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1485
Richard III is killed in battle
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death in 1485, at the age of 32, in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at Bosworth Field marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. -
1492
Christopger Columbus reaches the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painted by the Italian Renaissance painter, Leonardo da Vinci. It is described as the most known, most visited, most sung about, and most parodied work of art in the world. -
1516
Thomas More's Utopia is published
Utopia is a fictional, social-political satire by Thomas More. It is primarily about fictional island society and and religious, social, political customs. -
1543
With the the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
The first Act of Supremacy was passed on 3 November 1534 by the Parliament of England. It granted King Henry VIII of England and subsequent monarchs Royal Supremacy, such that he was declared the supreme head of the Church of England. Royal Supremacy is specifically used to describe the legal sovereignty of the civil laws over the laws of the Church in England. -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Elizabeth I was queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last monarch of the House of Tudor. -
1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor, named the greatest writer in English language. -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The Glove Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was destroyed by fire on 1613. -
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear was a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Macbeth was also written by Shakespeare and is dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. -
First Permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia
The first English settlement in North America started as a business venture to sell raw materials back to England. It was founded by the London company in 1607 for the purposes of making profits -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
Shakespeare's sonnets include 154 sonnets that cover themes such as passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality. The last 26 sonnets are to a special woman. -
King James Bible is published
King James Bible (KJB) is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England which begun in 1604 and completed in 1611. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
The Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620 and arrived at Cape Cod on 9 November 1620, after a 66 day voyage.The Mayflower was hired in London, and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage--much of which was purchased at Southampton. -
Newspapers are first published in London
The very first British newspaper was sold for a penny. These newspapers contain a lot of information as well as rumors. They also come with pamphlets, posters, and ballads. -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. -
Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II
It began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under the Stuart King Charles II. The term Restoration is used to describe both the actual event by which the monarchy was restored, and the period of several years afterwards in which a new political settlement was established.
