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1485
Richard III is killed in battle
King of England until his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. -
1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. On October 12 -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
A half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci -
1516
Thomas More's Utopia is published
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More published in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. -
1543
With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
The Supreme Head of the Church of England was a title created for King Henry VIII of England, who was responsible for the foundation of the English Protestant church that broke away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor. -
1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
William Shakespeare is often called England's national poet and considered the greatest dramatist of all time. Shakespeare's works are known throughout the world, but his personal life is shrouded in mystery. -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The Globe was built using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, which had been built by Richard Burbage's father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear is a tragedy depicting the gradual descent into madness of the title character, after he disposes of his kingdom by giving bequests to two of his three daughters egged on by their continual flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.
Macbeth is a tragedy dramatizing 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
Jamestown was the first settlement of the Virginia Colony, founded in 1607, and served as capital of Virginia until 1690, when the seat of government was moved to Williamsburg -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
When discussing or referring to Shakespeare’s sonnets, it is almost always a reference to the 154 sonnets that were first published all together in a quarto in 1609 -
King James Bible is published
An English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed/published in 1611 -
The mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
The Mayflower was an English ship that famously transported the first English Puritans, known today as the Pilgrims -
Newspapers are first published in London
Avvisi, or gazzettes, were a mid-16th-century Venice phenomenon. They were issued on single sheets, folded to form four pages, and issued on a weekly schedule. -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
Epic poem in blank verse, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. -
Puritan commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II
The Commonwealth was the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland were ruled as a republic following the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execution of Charles I.
