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Period: 1509 to 1547
Henry VIII and the break with Rome
In 1534, Henry VIII used Parliament to grant the Act of Supremacy, which allowed him to annul his marriage to Catherine as it made the monarch the head of the English Church. -
1517
The Ninety-Five Theses
The Ninety-Five Theses is a list of propositions written by Martin Luther. This text is at the origin of the Protestant Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire. -
1522
German translation of the Bible
Martin Luther translated the Bible in German (the New was first published in 1522 and was widely disseminated). -
1526
The Tyndale Bible
William Tyndale was the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
Act of Supremacy which founded the Anglican Church and made King Henry VIII the only leader and supreme head of the Church. -
Period: 1534 to
Early Modern Period
The Early Modern Period is characterized by significant societal changes, challenging traditional views of societies before industrial and democratic revolutions. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries
Henry VIII decided that the monasteries were bastions of "popery". They were disbanded and the Crown appropriated their income and land. The dissolution of the monasteries was in effect a kind of nationalisation. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
The Pilgrimage of Grace
These were the greatest rebellions ever faced by a Tudor monarch. They lasted 6 months and were called the "Pilgrimage of Grace". -
1537
Permission given for an English Bible
In 1537, permission was given for an English Bible and not a Latin one. They were soon made mandatory in every church. -
Period: 1545 to 1563
Council of Treat
Council of Treat held in the Italian city of trent : the symbol of Counter Reformation. The Roman church attempted to correct some of the abuses of the church and harshly condemned protestant heresies. -
Period: 1547 to 1553
Edward VI : the young king
Edward VI was King of England and Ireland from 1547 until his death. He was crowned in 1547 at the age of nine, making him one of the youngest English monarchs. -
1549
The Book of Common Prayer
Revision of the mass-book, led to the publication of the Book of Common Prayer in 1549. -
1553
Edward VI's death
Edward VI was 15 when he died from tuberculosis in 1553. By that time, the country was virtually bankrupt. -
1553
Mary I became the first Queen of England
Mary Tudor was the first woman to be crowned Queen of England in 1553. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Mary I and the Catholic Restoration
In 1547, Protestantism is continued under Edward VI. After many years, in 1553, Queen Mary I reversed this decision when she restored Roman Catholicism as the state religion, and the Pope became head of the church once again. -
Period: 1555 to 1558
Bloody Mary period
Protestantism was confined to secrecy as heretics were burned between 1555 and 1558. -
1558
Mary I's death
Her death in 1558 was greeted as she had turned the nation against her. -
1559
The Act of Supremacy
This Act abolished the authority of the Pope, restored the authority of the Queen over the Church. Queen Elizabeth became " Supreme Governor of the Church of England". -
1559
The Act of Uniformity
Every parish had to use the Book of Common Prayer and people who did not attend an Anglican service were fined. -
Period: 1563 to 1571
The 39 articles of faith
Stated the doctrine (religious belief) of the Church. We have also 3 important changes : a new ecclesiology (conception of the Church, a new doctrine of Salvation. And finally, we have a new definition of sacraments and of the mass. -
1567
King James I of England and VI of Scotland
James was proclaimed King of Scotland in 1567. -
1569
The Northern Rebellion
Rebellion against religious reforms. There is also an attempt to replace Queen Elizabeth by Mary, Queen of Scots. The revolt was led by the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland. -
1570
Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth
He almost giving Catholics licence to kill Queen Elizabeth I with the certainty that it would not be seen as a crime by Rome. -
1571
The 1571 Treasons Act
This Act made it treason for anyone to say that Elizabeth was not the true Queen of England and Wales. -
1581
The 1581 Act
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. -
The Babington plot
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 Mary Stuart and this group. -
The execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Whilst this would remove the figurehead for Catholic challengers, it could also provoke international attacks and set a precedent for killing a queen. -
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
The defeat of the Spanish Armada saved England from invasion and the Dutch Republic from extinction, while dealing a heavy blow to the prestige of the greatest European power of the age. -
Speech to the troops at Tilbury
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. -
King James I of England and VI of Scotland
He was crowned King of England in 1603 on Elizabeth's death. -
Period: to
James I and the origins of conflict, finance, religion and war
Both the Puritans and the Catholics hoped they would have an easier time under James than in Elizabeth’s latter years. Puritans in particular were encouraged by the fact that James, the King from Scotland, held Calvinist (protestant) views. -
The Gunpowder plot
A conspiracy devised by a small group of Catholics to blow up Parliament and kill James I. -
The Great Contract
The King tried to introduce a financial reform "The Great Contract" in 1610. -
The King James' Bible
There is a new translation of the Bible ( the King James' Bible) completed in 1611. -
Period: to
The Thirty Years War
Believing that he could make peace between the Catholic and Protestant powers abroad, James arranged for his daughter Elizabeth Stuart to marry a Protestant prince (or «Elector») of a part of Germany called the Palatine (= the Elector Palatine). -
Period: to
Charles I and the development of the crisis
Firmly believed in the divine right of Kings. He interpreted all criticism as a challenge to his authority. -
King James I's death
In 1625, James I died. -
Period: to
King Charles and Parliaments
There was an open breach (conflict) between King and Parliament because of many issues like war or finances. -
Petitions of Rights
They requested the King to recognize the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation, billeting, martial law, imprisonment without trial. Wanted to get Charles to recognize 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. -
The Three Resolutions
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. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
11 years when the King ruled without calling a parliament.
Whig historians called it “The Eleven Years Tyranny”. -
King Charles I's attempt on the Church of Scotland
King Charles I's attempted to draw the Church of Scotland into line with the Church of England. -
A New Prayer Book
Scottish opposition came to the boil when Charles I attempted to impose a New Prayer Book. -
Period: to
The Scottish crisis
The end of the Personal Rule and the outbreak of the Civil war were caused by crises not just in England but in Scotland and Ireland. -
The Scottish National Covenant
Charles I’s leading opponents in Scotland signed the “Scottish National Covenant” (1638) : it was a petition opposing Charles’ religious policy, it called for the spiritual independence of the Scottish Church to be maintained. -
The Long Parliament
The 1640 Parliament was determined to remedy 11 years of grievances and wanted to ensure regular parliaments. They passed two acts ensuring that:
Parliament should meet at least every 3 years
The dissolution of Parliament required its consent. -
Period: to
From crisis to civil war
Crisis will turn into civil war during 1640-1642 period. -
The Irish Rebellion
In October 1641, an armed revolt broke out in Ireland: The Irish Rebellion. -
The Militia Act
Parliament passed the Militia Act (1641): the army should be placed under the control of a general appointed by Parliament. -
The Grand Remonstrance
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 House of Commons
Charles I marched into the House of Commons with troops and attempted to arrest the 5 MPs (January 1642). -
Period: to
The English Civil Wars
The First civil war would cost the lives of 190 000 Englishmen (in combat/from diseases) and last for four years. -
War on Parliament
On 22 August 1642, Charles formally declared war on Parliament. -
The New Model Army
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. -
The June 1645 Battle of Naseby
The June 1645 Battle of Naseby was a turning point and saw the Royalist forces weaken. -
The King and the Royalists surrendered
Charles surrendered to the Scots, who handed him to Parliament Thinking the war was over, the House of Commons decided to disband the New Model Army but without paying the soldiers what they were due (at that point they hadn’t being paid for months). This led to mutiny. -
The New Model Army seized the King
In June 1647, the New Model Army seized the King. -
The King's escape
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). -
England was declared a CommonWealth
March 1649: Monarchy and House of Lords abolished, England was declared a Commonwealth (a republic). -
Period: to
The Interregnum
During the interregnum, many experiments with republican forms of government. -
King Charles I's execution
The King was put on trial for high treason.
On 30 Jan. 1649 King Charles I was executed. -
Blasphemy Act
The Quaker James Nayler was convicted for blasphemy and harshly punished. -
End of the Commonwealth
6 Dec 1653: end of the Commonwealth and start of the Cromwellian Protectorate (or Military Protectorate). -
Period: to
The Cromwellian Protectorate
The Protectorate was a military dictatorship,
similar to a monarchy without a King. -
Oliver Cromwell's death
Cromwell died in 1658. -
The Declaration of Breda
1660: Charles II (the son of Charles I who had been executed in 1649) issued the Declaration of Breda. -
Period: to
Early Restoration
The monarchy was restored in 1660. -
The Act of uniformity 1662
All ministers had to swear to conform to the Book of Common Prayer. -
The Popish Plot
Rumour of a plot organised by the French to murder Charles II and replace him by his Catholic brother James II. -
Period: to
The Exclusion crisis, 1679-1681
Parliament attempted to debar James II from the succession to the English throne. -
King Charles II's death
Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights (1689) limited the monarch’s power for the first time. And he also fixed limitations on the sovereign’s powers, set out the rights of Parliament and basic civil rights. Finally, it's a key political text. -
Toleration Act
Toleration Act 1689: established religious pluralism, and freedom of worship for all Protestants. -
The Act of Settlement
King William III and Mary II had no surviving children and all the potential Stuart successors were Catholic. The 1701 Act of Settlement:
Ensured a Protestant succession, ignoring dozens of Catholic heirs. -
Act of Union between England and Scotland
Creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain: England (and Wales) and Scotland, old dream of James I.