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Period: 1509 to 1547
The reign of Henry VIII
Born in 1491, son of Henry VII( First Tudor king of England) and Elizabeth of York. Henry married six times in his quest for a male heir, political alliances and marital bliss. Upon King Henry VII’s death in 1509, Henry VIII took the crown at age 17. He presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. He died in 1547. -
Oct 31, 1517
Ninety-five Theses written by Martin Luther (German monk)
The document that sparked the Protestant Reformation = It marked the start of the European Reformation. For him, salvation was free and one did not have to PAY anything to obtain it. (cf: criticism of papal policy : Indulgences / Purgatory etc.) -
Jan 3, 1521
Excommunication of Martin Luther
1520: The Pope Leo X had had enough and on June 15,1520 he issued an ultimatum, threatening Luther with excommunication. And finally, In January 1521, Luther was officially excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X and was declared a heretic . -
1526
The Tyndale Bible
This is the first English translation from the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, by William Tyndale (=English Biblical scholar and linguist/ And a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation). So this is the New Testament. -
1533
The Act in Restraint of Appeals
act that gave Henry VIII the power to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon (= as she failed to bear his heir) and break with the Roman Catholic Church. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared Henry’s marriage to Catherine ‘null and void’. -
Jan 25, 1533
Henry VIII Married Anne Boleyn
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (=the lady-in-waiting of Catherine of Aragon) quickly married in a secret ceremony led by Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. -
Nov 3, 1534
The First act of supremacy
Henry VIII was made "Supreme Head of the Church of England". This is when the schism happened. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
Dissolution of the monasteries in England (= act of nationalisation)
According to the king of England Henry VIII monasteries were bastions of "popery". so they were disbanded by the crown → the valuables were confiscated and melted down/It was kind of nationalisation. ( by 1536 all the smaller monasteries had disappeared ). -
Oct 13, 1536
Pilgrimage of Grace ( 1536- 1537)
It was a popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536. It was a protest against Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church, the dissolution of the lesser monasteries and they also demanded the restoration of the Pope and of Mary Tudor to the royal succession. However economic grievances were also at the centre of the rebellions. -
Dec 17, 1538
Excommunication of the Tudor king Henry VIII
On this day, Pope Paul III announced the excommunication of King Henry VIII. -
Period: Feb 20, 1547 to 1553
The Reign of Edward VI : The young king of England
He was King Henry VIII’s only legitimate son ;his mother was Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour. He became king of England and Ireland at the age of 9. He died at the age of 15 from tuberculosis -
1549
Book of Common Prayer
It was compiled by Archbishop Cranmer and published in 1549. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
The reign of Mary I : "Bloody Mary" and the re-Catholicisation of England
Mary I, daughter of Catherine Of Aragon and Henry VIII, became the first regnant Queen of England, at the age of 37. She restored Catholicism in only 18 months. She was infamously called " Bloody Mary" as she persecuted protestants and burned over 200 of them to the stake for refusing to convert to Catholicism. Hundreds of others fled the country and they are called the " Marian Exiles". She became ill and died in 1558 which was greeted as she had turned the nation against her during her reign. -
Period: Nov 17, 1558 to
The reign of Elizabeth I : the "Virgin Queen"
Daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn. She succeeded to the throne on her half-sister's death in November 1558. Her reign was a "Golden age" for England, as she appeased religious and political tensions which had lasted over 25 years. She was behind the " religious settlement" in England. she stayed in power for 45 years without getting married and was nicknamed the "Virgin Queen". She was the last heir of the House of Tudor. And she died in 1603. -
1559
The Second Act of Supremacy
It abolished the authority of the Pope and restored the authority of the Queen over the Church. This act made Elizabeth I the "Supreme Governor of the Church of England". -
1559
The Act of Uniformity
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Period: 1563 to 1571
The 39 Articles of Faith
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Period: 1568 to 1573
Marian civil war
Civil war in Scotland which resulted the abdication of Mary Stuart ,Queen of Scots. -
1569
The Northern Rebellion
It was a Rebellion against religious reforms. An attempt to replace Queen Elizabeth I by Mary, Queen of Scots. The revolt was led by the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland. However It was crushed. -
1570
Excommunication of Elizabeth I: ( the papal bull)
"Regnans in Excelsis" is a papal bull that Pope Pius V issued in 1570. It called Elizabeth I : "The so-called Queen" and "heretic favouring heretics". Therefore Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I from the Roman Catholic Church and declared that she wasn't the true Queen Of England. -
1571
The 1571 Treason Acts
It reinforced the 1534 Act by making it illegal to criticize the monarchy. It was a crime punishable by law. -
The Babington plot
Young Catholics had sworn to kill Elizabeth I and put Mary Stuart on the throne but their strategies were discovered by Francis Walsingham (= master-spy of the Queen), when he managed to decipher a coded letter between Mary Stuart and this group. Which resulted the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. -
Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary Of Guise, she was Elizabeth I's cousin, and a threat to her. Mary Queen of Scots was Catholic, and was seen as a real replacement for Elizabeth I by Catholic conservatives. The Queen kept her imprisoned for 19 years , but after she discovered the many plots made by the conservatives and Mary Queen Of Scots which threatened to kill her, she executed her. For her On the day of her execution, she wore a bright red dress symbolizing Catholic martyrs. -
Speech to the troops at Tilbury
The Queen made a speech in Tilbury, Essex in order to rally the troops who were preparing to repel the invasion of the Spanish Armada. -
The Spanish Armada
It was the Spanish naval fleet that tried to invade England in 1588 and was defeated by the English fleet. Phillip II, King of Spain (= Mary I's husband) and Catholic, supported the many Catholic plots against Elizabeth I. To defend herself and the protestant cause, the two countries waged war. It was a complete defeat for Spain, England was victorious. -
East India Company
It was an English ( later British ) company that monopolized trade with East and Southeast Asia and India for over two centuries. It was established by Queen Elizabeth I. It was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. -
Period: to
The reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland
He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. James was proclaimed King of Scotland in 1567 and he was crowned King of England in 1603 on Elizabeth’s death. Strong believer in the divine rights of kings and he held Calvinist views . James I died in 1625. -
THE GUNPOWDER PLOT
It was a conspiracy devised by a small group of Catholics to blow up Parliament and kill James I as he refused to grant tolerance to Catholics. It was led by Guy Fawkes (English military personnel).- it was a failure. -
The Jamestown settlement in Virginia
English men arrived in North America to start a settlement .Virginia became the 1st permanent English settlement in North America in 1607. It was named after James I . -
Period: to
Thirty Years' War
It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. a fight between Catholic and Protestant countries in Europe. -
Period: to
The reign of Charles I
Charles I was the king ( second Stuart king) of England, Scotland and Ireland, whose conflicts with parliament and his subjects led to civil war and his execution( in 1649). He was the second son born to James VI of Scotland( = James I of England) and Anne of Denmark, Charles I ascended to the throne in 1625. -
Petition of Rights
An English constitutional document passed by the Parliament. It challenged king Charles I's autocratic rule by reaffirming the powers of Parliament. Charles reluctantly signed it but was furious, and as MPs were discussing impeaching Lord Buckingham ( the king's adviser) again, he suspended parliament seating. -
Three Resolutions
The Three Resolutions was passed by MP's and stated that whoever tried to change the protestant ways of the Church Of England , or brought " Popery or Arminianism" was an enemy of the country and the monarchy. In his defence Charles imprisoned these MPs and dissolved parliament.
He declared there would be no more parliaments!!!
= start of the “Personal Rule”!!!!!!!! -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
It was a time during which the King didn't summon the parliament. It lasted 11 years and Historians called this period: “The Eleven Years Tyranny”. -
Period: to
The Scottish crisis
Calvinist Scotland was outraged by the introduction of the New Prayer Book (Book of Common Prayer)
in 1637, which brought in changes. This led to a riot and which would soon turn into a widespread rebellion known as = the Bishops’ Wars -
Peace Treaty
Also known as Treaty of Ripon. It brought to an end the Bishops' War between Charles I and the Scottish covenanters. -
Period: to
The long Parliament
This Parliament was determined to remedy 11 years of grievances and wanted to ensure regular parliaments -
The Irish Rebellion
It was an armed revolt which broke out in Ireland. Irish Catholic rebels rose up against Protestant settlers to put an- end to anti-Catholic discrimination. -
Militia Act
Parliament gets to appoint a general without the king's approval to put the army under control - taking away the King’s ability to appoint whoever he wanted -
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 “revolutionary” demands. Moreover, it created 2 : The PARLIAMENTARIANS / the ROYALISTS. -
Charles I marched into the English House of Commons with troops
Charles I attempted to arrest 5 MPs as he believed that John Pym and 4 other MPs were plotting against the Queen. - no peace between King and Parliament. -
War on Parliament
Charles formally declared war on Parliament and its army. It marked the first English Civil War ( 1642- 1646). Parliament won!!!! In May 1646 the King and the Royalists surrendered. -
Battle of Naseby
It marked a turning point during the first English civil war . -
Period: to
The Commonwealth
After the end of the second civil war and the execution of Charles I, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were governed as a republic. On 20 April 1653 Cromwell dissolved the Parliament which led to the end of the Commonwealth(16 Dec 1653)/ start of the Cromwellian Protectorate. -
Period: to
The interregnum
The interregnum is the time between the execution of Charles I and the arrival of his son Charles II on the throne, marking the beginning of the Restoration. England has been governed without a King for a decade and Oliver Cromwell (Lord General and Lord Protector) will assume the role of the head of the State (=“Military Protectorate”). -
Execution of King Charles I
The King was put on trial for high treason after the Second civil war (1648 - 1649). King Charles I was executed on January 30th ,1649( = regicide). -
Abolition of the Monarchy
Monarchy and House of Lords were abolished, England was declared a Commonwealth ( =a republic). The House of Commons had supreme authority. -
The Instrument of Government
The Instrument of Government was England's first written constitution. It established the English Protectorate for Great Britain. -
Period: to
The Cromwellian Protectorate
It was a military dictatorship led by Cromwell who was appointed as Lord Protector. Cromwell died in 1658. His son Richard became Lord Protector but resigned after 6 months because of political tensions.
This led to a period of Anarchy in England - 7 governments in less than a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Declaration of Breda
Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda in 1660. It guaranteed amnesty, religious tolerance etc. -
The Stuart Restoration
People longed for a return to order, increasing support for monarchy and as a result the monarchy was restored after the declaration of Breda. It lasted till 1671. -
Period: to
The reign of Charles II
Charles II, the exiled son of King Charles I, sailed to Dover to claim his throne in 1660. Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II. -
The Act of uniformity
All ministers had to swear to conform to the Book of Common Prayer. -
The outbreak of Plague
The plague outbreak was one of the many disasters that took place under Charles II's reign. -
Great Fire of London
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The Popish Plot
It was a totally fictitious but widely believed plot which was allegedly organised by the French to murder Charles II and replace him by his Roman Catholic brother James II. -
Period: to
The Exclusion crisis
It was an attempt to remove James II from the English succession line to the throne by the Parliament. In retaliation, Charles II dissolved the parliament -
Period: to
The reign of James II
James II was the last catholic monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland. He was the brother of Charles II. He was deposed by the Glorious Revolution and was replaced by William III ( his son in law) and Mary II. James II fled to France. -
The Glorious Revolution
Mary II and her Dutch husband William of Orange replaced James II who was overthrown with the help of Parliament . Mary II was protestant and daughter of James II. James II was overthrown because the people feared a return of catholic absolutism as James II's second wife gave birth to a Catholic male heir !!!!!. -
The Toleration Act
It was an act of Parliament granting freedom of worship to Nonconformists. It established religious pluralism. -
Period: to
The Constitutional Monarchy led by William III and Mary II
Mary II was the daughter of James II and William III was the son of William - They became joint-monarchs . Mary died in 1694,and William became ruler in his own right. -
The Bill of Rights
Introduced to condemn King James II's abusive use of power, the Bill of Rights defined the principles of the monarchy. It limited the sovereign's powers. -
The Act of Settlement
With all the possible Stuart heirs being Catholic and as the joint-monarchs had no surviving children , the Act of Settlement guaranteed that only protestant family members could inherit the English crown. -
Period: to
The reign of Queen Anne
She was the last of the Stuart monarchs. She succeeded William III as Queen of England , Scotland and Ireland . Later became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland after Acts of union, until her death in 1714. -
Act of Union between England and Scotland
It led to the creation of a united kingdom to be called “Great Britain" with the union of England/Scotland (+ Wales).