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1509
Henry VIII becomes king of England
Ruled England for 36 years, presiding over sweeping changes that brought his nation into the Protestant Reformation. He famously married a series of six wives in his search for political alliance, marital bliss and a healthy male heir. -
1526
William Tyndale's English New Testament published
In England it was forbidden to translate the Bible into a vernacular language. Tyndale had to take his English translation of the New Testament to Cologne to have it printed, but his endeavour was uncovered and he was forced to halt the printing and flee. William Tyndale paid for his work with his life. He went into hiding but was eventually arrested in Antwerp in 1535. -
1534
Henry VIII leads Parliament in break with Roman Catholic Church and becomes 'supreme head of the Church of England"
Henry VIII was the king of England. He broke with the Roman Catholic Church and had Parliament declare him supreme head of the Church of England, starting the English Reformation, because the pope would not annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He wanted to remarry and produce a male heir. -
1547
Edward VI becomes king and advances Protestantism
Edward VI becomes king and advances Protestantism Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The transformation of the Church of England into a recognisably Protestant body also occurred under Edward, who took great interest in religious matters. -
1549
First version of Book of Common Prayer published
The original book, published in 1549 in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Rome. The work of 1549 was the first prayer book to include the complete forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English. -
1553
Mary Tudor becomes queen and labors to reestablish Roman Catholicism; nearly 300 Protestants are martyred during her reign, including Thomas Cranmer
She sought to return England to the Catholic Church and stirred rebellions by marrying a Spanish Habsburg prince. But she is most remembered for burning nearly 300 English Protestants at the stake for heresy, which earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.” -
1558
William Perkins is born
William Perkins, an outstanding preacher, made great contributions to the Puritan Movement despite the shortness of his life. He was born in Marton, Warwickshire, in 1558 and educated in Christ’s College, Cambridge. In his early years he demonstrated scholarly ability, but his personal life was wild and sinful. William Perkins' works
A Salve for a Sick Man: or a Treatise on Sickness and Dying by by William Perkins –
God’s Free Grace and Man’s Free Will by by William Perkins – -
1558
Elizabeth inherits throne and restores Anglicanism
In 1558 upon Mary's death, Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel. She depended heavily on a group of trusted. -
1559
Act of Uniformity requires use of Book of Common Prayer for public worship
The Act of Uniformity 1558 (1 Eliz 1 c 2) was an Act of the Parliament of England passed in 1559. It set the order of prayer to be used in the English Book of Common Prayer. All persons had to go to church once a week or be fined 12 pence (equivalent to just over £11 in 2007), a considerable sum for the poor. -
1567
Controversy over clerical vestments is symptom of Puritans' desire for further reformation
Controversy over clerical vestments is symptom of Puritans' desire for further reformation. -
1570
Puritan leader
Thomas Cartwright deprived of teaching post at Cambridge for criticizing Anglican liturgy and government -
1571
Parliament approves Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion stating doctrinal beliefs of English church
The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of Methodism. John Wesley abridged the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England, removing the Calvinistic parts among others, reflecting Wesley's Arminian theology. -
John Whitgift becomes Archbishop of Canterbury and enforces uniformity in public worship
John whitgift becomes archbishop of canterbury and enforces uniformity in public worship. -
England's navy defeats the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada defeated. Off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain's so-called “Invincible Armada” is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake. -
Oliver Cromwell is born
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for making England a republic and leading the Commonwealth of England and primarily because of ethnic cleansing activities in Ireland euphemistically called as Cromwellian Genocide. -
Death of William Perkins
In 1602, Perkins suffered from "the stone". After several weeks of suffering, he died at age 44. James Montagu preached his funeral sermon, taking as his text Joshua 1.2, 'Moses my servant is dead'. -
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. -
James I
James I rejects most Puritan requests for reform included in their "Millenary Petition" -
John Milton is born
John Milton was born in Bread Street, London on 9 December 1608, the son of composer John Milton and his wife Sarah Jeffrey. The senior John Milton (1562–1647) moved to London around 1583 after being disinherited by his devout Catholic father Richard "the Ranger" Milton for embracing Protestantism. -
King James Version published
The King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) or simply the Authorized Version (AV), is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, was commissioned in 1604 and completed as well as published in 1611 under the sponsorship of James VI and I. -
Born and Die
Richard Baxter and john Owen are born; William Shakespeare dies. -
Thirty Years War begins in central Europe
Ferdinand's representatives were thrown out of a window in Prague and seriously injured, triggering the Thirty Years' War in 1618. This so-called Defenestration of Prague provoked open revolt in Bohemia, which had powerful foreign allies. -
Charles I becomes king
Charles I of England. Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. -
Louis XIV Takes Rule of France
Louis the XIV took over the rule of France at the death of his mentor, Mazarin. He established an image of being a Sun God, meaning all light in France came from him. He constructed the Palace at Versailles. He also attempted to remove nobles from power and worked against Protestants. -
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia brought an end to the Thirty Years War. It was a pair of treaties, signed in May and October of 1648. It is known as the beginning of the modern era for many. Each state was given the right to choose its own religion. People were also given the right to follow which ever denomination of Christianity they wanted in all participating states. Many German states were given the right to choose independence. This let the decline of the Holy Roman Empire. -
Charles I Overthrown
The English Parliament worked together to overthrow King Charles I after they grew discontent with his rule. He was defeated in the Second Civil War in England. Those who supported the king were kicked out of Parliament and Charles I was tried. He was found guilty and executed a month later. He was convicted of provoking the Second Civil War. -
Restoration
After Oliver Cromwell died, Charles II became king of England. Before the government was a military dictatorship, run by Cromwell. The people decided they wanted to become a monarchy again and named Charles II became king. He restored Parliament, which Cromwell dismissed indefinitely. -
Thomas Hobbes Publishes "Leviathan"
The idea of a social contract was documented in its earliest stage in Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan." He stated that a person with absolute authority should rule a nation, and he should be responsible for ensuring the protection and prospering of his people. He came up with his ideas out of fear of political turmoil engulfing England at the time. -
Peter the Grat Becomes Czar of Russia
Peter the Great was made Czar of Russia. His main goal was to implant reforms known as Westernization. He wanted Russia to be as advanced as the cities of Western Europe. Peter wanted to promote education, also. He succeeded quite a bit. He Started St. Petersburg, which was named after him. -
The Glorious Revolution
James II was king of England, and disliked Parliament. He was also Catholic. Parliament then asked James II's daughter to come and try to overthrow James II. They did come back and succeeded. Parliament made them king and queen, and they made the Crown and Parliament equal in power. -
English Bill of Rights
On December 16, 1689, the English Bill of Rights was passed by the English parliament. King and Queen William and Mary also had to sign it before they got their positions as so. It prevented the Crown from raising taxes without parliament’s permission. It led way to England becoming a constitutional monarchy. -
Spanish Succession
Charles II of Spain lest the nation of Spain to a grandson of Louis XIV, meaning France and Spain were now joined as one nation now. The issue is that many of the people didn't like the union. England and Holland went to war to split the two nations up. The Treaty of Utrecht ended the violence, where the grandson ceded his ability to rule France, therefore ending the union. -
ENLIGHTENMENT PERIOD
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Charles VI Dies
Charles VI, Emperor of Austria, died, leaving his empire to his daughter, Maria Theresa. Frederick II of Prussia tried to use this to their advantage and launched an attack on Austria, seizing the province of Silesia. This started the war of Austrian Succession, which lasted until 1748, where Prussia won and got to keep Silesia. -
Montesque Writes "Spirit of the Laws"
Montesque was a political writer. His primary book, "Spirit of the Laws," focused on separation of powers. He believed that no part of government should have too much power over the rest of the state. He also believed that small states should be ruled by republics, medium size states should be ruled by monarchies, and despots should rule large states. -
Diderot Writes "Encyclopedia"
In 27 years, Diderot wrote 28 volumes of his book, "Encyclopedia." It praised the ideas of the enlightenment. It was much like what we think an encyclopedia is. In the end, Diderot had to go into hiding to finish the last few volumes. Like many enlightenment thinkers, he was disliked by the powerful Catholic Church, and was in danger. It was also a large influence in the French Revolution. -
Voltaire Publishes "Candide"
Voltaire publishes is most famous work, "Candide." It has a sarcastic plot centered on a man who begins life optimistic, but suffers many misfortunes which shows his optimism was unwarranted. It was widely banned due to the fact it insulted religious and political institutions. -
Catherine The Great Czarina of Russia
Catherine the Great was actually born in Germany, but she married the grandson of Peter the Great. Eventually she and several nobles became tired of her husband's rule, and they overthrew him, putting Catherine in charge. Catherine promoted arts and education, and continued Westernization. -
Joseph II Comes Into Power
Joseph II of Austria became emperor in 1764. He was one of the most progressive emperors of his time. He got rid of executions and torture. He offered the poor food, and forced the nobility to pay them for their work. Joseph II even tolerated the Protestants and Jews in his nation. -
Adam Smith Publishes "The Wealth of Nations."
Adam Smith was one of the first men to advocate free market capitalism. He outlined this in his book, "The Wealth of Nations." This said that if markets were kept free from government regulation, the people participating in them would be richer, and to a further extent the government. He invented the term Laissez-faire. -
Estates-General
The Estates-General was an assembly that King Louis XVI set up to come up with solutions to France's financial crisis. It was made up of three groups, which had representatives: The Clergy, the Nobility, and the Commons. They continued to have conflict until the Third Estate, the Commoners, started the French Revolution -
Revolutionaries Storm Bastille
The Bastille, which represented the French authority at the time, was stormed on this day. This was the first violence from the National Constitutional Assembly, marking the beginning of the French Revolution. The Batsille was a state prison that was infamous for holding the King's prisoners.
