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Period: 1509 to 1547
Henry VIII’s reign
He created the Church of England and paved the way to Protestantism -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-five theses
A devastating critique of the indulgences to the door of the University of Wittenberg. -
1526
The Tyndale Bible
William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English -
1529
The Pope rejected the King’s petition for divorce
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1534
Act of Supremacy
The King was made “Supreme Head of the Church of England”. That is when the schism with the Roman Catholic Church happened. -
1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace
Rebellions against the dissolution took part in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. There were the greatest rebellions ever faced by a Tudor monarch. They demanded the restoration of the Pope’s authority and of Mary Tudor to the Royal succession; economic grievances were also at the centre of the rebellion. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
Dissolution of monasteries
Henry decided that the monasteries were bastions of poperty. There were disbanded and the Crown took their income and land. It was a kind of nationalisation. -
Period: 1547 to 1553
Edward VI’s reign
Edward VI, son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, was only 9 years old when he heritated from the crown. He continue the reformation that his father started. -
1549
The Book of Common prayer
The mass book for services in churches was revised which led to the publication of the Book of Common prayer. -
Period: 1553 to 1554
The restoration of Catholicism
She restored Catholicism in 18 months. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Mary I’s reign
Mary I or “Bloody Mary” repealed the previous legislation of her father and half-brother. She restored Catholic mass and persecuted Protestants. -
Period: 1555 to 1558
The persecution of Protestants
Protestants were seen as heretics and were burned between 1555 and 1558. Under Mary’s reign, over 200 Protestants went to the stake. -
Period: 1558 to
Elizabeth I’s reign
She pacified religious divisions and led to a second reformation which defined the Chuch of England. -
1559
Act of supremacy
The second act of supremacy abolished the authority of the Pope and restored the authority of the Queen above the Church. She became «Supreme Governor of the Church of England». -
May 8, 1559
Act of Uniformity
Every parish had to use the book of Common prayer -
Period: 1563 to 1571
The 39 articles of faith
Stated the doctrine of the Church. It stated 3 important changes : a new ecclesiology, a new doctrine of salvation, a new definition of sacraments and of the mass -
1569
The Northern Rebellion
Rebellion against Protestants reforms. There were 6000 insurgents and they attempted to replace Queen Elizabeth by Mary, Queen of Scots. The revolt was led by Earl Westmorland and Northumberland. -
1570
Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth and issued the Papal bull
Pope Pius V issued the Papal bull. It called Elizabeth «the so-called Queen» « a heretic favoring heretic» and it excommunicated the Queen. After that the Queen started to persecute the Catholics in England. -
1581
The 1581 act
It provided for the death penalty for any person converting or already converted to Catholicism. Anglican services were compulsory : £20 per month fine if not attended. -
The execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Stuart the Queen’s cousin was convicted for complicity in the Babington plot ( a plot to kill the Queen ) and was sentenced to death. She was executed wearing a bright red dress, the colour of Catholics martyrs, a huge political statement. -
The Defeat of the Spanish armada
England was victorious against the Spanish Armada known as the Invicible Armada. The victory had ideological effect and was widely used as propaganda. -
The Millenary petition
As soon as he became King, James was presented by Puritans with the Millenary Petition - so called because it bore the signatures of a thousand church ministers. It asked the Church of England to be purified of the last traces of Catholicism -
Period: to
James I’s reign
Tensions between the King and the Parliament started to arise under James I and grew harder throughout his reign. He is the first King ever to have dismissed Parliament. -
The Gunpowder Plot
James’ harsh repressive laws against Catholics led to the famous “Gunpowder Plot”, a conspiracy divised by a small group of Catholics to blow up Parliament and kill James I. It was a failed attempts, Guy Fawkes was arrested and sentenced to death. Till this day this failed attempt is celebrated in England with bonfires : “Guy Fawkes Night”. -
The “Great Contract”, the first dismissal of Parliament
King James I tried to introduce the “Great Contract” : the King would receive a fixed sum. The House of Commons fearing for the King’s financial independence refused to vote in favour of the Great Contract. This angered James and he dismissed Parliament. He is the first King to ever do that. -
Period: to
The Thirty’s year War
As the Elector Palatine (Protestant Prince married to Elizabeth Stuart) was invited to take the throne of Protestant Bohemia in place of the Emperor Ferdinand Habsburg. The Emperor sent his army and was supported by German,Scandinavia,France, and the Dutch Republic. James I wanted to intervene to help his daughter and son-in-law and he had to, as England is a Protestant power. But it was mostly a war for his son to lead as James died promptly after receiving the money he asked Parliament for. -
Period: to
Charles I’s reign
Tensions with Parliament grew harder under Charles I until they’ve reached a climax with the Civil Wars and even a regicide. -
Petition of Rights
Charles continued to collect custom duties defying the MPs complaints and resorted to forced loans (those who refused to pay were imprisoned).
MPs’ then issued the Petition of Rights where they requested the King to recognise the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation, billeting, martial law, imprisonment without trial. They also wanted to get Charles to recognise that there were limits to his powers. -
The Three Resolutions
The MPs did not let the Speaker of the House put an end to the discussion as their complaints and their suspicions towards the King grew harder. The MPs passed the Three Resolutions. It 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. Which was a disguised way to criticize the King’s actions. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
James declared after the Three Resolutions that there would be no more parliaments, this marked the start of the “Personal Rule”. It was a long period of 11 years when the King ruled without calling a parliament. Some historians would even call it “The Eleven Years Tyranny”. -
Period: to
The Scottish Crisis
In 1637 King Charles I attempted to draw the Calvinist Church of England into line with the Church of England. This led to widespread public discontent. Scottish opposition came to the boil when Charles I attempted to impose a New Book of Common Prayer. A riot erupted in St Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, on the reading of the New Prayer Book. The riot soon turned into a widespread rebellion known as the Bishops’ Wars. The Scots invaded England and emerged victorious. -
Period: to
The Bishops’ Wars
Charles I’s leading opponents in Scotland signed the “Scottish National Covenant” in 1638 : it was a petition opposing Charles’ religious policy, it called for the spiritual independence of the Scottish Church to be maintained. To Charles, this was an act of open rebellion so he declared war to the Scots. Scotland and England both started to form an army that’s how “The Bishops’ Wars” started. -
Period: to
Long Parliament
Charles had to call up Parliament again after the disaster of the Bishops’ War. 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, and the dissolution of Parliament should require its consent. It is called the Long Parliament in comparison to the Parliament previously called in 1640 for only 3 weeks - the Short Parliament. -
Treaty of Ripon
The Scots invaded England and emerged victorious of the Bishops’ War. Charles was forced to pay the cost of the Scots’ army which was an humiliation and this worsened the Parliament’s distrust towards the King. -
The Irish Rebellion
In October 1641, an armed revolt broke out in Ireland: The Irish Rebellion. James I had previously implemented a plantation policy which consisted of sending English and Scottish protestant colonists to Ireland, to take the lands of Irish Catholics. In 1641, Irish Catholic rebels rose up against Protestant settlers. About 4000 protestants were massacred. False rumours were spread about Irish atrocities, saying that 200 000 protestants were killed,it fueled the anti-Catholic sentiment in England. -
The Militia Act
The Irish Rebellion brought the necessity to raise an army, but there were disagreements about who would control it. Parliament passed the Militia Act which stated that the army should be placed under the control of a general appointed by Parliament. This act was taking away the King’s ability to appoint whoever he wanted. It was eroding the King’s powers. -
The Grand Remonstrance
It was an important document voted by Parliament after heated debates. It summarized all the wrong doing of Charles I and concluded on large demands which were : the right of the House of commons to choose the King’s ministers, the right for Parliament to control any army sent to Ireland and the right for Parliament to reform the Church. The text divided Parliament into 2 sides, that will affront each other during the Civil War : the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. -
Charles I marched into the House of Commons and tried to arrest 5 MPs
Charles I believed that John Pym, Oliver Cromwell and 3 other MPs were plotting against the Queen. He wanted to impeach them, but Parliament refused. Charles I marched into the House of Commons with troops and attempted to arrest the 5 MPs. This was seen as a breach of privilege and was the final catalyst that led to the Civil War. -
Charles I declared war on Parliament
After Parliament presented the 19 Propositions to the King which were extreme (Charles was to be a constitutional monarch), Charles I formally declared war to Parliament. This provoked the debut of the first Civil War. -
Period: to
First Civil War
The First civil war cost the lives of 190 000 Englishmen in combat and from diseases. It lasted for four years. It resulted with the victory of Parliament. A new army was created in 1644 by the Parliamentarians. Unlike the earlier regional armies, it was a national, centralized army, controlled and paid from Westminster. They were very religious and was nicknamed “praying army”. In May 1646 Charles and the Royalists had to surrender to the Scots, who handed him to Parliament. -
Period: to
Second Civil War
In June 1647, after a mutiny led by the New Model Army, the New Model Army seized the King. The King tried to ally himself with the Scots, he promised to introduce Presbyterianism and Calvinism into England, in return the Scottish army would invade England and restore him to power. This act of treason horrified Parliament as Charles was using a foreign army to wage war on his own people and led to the Second Civil War. The Royalists were easily defeated by Cromwell. It was very short. -
King Charles I’s execution
After the Second Civil War Charles I was put on trial for high treason. King Charles I was executed on the 30th of January 1649. -
Monarchy was abolished
Monarchy and House of Lords abolished, England was declared a Commonwealth (a republic). A law abolished monarchy. TheHouse of Lords was abolished as well. TheHouse of Commons had supreme authority.England was declared a Commonwealth and was ruledas a Republic. -
Period: to
Commonwealth
England was declared a “Commonwealth”, it's a regime governed by its people without a King. -
Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament
Problems with started to arise with the Rump Parliament. There was very slow progress with electoral reform. Tensions grew harder between Army and Parliament.
On 20 April 1653 Cromwell dissolved the Parliament. He rode through the House of Commons with soldiers, as Cromwell ordered the MPs to leave. -
The Instrument of Government
It was England’s first and only written constitution. It officially marked the start of the Cromwellian Protectorate. -
End of the Commonwealth
After Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament, he changed the regime into a Military Protectorate and therefore marked the end of the Commonwealth. -
Period: to
Cromwellian Protectorate
The Protectorate was a military dictatorship. It was similar to a monarchy but without a King. Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector. He held the executive power. It marked the return to a government of a single person. It was controlled by the military. The government was ruling with the help of the legislative power: a Parliament of 460 members elected every 3 years and a Council of State composed of 13 to 21 members who served for life. -
Period: to
Period of Anarchy
After Cromwell death in 1658, there had been a period of anarchy. 7 governments have followed one another in less than a year. -
Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda
After the last period of anarchy people longed for a return to order, which led to an increasing support for a return of monarchy.
In 1660 Charles II (the son of Charles I) issued the Declaration of Breda. It made several promises - a general amnesty for those who took part in the execution of his father. It also promised to continue religious toleration and to share power with Parliament in return for the restoration of monarchy. -
The Restoration
The promises made in the Declaration of Breda convinced the People and Parliament. The monarchy was restored and Charles II was crowned King of England. -
Period: to
Charles II’s reign
He restored the Monarchy and continued the repressive laws against Catholics and did not pardon Parliament -
Period: to
The Clarendon Code
It is a series of laws passed during the first 5 years of Restoration. They were very repressive towards religious groups not belonging to the Anglican Church. -
Act of uniformity
All ministers had to swear to conform to the Book of Common Prayer. -
The Great Plague
This was the worst outbreak of plague in England since 1348. London lost 15% of its population. There was over 100,000 people dead.Rats carried the fleas that caused the plague.They were attracted by city streets filled with rubbish and waste,especially in the poorest areas.Those who could, including the King Charles II,most doctors,lawyers and merchants,fled the city.Treatments and prevention at the time did not help.Patients were bled with leeches as they thought impure air caused the disease. -
The Great Fire of London
A devastating fire swept through London, destroying 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, The Royal Exchange, Guildhall and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Great Fire of London started in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane. It took 3 days to control the fire. The fire was mostly under control by Wednesday, 5 September 1666. However small fires continued to break out and the ground remained too hot to walk on for several days. The fire participated to eradicate the last rats responsible for the Plague. -
The Popish Plot
It was a totally fictitious but widely believed plot in which it was alleged that the French were planning the assassination of King Charles II in order to bring his Catholic brother - James II, to the throne.
It brought fear to Parliament as James as a king would implement pro-Catholic politics and might try to restore absolute monarchy. This was threatening Parliament. -
Period: to
The Exclusion Crisis
Parliament attempted to debar James II from the succession to the English throne. Parliament was trying to modify the rules of succession and was eroding the Divine Right of Kings. This absolutely angered Charles. He decided to dissolve Parliament. -
Period: to
James II’s reign
Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II. When James II sat on the throne, it implemented a deep seated fear of Catholic absolutism. It brought important tensions. Many were afraid, they feared a reversal to the dark times of the civil wars. The only hope for Protestant was that James was old and as he didn’t have a male heir, his protestant daughter Mary would soon succeed him (she was married to the Dutch William of Orange). -
The Glorious Revolution
In 1688, when James’ second wife gave birth to a son it led to a crisis as he was a Catholic heir. It was a threat to Protestantism and to Parliament’s powers. Parliament invited the King’s son in law - William of Orange to invade England and seize the crown.He landed with an army of 15 000 men and was met with no resistance. William became King William III. It was called “Glorious” because it shed no blood. It reinforced the Liberties of English subjects. And created a stable political system. -
The Creation of Constitutional Monarchy
William and Mary became joint monarchs. They promised to accept Parliament’s authority and to install many new limits to the monarchs’ powers. The Glorious Revolution was a key event leading to Britain’s transformation into a Constitutional Monarchy . In this regime the King acts as Head of state but his powers are limited by law. Therefor he does not hold absolute power. -
Period: to
William III and Mary II’s reign
They were joint monarchs. They marked the creation of the Constitutional Monarchy -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights, 1689, is the first ever document to limit the monarch’s power. It put limitations on the sovereign’s powers. Parliament had to consent to new laws and gained control over finances and over the army. It stipulated also that no Catholic was to inherit the throne. It set out the rights of Parliament and basic civil rights such as freedom from cruel and excessive punishment. It was a key political text and an essential document of the uncodified British constitution. -
Act of Settlement
King William III and Mary II had no surviving children and all the potential Stuart successors were Catholic. To prevent another successions of Civil Wars, Parliament stated the 1701 Act of Settlement. It ensured a Protestant succession, ignoring by this act dozens of Catholic heirs. It put an end to the 16th and 17th quarrel between King and Parliament. And created a new balance of powers in favour of Parliament. -
Period: to
Queen Anne of Great Britain’s reign
Queen Anne, younger daughter of James II, is often overlooked by historians, yet her time on the throne changed Britain forever. Her reign saw the end of the Stuart dynasty and laid the way for the Georgian era. -
Act of Union between Scotland and England
It marked the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain: England (and Wales) and Scotland. Under Queen Anne, the values of the Act of Union were stated. It created a single kingdom. Scotland lost its parliament but gained 45 seats in the House of Commons and 16 seats in the House of Lords
Scotland could keep its Presbyterian church and own laws.