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Period: Apr 21, 1509 to Jan 28, 1547
Reign of King Henry VIII
Son of Henry VI and Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII became King at seventeen years old. During his reign, the Church of England was separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Hence, his reign led the way to Anglicanism. -
Oct 31, 1517
The Ninety-five Theses
In 1517, the German monk Martin Luther wrote “The Ninety-five Theses” which was a criticism of the the Roman Catholic Church, especially of the Indulgences. It was, somehow, the beginning of the European Reformation. -
1526
The Tyndale Bible
In 1526, in England, William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English. Indeed, many Protestant reformers set to translate the Bible into vernacular because Protestantism required an individual relationship with God. -
1534
The Act of Supremacy
In the aftermath of the rejection of his marriage with Ann Boleyn by the Pope, The Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII “the Supreme head of the Church of England”. Thus, it was the schism between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
The Pilgrimage of Grace
In the North of England, in the Yorkshire, people, the gentry and the clergy rebelled against the dissolution of monasteries. Moreover, they demanded the restoration of the Pope and the throne for Mary Tudor, who was Catholic. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
Dissolution of monasteries
According to King Henry VIII, monasteries were bastions of popery. Consequently, in order to weaken the clergy, all the small monasteries of England were disbanded. -
Period: Jan 28, 1547 to Jul 6, 1553
Reign of King Edward VI
Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward VI succeeded his father in 1547. During his reign, a series of measures pushed England toward Anglicanism. -
1549
The Book of Common Prayer
In 1549, The Book of Common Prayer was published. It was the liturgical book that shaped the Church of England’s worship, and thus used in all the Anglican churches. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Reign of Queen Mary I
Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Mary I succeeded her brother Edward VI. It was the return of Catholicism for five years. Indeed, she restored Catholicism in eighteen months. Furthermore, under her reign, many Protestants were persecuted and went to the stake, that was why she was called “Bloody Mary”. -
Period: 1555 to 1558
Persecution of Protestants
In England, Protestants were discriminated against. As heretics, many were burnt alive or went to the stake. -
Period: Nov 17, 1558 to
Reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn, Elizabeth I succeeded her half sister Queen Mary I in 1558. As Queen of England, Elizabeth I eased the religious tensions in her country, after more than twenty years of conflict.
Besides, her reign was finally a Golden Age for England. -
1559
The Act of Supremacy
Queen Elizabeth I abolished the authority of the Pope. She restored the authority of the Queen over the Church and became “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”. -
Feb 25, 1570
Papal Bull “Regnans in Excelsis”
Pope Pius V issued a papal bull “Regnans in Excelsis”. This excommunicated Elizabeth I, mentioned “the so-called Queen”, as she was declared as an heretic by the Pope, and all the subjects who would obey her. -
Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
After being implicated in the Babington Plot (1586) - whose finality was to kill Queen Elizabeth I - and being convicted for complicity, Mary Queen of Scots, cousin and legitimate heir of the Queen, was beheaded in Fotheringhay Castle. -
The Defeat of The Spanish Armada
The English naval force defeated the Spanish Armada in the Battle of Gravelines. This Anglican victory stopped the intention of King Philip II of invading England, since Elizabeth I supported the Dutch Rebellion against Spain. Therefore, it proved Queen Elizabeth’s legitimacy and reinforced the English nation. -
Period: to
The Elizabethan Poor Laws
Due to the increasing poverty in England, Poor Laws were passed in 1597 and in 1601. These laws stipulated that the Government had the responsibility for helping the poor people. However, it distinguished “the deserving poor” from “the undeserving poor”. -
Death of Queen Elizabeth I
After forty five years of reign, Queen Elizabeth I died at 69 years old in Richmond Palace. -
Period: to
Reign of King James I
Former King of Scotland after the death of his mother Mary Queen of Scots, James I succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603. His reign was synonym of conflicts with Catholics and Puritans and also with the Parliament. -
The Gunpowder Plot
In 1605, a small group of Catholics, led by Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes, wanted to blow up the House of Lords and to kill King James I because of the harsh laws towards Catholics. This plot was a failure: the plotters were arrested and then executed. -
King James Bible
In 1611, under James I’s reign, a new English translation of the Bible is published. It was named King James Bible. -
Period: to
Reign of King Charles I
Charles I succeeded James I. His reign was made of conflicts with the Parliamentarian institution. His numerous conflicts with the parliaments (because of the Thirty Years War and his wrongdoings with the finances) triggered the civil wars. -
The Three Resolutions
In 1629, members of the Parliament (MPs) passed the Three Resolutions. They declared that whoever brought Popery or Arminianism or altered Protestantism is an enemy of the Kingdom. At the same time, some MPs held the Speaker down. After that, Charles I dissolved the Parliament. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
The Personal Rule designates the eleven year period during which Charles I ruled without calling a parliament. -
Period: to
The Scottish Crisis
In 1637, the introduction of the New Book of Prayer (reviewed by Archbishop Laud) set Scotland aflame. It led to a widespread rebellion in the country, also called the Bishops’ War. -
The Grand Remonstrance
In November 1641, the Parliament voted an important text called ‘The Grand Remonstrance’. It recapped all the wrong doings of King Charles I and listed the revolutionary grievances of the MPs. -
The Irish Rebellion
In October 1641, a violent revolt broke out in Ireland. Irish Catholics rode up against Protestant settlers because they were taking their lands. This led to the death of 4000 Protestants. At the same time, rumors circulated about Irish atrocities. -
Period: to
The First Civil War
The first civil war, caused by the repetitive conflicts with the Parliament, was a confrontation between the Parliamentarians (led by Oliver Cromwell) and the Royalists. The Parliamentarians, allied with the Scots, defeated the Royalists. It led to the death of 190000 people and to the creation of the New Model Army. -
Period: to
The Second Civil War
After escaping from the army custody, Charles I allied himself with the Scots and proposed them to invade England. This led to the second civil war which was made of a series of revolts in South England, Scotland and Wales. Once again, the Royalists were defeated. -
Abolition of Monarchy
In the aftermath of Charles I’s execution, England was declared a Commonwealth (i.e a Republic) and monarchy and the House of Lords were abolished. -
Period: to
The Interregnum
It defined a period between two reigns. The Interregnum was a time during which England was governed by its people. However, England did not reach stability. Thus, it led to the Cromwellian Protectorate. -
Period: to
The Commonwealth Time
The Commonwealth implied that England should be ruled as a Republic and that the House of Commons had supreme authority. However, Royalist revolts were harshly repressed. Quakers were punished and people who criticized Cromwell were imprisoned. This period of tension led to the failure of the Commonwealth. -
The Execution of King Charles I
Convicted for high treason by the Rump Parliament, Charles I was beheaded. This was a turning point in the English History since it was the first regicide and since it led to the abolition of monarchy! -
Creation of the Instrument of Government
This text was the England’s first and only written constitution. It also protected religious toleration. -
Establishment of the Protectorate
As a result of the failure of the Commonwealth, Cromwell established the Protectorate. It was a form of military dictatorship in which Cromwell ruled over England as a Lord Protector. -
Period: to
The Cromwellian Protectorate
During the Cromwellian Protectorate, Cromwell had the executive power, controlled the military and the diplomacy. He was helped by the Council of State. The Protectorate ended because of Cromwell’s death (in 1658) and because his son did not manage to succeed him. -
The Restoration of Monarchy
After having issued the Declaration of Breda, Charles II (Charles I’s son) was restored King. It was the return of monarchy. -
Period: to
Reign of King Charles II
Charles II succeeded his father Charles I and ruled over England for twenty-five years. His reign went against religious toleration and was synonym of conflict with the Parliament since MPs tried to debar his brother from the succession to the throne. Charles II also had to face disasters such as the second Anglo Dutch War, the Great Fire of London (in 1666) or the Popish Plot (in 1678). -
Death of King Charles II
In 1685, Charles II died. His brother James II succeeded him. -
Period: to
Reign of King James II
James II succeeded his brother Charles II. However, English people saw this as a threat of Catholic absolutism. Since James II had a son, Parliament invited the Protestant William of Orange (the King’s son in law) to invade England and to accede to the throne. It worked: James II fled to England and William became King William III. -
Period: to
The Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution led to William III and Mary II’s reign and to the creation of a Constitutional Monarchy. William of Orange landed in England with an army of thousands of men to take the throne but faced no resistance. It was called the Glorious Revolution because it was bloodless. -
Period: to
Reign of King William III
King William III ruled over England with his wife Queen Mary II (1689-1694) . They were joint monarchs. Under William III’s reign, England turned into a Constitutional monarchy and the King had his powers limited by the Constitution. Moreover, the Constitution established the fact that no Catholic was to inherit the throne. -
The 1689 Toleration Act
The 1689 Toleration Act established religious pluralism and freedom of worship for all the Protestants. -
Bill of Rights 1689
The Bill of Rights was a key political text. It set out the basic civil rights, the rights of Parliament. It limited the monarch’s power. It defined who would accede to the throne. -
The 1701 Act of Settlement
The 1701 Act of Settlement is a key political as it ensured a Protestant succession to the English throne. Thus, each successor had to be a Hanoverian descendant of James I. -
Death of King William III
In 1702, King William III died. He was succeeded by Anne (the last Stuart monarch) and then by George I. -
The Act of Union
It set out the Union of England, Wales and Scotland under the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.