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1509
Henry VIII
He was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. Henry was the second Tudor monarch. He had 6 wives. His break with the Catholic papacy established the Church of England and began the Reformation. He challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. -
1527
Thomas Cranmer
A leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which was one of the causes of the separation of the English Church from union with the Catholic Church. He wrote the Book of Common Prayer -
1534
Act of Supremacy
The first one in 1534 declared Henry VIII the only supreme head of the Church of England. The second one in 1559 repealed all the anti-Protestant legislation of Mary Tudor's reign and asserted Elizabeth's right as "supreme governor" over both spiritual and temporal affairs. -
1534
Act of Succession
Made Anne Boleyn's children the legitimate heirs to the English throne -
1535
Thomas More
He was Wolsey's successor, who guided royal opposition to incipient English Protestantism. More wrote a lengthy "Response to Luther" in 1523. In 1535, he was executed for opposition to the Acts of Succession and Supremacy. -
1535
John Fisher
Bishop of Rochester. He refused to recognize the Act of Succession and of Supremacy, so Henry had them executed, making it clear that Henry was determined to have his way, no matter the cost. -
1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a rising in Yorkshire in October 1536 against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the policies of the King's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. -
1536
Dissolution of Monasteries
Henry VIII did act against the English monasteries, which were regarded as strongholds of support for the papacy. An act of parliament, passed in 1536, dissolved the smaller monasteries, while the larger ones were dissolved in 1539. The king, who needed money, sold most of the monastic lands to wealthy Englishmen. -
1549
The Book of Common Prayer
The book written by Thomas Cranmer. The first one was written in 1549 and the second one was written in 1552. It was mainly used in the Anglican Church -
1553
Queen Mary I
Mary's two main aims as queen were to restore England to the Catholic religion and to marry and produce a Catholic heir. She married Charles V's son, Prince Philip of Spain, who was also her cousin. Throughout her reign, she had to contend with Protestant plots to remove her from power. Mary gained a reputation for dealing ruthlessly with all who opposed her will.Over 275 Protestants and 100 "traitors" were executed under her rule, giving her the title of "Bloody Mary." -
1556
King Phillip II
His rule of Spain began in 1556. His reign as Spain's king began the Golden Age, a period of great cultural growth in literature, music and the visual arts. He was also the King of England through his marriage to Mary Tudor for four years. He opposed Elizabeth. The English defeat of the Spanish Armada both eliminated this threat and gave a great boost to English patriotism. -
1558
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth returned England back to the Protestant faith making herself head of the Church of England. She purposefully avoided the mistakes of her sister and remained fairly accepting of those subjects who chose to remain secretly Catholic. Elizabeth's reign was one of comparative peace for England and commerce and trade thrived. -
1559
Act of Uniformity
Mandated a revised version of the second Book of Common Prayer for every English parish (first Act of Uniformity in 1549 makes the Book of Common Prayer the only lawful form of public worship) -
1560
Presbyterians
Scottish Calvinists who advocated a national church composed of semiautonomous congregations governed by "presbyteries" -
1569
The Thirty-Nine Articles
A revision of Thomas Cranmer's original forty-two made a moderate Protestantism the official religion within the Church of England -
1570
Congregationalists
Extreme Puritans who wanted every congregation to be autonomous, a law unto itself, with neither higher episcopal nor presbyterial control -
1572
Sir Francis Drake
A famous seaman, who circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580. He was also involved in the Spanish Armada (1587). -
1572
Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre
A targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots -
The Spanish Armada
The Spanish king wanted to conquer England and restore that country to the Roman Catholic fold. When he failed, he took a more direct approach, launching the Spanish Armada. Drake inflicted heavy damages on Spanish ships, interrupting Spain's war preparations. He raided the coast of Portugal, further incapacitating the Spanish. These strikes forced the Spanish to postpone their invasion of England. In the end, English won. The Spanish Armada was defeated. The Spanish never really recovered. -
Mary, Queen of Scots
Hereditary heir to the throne of Scotland (Catholic). Remained queen by divine & human right. Protestants who controlled her realm didn't intimidate her. In 1568, a scandal forced Mary to resign and fly to her cousin, Elizabeth I. Her lover (Bothwell) was suspected of killing her husband. When he was acquitted, they married. Enraged Protestant nobles forced Mary to give throne to her 1yr old son, James. In 1586, another plot Mary had against Elizabeth was discovered, so Elizabeth executed her -
Death of Queen Elizabeth I
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James I
He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and he succeeded Elizabeth I, ending the Tudor dynasty; he was the king of England from 1603 to 1625 and king of Scotland from 1567 to 1625; he alienated the British Parliament by claiming the divine right of kings (1566-1625)
