-
Apr 23, 1564
Birth
William Shakespeare was born the third child of his father, John Shakespeare, and his mother, Mary Arden. His father was a leather merchant and his mother was the daughter of a landowner. He had three older sisters and was the oldest of four sons (biography.com). -
Nov 28, 1579
Marries Anne Hathaway
Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, an older woman from Shottery ( www.britannica.com). He was 18 at the time and she was 26. They were thought to have had a healthy relationship (www.biography.com). -
First Child
William and Anne’s first child was born just about a year after they married. They named their daughter Susanna. Two years later, Anne also gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith. Unfortunately Hamnet didn’t live past 11 and died of unknown causes (www.biography.com). -
Ivan the Terrible Dies
At the end of Ivan IV Vasilyevich's rule, Russia was left in a very different state than it was before his rule. Russian society drastically changed, Russia became a world power, and Ivan set an example for tsars in the future. Ivan paved the way for incredible leaders of Russia, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great (https://academic.mu.edu). -
Period: to
The Lost Years
The “Lost Years” refers to the timespan in Shakespeare's life when there is no evidence of his activity. Historians have found no trace of his existence in the time after his two twin children were baptized. Today, historians find it extemelyinterestig that there is no trace of him because this was supposed to be the time that he would have “perfected his craft” (www.thoughtco.com). -
Russian Orthodox Church Gains Independence
Because of the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Orthodox Church gained independence. The Gained their independence from Constantinople. The created a separate patriarchy (James Tracer 205). -
Ergotism in Germany
Thousands of people died and went insane in Germany. The ergotism levels skyrocketed and infected the rye in bread. Around the same time, Spain was also facing this issue (James Tracer 205). -
The Lord Chamberlain's Men
Shakespeare was made into a managing partner in an acting company in London called the Lord Chamberlain's Men. The majority of Shakespeare's career could be traced back to this company. It was this organization that performed for Queen Elizabeth I a few weeks before she died (Horizon Magazine 22). -
Japanese Invasion of Korea
Japanese general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, created an army of 225,000 men to invade Korea. The troops were sent over in 700 boats and landed on Korea's southern coast. The Japanese outnumbered the Koreans and had far better weapons, resulting in an easy win. The army then moved on to the capital of Seoul and won the invasion within three weeks (www2.hawaii.edu). -
Titus Andronicas
"Titus Andronicus" was the first of Shakespeare's many tragedies. This play Shakespeare's most popular plays. "Titus Andronicus" is not a very popular nor well known play to today's generation but it was only the start to Shakespeare's tragedies (Horizon Magazine 84). -
Galileo Makes the first Thermometer in Italy
Galileo Galilei was the first person to invent the water thermometer and it was called Galileo Thermometer. It was a very simplified version of today's thermometers. It was the base design that allowed scientists, like Santorio Santorio and Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, to make further advances in the measure of temperature (www.thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-thermometer-1992525). -
Romeo and Juliet
"Romeo and Juliet" is one of Shakespeares most well known plays. This tragedy is considered the most famous love story in English literature. It portrays the brutality and chaos of love between two young souls. The play accentuates the power of love and strikes the reader right in their hearts makes them emotionally vulnerable, which is quite appealing to many ( www.sparknotes.com). -
The Globe Theater
Shakespeare, along with his business partner, built their own theater. They named it the Globe Theatre. Puritans at the time were strongly against many parts of the Elizabethan lifestyle, plays being one of them. Many people rebelled against Puritan beliefs, including Shakespeare. The building of the Globe was, and still is, thought to be extremely important to the rebellion against Puritan beliefs during 16th century England (Horizon Magazine 32). -
Macbeth
Another one of Shakespeare's most known plays is “Macbeth”. “Macbeth” is said to be one of the most sublime and the most impressive tragedy as an acting play (www.theatrehistory.com). The characters in “Macbeth” are based on real figures in Scottish history. The play was also created after King James I took the throne in England and Shakespeare made it for him because He was previously the King of Scotland. He wrote the play to get on the new kings good side (www.enotes.com). -
Christianity Banned in Japan
The ruler of Japan, Tokugasa Ieyasu, began to ban Christianity because him and his government were concerned that Japan was too influenced by Spain and Portugal. Later Christians were severely punished if they did not discard their religion (www.newworldencyclopedia.org). -
Death
William Shakespeare died the day of his 52nd birthday. He was buried 2 days after his passing in Stratford, England, at the parish church of Holy Trinity, the church he was baptized in. He left the majority of his property to his heir, his daughter Susanna. After his death people began to speculate about his marriage with Anne because he left her his “second best bed” (A.L.Rowse 213).
