, who believed that the Parliament should make the laws. The latter created the New Model Army in 1644, which was nationalized and controlled by the Parliament, unlike before. Thanks to that, the Parliamentarians got out victorious, and in MAY 1646, the King and the Royalists surrendered. -
The New Model Army seized the King
Thinking that the war was over, the Parliament decided to disband the New Model Army without even paying them. This led to a lot of mutiny, and ultimately to the kidnapping of the King, as the Army was angry against the Parliament -
Pride's Purge
The New Model Army, after the defeat of the Royalists, wanted to organize a trial for the King. Some Parliament members however wanted to negotiate. The Colonel Pride from the Army therefore entered the House of Commons, stopped the vote, and arrested the 45 conservative leaders of the Parliament who had wanted negotiation with the King. The remaining members were nicknamed the "Rump Parliament". -
Period: to
The Second Civil War
In November 1647, the King managed to escape from the Army's custody, and allied with the Scots (he essentially promised that he would make Calvinism/ Presbyterianism the main religions in England if they helped him get his power back). There were however a series of revolts led all around England, Wales and Scotland, which ultimately led to the Second defeat of the Royalists thanks to General Cromwell. -
Period: to
Interregnum pt. I: Commonwealth
In March 1649, the Monarchy and House of Lords were abolished after the execution of the King Charles I. England therefore declared a 'Commonwealth', which gave the House of Commons supreme authority = England became a Republic. However, this regime failed to reach stability, as it was slow on putting electoral reforms in place, which angered the Army. The 20th of April 1653, Cromwell ended up dissolving the Rump Parliament, which would later lead to its downfall. -
Charles I's execution
The Rump Parliament put the King on trial for high treason, and he was eventually sentenced to death and executed. -
Period: to
Interregnum pt. II: The Cromwellian protectorate
It was a military dictatorship, with Cromwell named as 'Lord Protector' of this regime. Among other things, Cromwell named a Council of State, and more importantly issued an instrument for the Government: the 1rst English Constitution. The protectorate however quickly ended as Cromwell died and was replaced by his son, who ended up resigning after 6 months. This led to a period of Anarchy where the country saw 7 governments succeeding. People were longing for the return of monarchy at that point -
Period: to
Charles II's reign pt. I; The Early Restoration
Basically Charles II breaks every promise he made in the declaration of Branda: he executed the people who signed his father's death warrant, tensions rose between the Parliament and him because of powers, and he repressed anyone who was a non-conformist (= Clarendon Code: a series of laws he issued that globally prohibited anyone from having a religion other than Anglicanism Catholicism). In addition, Charles faced several domestic and foreign disasters, which increased hostility towards him. -
The Restoration
In 1660, Charles II saw an opportunity to come back to the country, and issued the declaration of Branda. It essentially said that Charles II would make a general amnesty for those who killed his father, continue religious toleration and share power with the Parliament, in return for the restoration of the monarchy. It worked and the monarchy was restored. Charles II became King of England. -
Act Of Uniformity (pt. II)
Issued by Charles II. It explains that ministers have to swear to conform to the Book of Common Prayer. One of the many laws Charles issued in the Clarendon Code, along with the Five Miles Act for exemple, which fined anyone attending a non-conformist meeting, prohibited them from going at least 5 miles away of their old parish and required them to swear an oath of non-resistance to the King. -
The Popish Plot
Rumors of a plot organized by the French against Charles II to replace him by his brother James II started to arise. In fact, James II was a catholic, and could have tried to implement pro-catholic reforms and instore absolute monarchy (like the French), which people feared. The Parliament therefore separated in yet another 2 groups, the Tories who supported James, and the Whighs, who didn't. -
Period: to
Charles II's reign pt. II: The Exclusion Crisis
After the Popish Plot, the Parliament tried to debar James II from the succession (which overcame their rights as they were trying to modify the rules of succession). This led Charles II to dissolve the Parliament. -
Period: to
James II's reign
Charles II died in 1685, and the Parliament wasn't able to stop James II from coming on the throne. This created important tensions, as people were afraid to go back to civil war. But there was hope: James II was old and didn't have a male heir. His only heir was his protestant daughter, Mary, whom people wanted to see on the throne. However, an issue arose: James' second wife gave birth to a son. This would create a Catholic heir and was a threat to Protestantism and the Parliament's power. -
The Glorious Revolution
To counter James' power, the Parliament decided to invite the King's son-in-law, William of Orange (protestant married to Mary) to invade England and seize the Crown. This was a success, as William met no resistance when he came. James II's army was defeated and officers deserted. James II therefore fled to France and William became King William III. It is called Glorious because no blood was shed, the liberties of the subjects were reinforced and this created a stable political system. -
The Bill Of Rights
It listed King James II's misdeeds, fixed limitations on the sovereign's power (and therefore gave more importance to the Parliament), set out the rights of the Parliament, set out basic civil rights, and is a key political text which is part of the British constitution and influenced other foreign countries. -
Act of Settlement
Mary and William had a problem: they had no surviving child that could take the succession, and the remaining members of the family were all Catholics. The Act of Settlement ensured a Protestant succession while ignoring all the Catholics relatives. This eventually put an end to the tensions between the Parliament and the King, as William was rather compliant and and let the Parliament have a fair share of the power. -
Union Act
Finally implemented the union of Scotland and England (and Wales) as the Great Britain. -
Union act (pt.II)
Signs the Union of Great Britain and Ireland.