-
1534
SCHISM & THE ACT OF SUPREMACY
The Act of Supremacy was issued by the King Henry VIII which made him the Supreme head of the English Church, hence he had all the powers of the Pope. All this led to the schism, the separation of England from the Catholic Roman Church.
Furthermore, monasteries were disbanded and their income and lands were appropriated by the Crown. Soon they started to disappear and this led to a lot of negative consequences. It is seen as the first step towards nationalisation. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
PILGRIMAGE OF GRACE
During the dissolution of the monasteries, there were a lot of rebellions in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (North of England), which were called the "Pilgrimage of Grace". They were considered to be the greatest rebellions ever faced by a Tudor monarch. These rebellions lasted for 6 months. -
1549
BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER
At age 9, Henry VIII's son Edward VI became the King of England. However, he had Edward Seymour, his uncle, as the Lord Protector given his young age. Under his reign, a lot of Protestant measures were applied, such as the Book of Common Prayer was imposed, which included various daily prayers was published. -
1553
POOR LAWS
In 1553, 1597, and 1601, under the reign of Mary I & then Elzabeth I, the Poor Laws were passed and updated. These laws distinguished 2 groups of poor people, the 'deserving' one and the 'undeserving one', which meant that the former group was eligible for the local government's help, whereas the latter wasn't. The 1st group consisted of the disabled people, whereas the 2nd consisted of the 'lazy' ones and those against mporality, such as prostitutes. -
Period: 1559 to 1571
ACT OF SUPREMACY, ACT OF UNITY, 39 ARTICLES OF FAITH
Elizabeth I passed new legislations: Act of Supremacy (abolishing the authority of the Pope, restoring the Queen's authority over the Church and becoming the Supreme Governor of the Church), Act of Uniformity (insisting that everyone had to use the Book of Common Prayer, and anyone who didn't attend the Anglican service were fined), and the doctrine of the 39 Articles of Faith (with 3 important changes: new ecclesiology, new doctrine of Salvation, new definition of sacraments & of the mass) -
1569
THE NORTHERN REBELLION
Numerous Catholics attempted to replace Elizabeth I (a Protestant) by Mary, Queen of Scots, who was her cousin, her heir and a Catholic, leading to a rebellion with 6 000 insurgents led by the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland. This rebellion was crushed. -
Apr 27, 1570
BULL OF EXCOMMUNICATION
The Pope (Pius V) excommunicated the Queen Elizabeth I through the Papal bull, a letter issued at St. Peter's, Rome, that called her a heretic and indirectly gave Catholics the permission to plot agaisnt her since the Church won't hold them accountable for their actions. This led to the persecution of numerous Catholics since they were plotting against the Queen. -
1571
TREASONS ACT
In response to the Bull of Excommunication of Elizabeth I, this Act was issued and it implied that anyone who says that she isn't the true queen of England is considered to commit treason. -
THE BABINGTON PLOT
A lot of Catholics had sworn that they would put Mary Stuart on the throne of England, the Queen's Catholic cousin and 'enemy' who had fled Scotland due to the Civil War. Hence this plot but their strategies were discovered by Francis Walsingham after he managed to decipher the coded letter between Mary and them. This led to the execution of Mary Stuart in Fotheringham castle as a Catholic martyr in 1587, after being Elizabeth's prisoner in England for years. -
THE SPANISH ARMADA
Phillip II (king of Spain) supported plots against Elizabeth I, & in turn she supported the Dutch Revolt against Spain, leading to his attempt to invade England and his failure.
During this war, Elizabeth I gave her famous Tilbury speech adressed to the English troops at. She mentioned for the first time the 2 bodies theory, expressing how in her natural body, she's a weak woman but in her political body, she wasn't an ordinary woman but the Virgin Queen, with an appetite of the King of England. -
FOUNDATION OF EAST INDIA COMPANY
East India Company was founded by royal charter, and started to build trading posts in India, like in Mumbai, Calcutta, and Madras. It allowed England to control the treade of luxurious goods, such as silk, spices, cotton and tea. -
GUNPOWDER PLOT
It was a conspiracy against the King James I and the Parliament, led by a small group of Catholics, such as Guy Fawkes. It aimed at stopping the persecution of the Catholics and restore a Catholic monarchy but failed due to its discovery. -
FIRST BRITISH COLONY
Jamestown was the 1st permanent British colony, established in 1607. It was named after the King James I, and its state Virginia was named after the late queen Elizabeth I.
By 1783, the British empire consisted of colonies in North America including the West Indies, the Pacific including New Zealand, trading posts in India, and naval bases in the Mediterranean (Gibraltar and Minorca). -
Period: to
STARVATION PERIOD
Due to the lack of food, water, and other goods, the colonists of Jamestown went through a period of starvation. Among 500 only 60 survived, and some even turned to cannibalism. This came to an end when the colonists were taught the Indian technique of cultivating tobacco. In 1614, tobacco in England was a huge success, which led to the end of the starvation period and the beginning of slavery, since thye needed cheap labour to cultivate tobacco. -
Period: to
11 YEARS OF TYRANNY
King Charles I's 11 Years' Tyranny resulted from the Petition of Right (1628) and the 3 Resolutions (1629), which sought to limit his authority by addressing taxation issues and asserting parliamentary consent. The Petition emphasized recognition of misdeeds and power limits, while the Resolutions angered the king by labeling those favoring Popery/Arminianism as enemies. Charles dissolved Parliament, initiating personal rule in response to these challenges to his authority. -
Period: to
SCOTTISH CRISIS
The Scottish Crisis arose in 1637 when Charles I introduced the New Book of Common Prayer, resembling Catholic practices to Calvinist Scots. In 1638, the Scottish National Covenant petitioned against Charles's policy, leading to the removal of bishops by the General Assembly. The rebellion escalated into war, and Scotland invaded England in 1640. The Treaty of Ripon, signed in October 1640, marked a perceived humiliation for the King due to Parliament's lack of support in funding the war. -
MILITIA ACT & GRAND REMONSTRANCE
Following the Irish Rebellion in 1641 caused by the plantation policy (English Protestants were taking the Irish Catholics' lands), the Militia Act and Grand Remonstrance were enacted. The Militia Act granted Parliament authority to appoint the army's general, diminishing the king's power. The Grand Remonstrance, a parliamentary document of the same year, outlined grievances against the king, demanding parliamentary control over ministerial appointments, the Irish army, and the church. -
CHARLES I WAR AGAINST PARLIAMENT
Due to his beliefs about the Parliament plotting against the Queen, Charles I marched into the House of Commons with troops in order to arrest the 5 members concerned. This was a breach of privilege and tension between the king and the parliament rose. On the 22nd of August 1642, Charles I declared war against the Parliament, which was already divided into 2 after 1641. This was the beginning of the 1st Civil War. -
Period: to
FIRST CIVIL WAR
The1st Civil War was a conflict among the Parliament which was divided into 2 : the Parliamentarians supporting reform & the rights of Protestant church, against the king, and the Royalists who supporting the King. The Parliamentarians were in advantage as they had good funding, whereas the Royalists only had good cavalry. In 1645, after the Battle of Naseby, the Royalists were severly weakened, and in May 1646, the King & the Royalists surrendered, marking the end of the 1st Civil War. -
Period: to
SECOND CIVIL WAR
The 2nd Civil War was also between the Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell, and the Royalists. There were a series of revolt throughtotu England like in Southern part, in Wales and in Scotland. The Royalists were once again defeated, leading to the King's trial for treason. He had previously escpaed and joined the Scots to invade England in order to become King again. -
BEGINNING OF COMMONWEALTH
On 30th January 1649: Charles I was executed for committing treason. This marked the end of monarchy, due to continuous tensions between the KIng and the Parliament, and the beginning of the Commonwealth. England was to be governed by the people. -
BLASPHEMY ACT
In 1650, under Cromwell, various acts were established. The Blasphemy Act was one of them. It was put in place to punish anyone who went against God. For instance, the Quaker James Nayler was severly punished in public for imitating Christ's entry in Jerusalem. -
BEGINNING OF PROTECTORATE
Due to tensions over slow electoral progress, Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament on April 20, 1653. On December 16, 1653, he declared the end of the Commonwealth and established a protectorate, naming himself Lord Protector with executive, military, and diplomatic control—resembling a king. The Instrument of Government, issued that year, is England's only written constitution. -
RESTORATION
After the death of Cromwell, his son succeeded him for 6 months before resigning. It was the end of the Protectorate. In 1660, the Declaration of Breda by Charles II promised pardon, religious toleration and his willingness ot share his power under the condition of restoring him on the throne. This was well perceived, and thus on May 29 1660 began the Restoration. Although, he didn't really comply to what he promised. -
ACT OF UNIFORMITY
In 1662, the Act of Uniformity under Charles II was established. It restored bishops to the House of Lords, which was previously abolished, and gave them their place in the Church. Along with this, ministers were to swear on the Book of Common Prayer. It looked like a step back into Catholicism. This increased the tensions between the King and the Parliament. -
Period: to
EXCLUSION CRISIS
In 1678, the 'Popish plot' rumors emerged, suggesting a conspiracy to replace Charles II with his pro-Catholic brother James II. This created the Tories (pro-James) and Whigs (opponents), and led to the Exclusion Crisis (1679) aiming to remove James II from the succession, challenging divine rights. Charles II dissolved Parliament in response. James II became king in 1685 after Charles's death. -
THE GLORIUS REVOLUTION
James II's pro-Catholic stance and the birth of a Catholic heir in 1688 led Parliament to fear Catholicism. They invited William of Orange, resutling the Glorious Revolution in 1689 with William and Mary as joint monarchs. The 1689 Bill of Rights limited royal power, granting Parliament control over finance & lawmaking, and ensuring a Protestant succession. The Act of Settlement in 1701 confirmed this when William and Mary had no heirs. -
ACT OF UNION
Under Anne Stuart's reign, William and Mary's successor, the Act of Union between England and Scotland was established. it gave birth to the United Kingdom of Great Britain : England (& Wales) and Scotland. -
Period: to
AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
During the 7 years War, funding was essential, hence colonists in the New World were taxed but without any representation in the Parliament. This led to the Boston tea Party where colonists threw all the tea going to England in the sea. This act of rebellion led to the war of independence. In 1776 took place the Declaration of independence against George III, and in 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, recognising the independence of the United States. -
2ND ACT OF UNION
The 2nd Act of Union created the United Kingdom of Great britain and Ireland. It merged the UK and Ireland.