British History: Timeline

  • Period: 1509 to 1547

    Henry VIII's reign

  • 1534

    Act of Supremacy

    Act of Supremacy
    The king Henry VIII was made “Supreme Head of the Church of England” and led to a schism: England broke from the Roman Catholic Church.
  • 1536

    The Pilgrimage of Grace

    The Pilgrimage of Grace
    Popular rebellions against the Henrician Reformation that lasted six months and which were considered as the greatest rebellions ever faced by a Tudor monarch.
  • Period: 1547 to 1553

    Edward VI's reign

  • 1549

    Edward VI's Book of Common Prayer

    Edward VI's Book of Common Prayer
  • Period: 1553 to 1558

    Mary I's reign

    Under Mary I's reign: Protestantism was confined to secrecy and heretics were burned (over 200).
  • 1558

    Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury

    Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury
    The queen made this speech in order to rally the troops who were preparing to repel the invasion of the Spanish Armada.
  • Period: 1558 to

    Elizabeth I's reign

  • Feb 1, 1559

    Act of Supremacy

    Act of Supremacy
    A political act:
    - abolished the authority of the Pope
    - restored the authority of the Queen over the Church
    - she became “Supreme Governor of the Church of England“
  • Mar 1, 1559

    Act of Uniformity

    Act of Uniformity
    A religious act/belief:
    - every parish had to use the Book of Common Prayer
    - people who did not attend an Angelican service were fined
  • Period: 1567 to

    James I's reign

  • 1570

    Pope Pius V's papal bull: "Regnans in Excelsis"

    Pope Pius V's papal bull: "Regnans in Excelsis"
    The Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth I through its papal bull:"Regnans in Excelsis" .
  • 1571

    Treasons Act

    Treasons Act
    It made it treason for anyone to say that Elisabeth I was not the true Queen of England and Wales.
  • The Gunpowder Plot

    The Gunpowder Plot
    It is a conspiracy devised by a small group of Catholics in order to blow up Parliament and kill the King James I.
  • Great Contract

    Great Contract
    It was a plan submitted to the King James I and Parliament, and was an attempt to increase Crown income and ultimately rid it of debt. It led to the Thirty Years'War
  • The King's James Bible

    The King's James Bible
  • Period: to

    The Thirty Years'War

  • Period: to

    Charles I's reign

    Between 1629 and 1640, it was called "The Personal Rule" as Charles I ruled himself without calling a parliament in eleven years.
  • Petition of Rights

    Petition of Rights
    It is a petition submitted by Parliament where they request the King to recognize the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation, billeting, martial law, imprisonment without trial. They wanted to get Charles to recognize that there were limits to his powers
  • Treaty of Ripon

    Treaty of Ripon
    After the Scots invaded England and emerged victorious, a Peace Treaty was signed. Charles was forced to pay the cost if the Scots’ army.
  • The Grand Remonstrance

    The Grand Remonstrance
    It is an important document voted by Parliament after heated debates, it summarized all the wrong doing of Charles I and concluded on “revolutionary” demands. It divided Parliament into two groups: The Parliamentarians and The Royalists.
  • Period: to

    The First Civil War

    Between 1642 and 1646 the Parliamentarians and the Royalists fought and after four years of battle, in May 1646, the King and the Royalists surrounded. It was a victory for Parliament.
  • The Pride's Purge

    The Pride's Purge
    Colonel Pride (king's army) entered the House of Commons to stop the vote and arrested the 45 conservative leader MPs but some MPs escaped. The Rump Parliament put the King on trial for high treason.
  • Period: to

    The Second Civil War

    In November, the King escaped from army custody and allied himself with the Scots: he promised to introduce Calvinism into England and in return the Scottish army would have invade England and restore him to power.
    It led to the second civil war that was made of series of revolts in the South of England, Wales and Scotland.
  • The execution of King Charles I and the declaration of England as a Commonwealth

    The execution of King Charles I and the declaration of England as a Commonwealth
    On 30 January 1649, the King Charles I was executed.
    On March 1649, England was declared a Commonwealth and the monarchy was abolished.
  • The Instrument of Government

    The Instrument of Government
    It is England’s first and only written constitution. It was written under the Protectorate led by Oliver Cromwell.
  • Period: to

    The Cromwellian Protectorate

    It is a military dictatorship which is similar to a monarchy but without a King. It was led by Oliver Cromwell between 1653 and 1659.
  • The Bill of Rights

    The Bill of Rights
    It sets limits to the royal prerogatives of James II under his monarchy. It led to the development of a constitutional monarchy.
  • The Act of Settlement

    The Act of Settlement
    It settled the order of succession and ensured a Protestant succession, ignoring dozens of Catholic heirs. It played a key role in the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  • The Act of Union

    The Act of Union
    It created the United Kingdom of Great Britain: England (and Wales) and Scotland.