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Henry VIII annuled his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and married Ann Boleyn in 1533.
Thus leading to the Act of Succession which made Ann Boleyn a legitimate Queen of England in 1534.
In the same year, the Pope declared that this marriage was fictitious
and excommunicated Henry VIII -
From Henry VIII Schism and Edward VI the Young King to Mary I's Catholic Restoration.
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It was in 1534 that the Church of England was created, this is when the Schism happened.
The Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII “Supreme Head of the Church of England”. -
In 1536, Henry VIII dissolved most of the smaller monsteries which to rebellions, they lasted around 6 months from 1536 to 1537 and were called: "The Pilgrimage of Grace". -
In 1547, Henry VIII dies and his son Edward VI becomes the King of England.
However, he was only 9 when this happened so Edward Seymour, his elderest uncle, becomes Lord Protector.
Most of the measures took during his reign shifted England towards Protestantism. -
In 1553, Edward VI dies of tuberculosis at the a age of 15, England is virtually bankrupt and Mary I inherits this debt by succeding Edward VI.
She would restore Catholicism in only 18 months but her actions were harsh and cost the life of over 200 protestants, her popularity quickly declined and she was called "Bloody Mary". -
Many people rejoiced over the death of Mary I, and Elizabeth I inherits the throne.
She needed to prove herself as a queen as well as calming down tensions between Catholics and Protestants. -
While the Elizabethan Golden Age had its few setbacks such as leading both Catholics and Protestants dissatisfied and a rise in poverty; Most historians think it is a Golden Age of England because of the fact that she managed to secure the position of England as a powerful country as well as successfully managing to impose Protestantism.
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It is in 1559 that Elizabeth I would create the Second Act of Supremacy, thus following in Henry VIII's footsteps.
She would also make the Act of Uniformity, in an attempt to unite Catholics and Protestants. -
In 1569, there was the Northern Rebellion led by Mary, Queen of Scots and Catholics.
In 1570, Elizabeth I got excommunicated by the Pope.
These two events led to the start of the Persecution of Catholics by Elizabeth I and the Protestant Authorities. -
The Act to retain the Queen’s Majesty’s Subjects in their due Obedience or 1581 Act is the contiuation of Persecution of Catholics.
Being Catholic was now illegal and the sentence would be the Death Penalty. -
It was in 1587 that Mary, Queen of Scots was executed for treason.
The reason for this execution is that Elizabeth I found out that Mary, Queen of Scots was behind the Babington Plot of 1586. -
Philip II of Spain wanted to invade England because Elizabeth I supported the Dutch Protestant Revolt against Spain.
The war between England and Spain only lasted 2 months from July to September due to a new type of fleet that Elizabeth I made.
This victory against Spain made Elizabeth I seem like a powerful force that people needed to be cautious of. -
It was in 1603 that Elizabeth I died, thus making James VI of Scotland the heir to the throne as James I of England. -
After the death of Elizabeth I, a series of events would lead to a Civil War in 1642.
These events were caused by religious and economical problems that would continue to worsen over the years until the Civil War. -
James I's reign was calm in term of changes compared to his predecessors, this heavely displeased some Catholics who had faith in him because he was Mary, Queen of Scots' son. -
James I would often spend a lot of money, so to prevent further economic damage, the Parliament tried to call a vote to pass the Great Contract which would give a fixed sum of money to the King so that he would not ask for money to the Parliament anymore.
However the Great Contract did not pass because some members feared that the King would not call the Parliament anymore for important decisions.
James I then dismissed the Parliament. -
In 1621, James I asked for some money for a war against Spanish forces but the Parliament was unsure about the King's tactics about the war, this angered James I who dissolved the Parliament.
In 1624, the Parliament finally agreed to finance the war against Spain. -
Just after James I's death; Charles I successed to the throne and led the army during the war.
He would soon start controversy with the English population by being Arminian (A minority of the Anglicans/Protestants.) and by marrying the French Princess Henrietta Maria who was an Absolutist and Catholic. -
During the years up to 1628, King Charles I illegally added some taxes and sent people to prison without trial. Thus, the Parliament made the Petition of Rights; A document that stated that what the King has done was illegal and that he did not have unlimited power.
Charles I reluctantly signed it but was furious and suspended the parliament seating. -
The Parliament declared whoever that practices “Popery or Arminianism” was an enemy of the Kingdom, this was an act of open defiance as the King himself is Arminian.
Charles I imprisoned some members of the Parliament and that there would be no more parliaments which led to what we call: The Personal Rule. -
In 1637, Charles I introduced the "New Prayer Book" which infuriated the Scottish population.
The next year, the Scots made a petition against Charles I's religious policy: The Scottish National Covenant. -
In 1640, Charles I called the Parliament to raise money to fight the Scots, however Charles I dissolved quickly the Parliament because they would address their grievances to him.
In October of the same year, Charles I would lose against the Scots and had to sign the Treaty of Riton which stated that he would pay the cost of the Scots' army.
Charles I would then call the Parliament again, this time it would last around 20 years. -
In 1641, A rebellion formed in Ireland and they massacred 4000 protestants settlers from England.
That same year, The Parliament passed the Grand Remonstrance: A Document that stated that the Parliament would be able to choose the King's ministers; Control any army sent to Ireland and reform the Church. -
On August 22, 1642: King Charles I declared war on the Parliament.
From now on to 1649, England would suffer from a Civil War. -
In 1646, the King surrendered to the Scots who delivered them to the Parliament.
Since the war against the King was over, the Parliament stopped paying the army, however that led a mutiny in 1647.
They seized Charles I but he managed to escape, he made an alliance with the Scots by promising to introduce Presbyterianism into England. -
In 1648, King Charles I was captured and tried for treason.
The following year, Charles I would be executed, Monarchy and the House of Lords would be abolished and England would become a republic. -
England was now a Republic (Commonwealth) and they would start experimenting with different kinds of dovernments, however; This would jeoperdize the stability of the regime.
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It is in 1653 that the Commonwealth would stop and that the Protectorate would start under Cromwell.
Under the Protectorate, people now needed money in order to vote. -
In 1658, Cromwell would die and his son Richard would take his place but for only 6 months which led to a period of Anarchy until 1660 where Monarchy was restored with the Declaration of Breda. -
Charles II became the King of England in 1660, he wound being not really well liked because of events that happened outside of his control. -
The new King under this restored Monarchy is Charles II,
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The Parliament attempted to debar James II from the succession to the English throne, which led to Charles II dissolving the Parliament. -
It is in 1685 that Charles II dies and that James II sits on the Throne, however James II's reign will be short lived. -
James II had now a son, however; that heir was Catholic, which was a threat to Protestantism.
Thus, the Parliament asked Charles II's son in law (William of Orange) to invade England and seize the crown.
He managed to succeed without shedding much blood.
And so, he became King William III of England. -
The Bill of Rights is a Document that lists James II's misdeads and that fixes limitations on the King's power.
It is a key political text that will set the base for the American Bill of Rights a century later. -
King William III and his wife Mary II had no surviving children and all the other heirs to the throne were Catholics of the Stuart branch.
It was in that situation that the Act of Settlement was made.
The Act of Setllement prevented any Catholic Heir to access the Throne. -
In 1702, William III died after 14 years of reign, he was followed by Anne. -
1707 marks the year where England and Scotland get unionized together with the Act of Union. -
In 1714, Anne died and George I was now on the Throne. -
The Georgian Era starts when George I inherits the Throne in 1714 and ends in 1830 with the Death of George IV.
Some believe that the Georgian Era ends in 1837 as the King after George IV had a Georgian Era-esque reign. -
1756 marks the begging of the Seven Years' War.
It is in 1763 that Britain won the war against France and Spain and gained what is now Florida and a part of Canada. -
In 1775, the settlers on New England (America) declared war against Britain in order to claim their independance.
The settlers won the war in 1783 and created the United States of America. -
In 1801, The Second Act of Union was now effective.
It was passed in 1800 and consists of the Union between Ireland and the Kingdom of Britain (Composed of England and Scotland).