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Period: Jan 28, 1485 to Apr 21, 1509
Henry VII's reign
Henry won the throne when his forces defeated the forces of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. Henry was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and niece of Richard III. -
Aug 22, 1485
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth (or Bosworth Field) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians. Their leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, by his victory became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty. His opponent, Richard III, the last king of the House of York, was killed in the battle. Historian -
Aug 3, 1492
Discovery of America
In 1492 a Spanish-based transatlantic maritime expedition led by Christopher Columbus resulted in the Re-Discovery of America, a continent which was previously unknown in Europe, as well as the colonization of the Americas. -
Apr 21, 1509
Henry VIII becomes king
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was the first English King of Ireland, and continued the nominal claim by English monarchs to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father, Henry VII. -
Period: Apr 21, 1509 to Jan 28, 1547
Henry VIII's reign
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Mar 17, 1528
Henry VII fires the cardinal for not persuading the pope to allow his divorce
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Apr 25, 1534
Act of Supremacy
The first Act of Supremacy was legislation in 1534 still in force today that granted King Henry VIII of England and subsequent monarchs Royal Supremacy, which means that he was declared the supreme head of the Church of England. It is still the legal authority of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Royal Supremacy is specifically used to describe the legal sovereignty of the civil laws over the laws of the Church in England. -
Apr 25, 1535
Act of Union
The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 were parliamentary measures by which Wales became a full and equal part of the Kingdom of England and the legal system of England was extended to Wales and the norms of English administration introduced. -
Jun 14, 1535
Bible first written in English
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Nov 10, 1542
Mary Queen of Scots, laid claimed to the throne of England
In November 1558, Henry VIII's elder daughter, Queen Mary I of England, was succeeded by her only surviving sibling, Elizabeth I. Under the Third Succession Act, passed in 1543 by the Parliament of England, Elizabeth was recognised as her sister's heir, and Henry VIII's last will and testament had excluded the Stuarts from succeeding to the English throne. -
Oct 18, 1545
French tried to invade England
Henry VIII of England had initially sought an alliance with France, and the Field of the Cloth of Gold saw a face to face meeting between him and King Francis I of France. -
Period: Jan 28, 1547 to Jul 6, 1553
Edward VI's reign
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Period: Jul 6, 1553 to Nov 17, 1558
Mary's reign
Her executions of Protestants led to the posthumous sobriquet "Bloody Mary". She was the only child of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive to adulthood. Her younger half-brother Edward VI (son of Henry and Jane Seymour) succeeded their father in 1547. -
May 24, 1558
Elisabeth I reign begins and Invincible Armada is defeated
On 12 July 1588, the Spanish Armada, a great fleet of ships, set sail for the channel, planning to ferry a Spanish invasion force under the Duke of Parma to the coast of southeast England from the Netherlands. A combination of miscalculation,[117] misfortune, and an attack of English fire ships on 29 July off Gravelines which dispersed the Spanish ships to the northeast defeated the Armada. -
Period: Nov 17, 1558 to
Elisabeth I'reign
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Sheakespeare performed his first play
It is not known definitively when Shakespeare began writing, but contemporary allusions and records of performances show that several of his plays were on the London stage by 1592. -
James I Stuart becomes king
James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland (through both his parents), uniquely positioning him to eventually accede to all three thrones.
