English Reformation Timeline - History Project

Timespan of King Henry VIII and Relatives

Period: Jan 1, 1509 to Jan 1, 1609

King George VIII Takes the Throne in 1509, Queen Elizabeth Dies in 1609

King Henry VIII Takes the Throne

Apr 21, 1509

King Henry VIII had an interesting rise to the power of King. As a kid, he loved to ride horses. He hunted using horses nearly every day in his youth. He also loved to dance, joust, and wrestle as well. All was going well, until a fateful event when he was age 44. His horse "rolled" on him, leaving one leg crippled, and him disabled. He loved to eat, and because he had become disabled, he grew in size tremendously. Some say he lost his friendly side forever, but nevertheless, he took the throne.

Marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Jun 11, 1509

What at first was a hopeful marriage, ended up being a change and disaster forever. Catherine gave birth to 3 babies, all of which ended up being miscarriages or deaths. The 4th child, Mary, ended up living in 1516. However, Henry VIII wanted a male heir to the throne, and was angry with Catherine, thinking she was weak. He tried to get a divorce, but the pope and church wouldn't get it. So furious, he decided to contest the church by establishing Angelical one.

Mary I is born

Feb 18, 1516

Mary I is born to King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was educated at an early age by her mother and a spanish humanist named Juan Luis Vives, and was able to read and write in Latin by the time she was nine.

Catherine of Aragon Divorces Henry VII

Jan 1, 1533

No specific date is known as to when she officially divorced Henry, but the date is generally put in 1532-1533, just before Henry's next marriage. Henry VIII proceeds to mary Anne Boleyn in the next year

Anne Boleyn Marries Henry VIII

Jan 25, 1533

The relationship may already have gotten off on a bad foot, with some evidence suggesting Anne had disformities like an extra finger on her body. Not only that, she was already pregnant, and a secret marriage occured. She gave birth to Elizabeth, followed by 2 miscarriages. She then learned Henry may have been cheating on her, and was furious. She then was arrested for attempted murder, treason, and adultery. Anne was convicted with little evidence, and executed with a sword on 19 May 1536

Elizabeth I is born

Sep 7, 1533

Elizabeth I was born to King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. After failing to produce a male heir for for King Henry, Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536 when Elizabeth was 3 years old. Elizabeth was educated by a series of tutors and could speak some of several languages, including French, Italian, and Spanish, by 1544.

1st Act of Supremacy

Jan 1, 1534

King Henry VIII finally had had enough. After trying to divorce his 1st wife, the church refused to allow it. So rather than continuing his marriage, he called upon the English parliament. They passed the 1st Act of Supremacy.This act officially broke England away from the Catholic Church, and made a new one where the king (Henry VIII) became the head. The act was passed mainly because Henry VIII felt he and the people deserved better, of course, it also quenched his thirst for power.

Anne Boleyn Executed

May 19, 1536

Anne is executed by sword, as a result of her conviction of charges of adultery, treason, and attempted murder. Her marriage to Henry had been invalidated shortly before this date.

Jane Seymour Marries Henry VIII

May 30, 1536

Just 11 Days After Anne's execution, Henry VIII moves on to his next wife, Jane Seymour. Evidence shows that Henry VIII had been attracted to Jane for months, causing the struggles in his last marriage. Jane becomes pregnant in 1537, and this time, Henry gets his wish. Edward, the male heir Henry VIII had wished for, was born. However, during the birth, Jane become very weak and frail. She died on October 24th, just two weeks after her son's birth. Jane became the only wife buried next to Henry.

Edward VI is born

Oct 12, 1537

Edward VI is born to King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. He was the first of the English monarchs to be raised as a Protestant.

Jane Seymour Dies

Oct 24, 1537

Jane Seymour died just 2 weeks after giving birth to Edward. Debate has long raged over whether a C-Section at birth could have allowed her to live, if not longer at least. The birth made her extremely weak, resulting in her death. She was buried peacefully and was considered the one or one of the two wives Henry actually admired.

Anne of Cleves marries King Henry VIII

Jan 6, 1540

SInce England split from Rome, it was isolated and without allies. and vulnerable. Henry was looking for a marriage to get a secure alliance. The Duke of Cleves' sister Anne fit the bill. They were married on January 6th, 1540, but Henry was already trying to end the marriage. He did not find Anne attractive at all, the Empire and the Duke of Cleves were moving towards war, and he was attracted to Kathryn Howard.

Anne of Cleve's Divorce

Jul 12, 1540

Anne probably figured out that it was smart to be divorced when King Henry wanted it. She testified that their marriage was never consummated and that her engagement with the Duke of Lorraine had not been properly dissolved. She gained the title of "King's Sister" and received property including Hever Castle, previously owned by Anne Boleyn. She lived a quiet life, although she went to Mary I's coronation. She died on July 16 1557 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Kathryn Howard marries King Henry

Jul 28, 1540

Born c. 1521, Kathyrn Howard was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn. She was married to King Henry 16 days after his marriage with Anne of Cleves dissolved. She was 19 years old. King Henry was pleased with her and gave her many gifts as well as calling her his "rose without a thorn" and the "very jewel of womanhood".

Kathryn Howard is executed

Feb 13, 1542

Less than a year into the marriage, rumors had arisen that Kathryn Howard was adulterous. In November 1941, Archbishop Cranmet told king Henry about Kathyrn. Henry did not believe him, but permitted further investigation. Howard was found promiscuous before marriage and possibly during it. She was executed (beheaded) at the Tower of London and buried near her cousin Anne Boleyn in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, which is located at the Tower of London.

Katharine Parr marries King Henry

Jul 12, 1543

Katharine Parr's marriage with King Henry was her third marriage, with both of the previous marriages ending in the death of the husband. She wanted to marry Thomas Seymour, but decided on King Henry because she felt it was her duty to accept his hand.

Edward VI is proclaimed King

Jan 28, 1547

When King Henry VIII died, Edward VI became King at the age of nine. As per his father's will, Edward was to rule with a 16 member council to assist him. As a protestant, he made reforms to change the church of England to Protestantism. In February, 1553, he became terminally ill, and wrote a paper that he titled "My devise for the succession." In this paper, he took away his sisters' claims to the throne, and made Lady Jane Grey the queen after his death of tuberculosis in July, 1553.

King Henry Dies (and Katherine Parr is widowed)

Jan 28, 1547

When King Henry VIII was dying, there was a plot against Katherine Parr, by the conservative faction in court, but she survived. Soon after King Henry's death, she secretly married Thomas Seymour, and that caused a scandal, although she still took ownership of Elizabeth.

Katherine Parr dies

Sep 5, 1548

She bore a daughter named mary on August 30th and soon died of puerperal fever. She was buried in the chapel at Sudeley Castle.

Mary I is proclaimed queen

Jul 19, 1553

After King Edward VI of England died, he named Lady Jane Grey the Queen due to religious differences with Mary I, who was the true hier. Lady Grey ruled for 9 days before supporters of Mary helped her to retake the throne. Soon after becoming Queen, Mary began to look for a husband. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V suggested his son, Prince Philip of Spain. Mary accepted, however the public was not in favor of the marriage. In 1553, Mary repealed religious laws passed by her brother.

Elizabeth I is proclaimed queen

Nov 17, 1558

When her sister, Mary I, died in 1558, Elizabeth I became queen at the age of 25. She was Protestant, and in 1559, she made a religious settlement that satisfied the Protestants of England while not upsetting Roman Catholics too much. Despite several opportunities to marry, Elizabeth never did. Her reign, Elizabethan Era, was marked with advances in English drama among other areas. Her 44 year long reign brought stability to the English government after the short reigns of her siblings.

2nd Act of Supremacy

Jan 1, 1559

After Mary I repealled the 1st act of supremacy, Elizabeth reinstated it. Elizabeth made herself "Supreme Governor of the Church" and enstated an oath policy, with a refusal to take such resulting in charges of treason. While those who disagreed with the church were frowned upon, they weren't prosecuted unless they intentionally or severly tried to ruin or hurt the monarch or his/her image. Thus, while she may have wanted power, the act also calmed religious groups thanks to certain parts of it.