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Period: 1500 to
Early Modern Period
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Period: Apr 22, 1509 to Jan 28, 1547
👑 King Henry VIII
Henry VIII became king in 1509. And it is under his reign that the Church of England will be separated from the Roman Catholic Church.
In his life, he will have 6 wives, and three of his children will reign over England.
And after the scandal of the "Great Matter", as well as his marriage with Anne Boleyn, he will get excommunicated. -
Oct 31, 1517
📜 The Ninety-Five Theses
Famous text that marks the start of the European Reformation, which was written by the german monk, Martin Luther. It, for example, protested against the indulgences (a Catholic "reform") that were supposed to give salvation to those who paid for them. -
1526
The Tyndale Bible
William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English, making religion a matter of everyone, and people didn't need a priest to be able to read God's words anymore. This represents one of the reforms of the Protestant Church. -
Nov 3, 1534
📜 Act of Supremacy
Henry VIII passed the Act of Supremacy after the scandal of his divorce with Catherine of Aragon. This act separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church (schism). It also made the King, the "Supreme Head of the Church of England". As Henry VIII was against the Pope's authority, he decided that everything linked to the Pope, like monasteries, were to be disbanded and their income would be transfered to the crown. -
Period: 1536 to 1537
The pilgrimage of Grace
Henry VIII's dissolution was interrupted by rebellions occuring in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. They lasted for 6 months and happened because people wanted the return of the monasteries as well as the authority given to the Pope back. -
Period: Jan 28, 1547 to Jul 6, 1553
👑 King Edward VI
Son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, he was only 9 when he became king, after his father died.
The most important measure he passed was the Book of Common Prayer, which will push England towards Protestantism.
He will die at the age of 15. -
1549
The Book of Common Prayer
Edward VI decided to do a revision of the mass-book, which led to the publication of the Book of Common Prayer. As a Protestant, he forbade Roman Catholic practises, allowed the marriage for the clergy and imposed this book, remplacing Latin by English. -
Period: Jul 6, 1553 to Nov 17, 1558
👑 Queen Mary I
Mary I (daughter of Henry VIII), better known as "Bloody Mary", fought against Protestantism her whole life and made it her mission to restore Catholicism. For example, she repealed every previous religious legislation.
To be able to do it, she burned at the stake over 200 Protestants, between 1555 and 1558, while the rest were forced to flee the country.
She will die in 1558. Her death will be greeted by the people of England, as well as her husband. -
Period: Nov 17, 1558 to
👑 Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII) will always be known to be the Virgin Queen. Indeed, she spent her entire life as an unmarried woman without heir.
At the beginning of her reign, her country was divised by religious tensions, after 25 years of change. She will have to prove her legitimacy and find a way to appease her people. And she was able to do much more than that.
She also was the instigator of the Poor Laws, which will remained in place until the 19th century.
She will die in 1603. -
1559
📜 Act of Supremacy
It reforms the Church organisation by abolishing the authority of the Pope, meaning that the Queen gained back her authority over the Church. Elizabeth I became the "Supreme Governor of the Church of England". -
May 8, 1559
📜 Act of Uniformity
The Common Book of Prayer became the base for the mass, and people who weren't attending an Anglican service were fined. -
Period: 1563 to 1571
📜 The 39 Articles of Faith
It was a document stating the doctrine of the Church. The main changes were a new conception of the Church, a new doctrine of salvation and a new definition of sacraments and mass. -
Feb 25, 1570
📜 Regnans in Excelsis
Pope Pius V issued the papal bull which insulted the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, calling her a heretic. It excommunicated her and therefore gave Catholics the right to kill her without it being considered a crime to Rome. -
1571
📜 Treasons Act
This document is Elizabeth's answer to the papal bull, stating that she was the Queen of England and Wales, and anyone claiming otherwise was a traitor. As the Protestants (the majority of England's population) claimed that she was not the legitimate Queen, and that her cousin, Mary Stuart, was (she would be executed for being a part of the Babington plot against Elizabeth I, in 1587). -
1581
📜 Act to retain the Queen's Majesty's Subjects in their due Obedience
This act provided the death penalty to any person converted or converting to Catholicism, the participation and celebration of the Catholic Mass was forbidden and the fines were up to £20 per month. -
Elizabeth I's first speech
To prove her legitimity as a Queen, without a husband, she gave a speech stating that she might have the weak body of a woman, but she also had a political body with a divine authority that let her reign over her country. Over the years she will make several speeches with this same subject, like in Tilbury in 1588, in front of the troops preparing the invasion of the Spanish Armada. -
Period: to
Transatlantic Slave Trade
Britain was heavily involved in the triangular slave trade, during three centuries, 17th, 18th and 19th. -
📜 The Millenary Petition
It was a document presented to James I, after the church found out about his Calvinist views. It asked for a purification of the last trace of Catholics doctrine. But he refused, and confirmed the reforms Elizabeth I had previously passed.
One of the only changes made was a new translation of the Bible called the "King James' Bible", which was completed in 1611. -
Period: to
👑 King James I
He was the son of Mary Stuart, creating Catholic hope for a new religious reformation in their favour. But James held Calvinist views.
James I was firstly James VI of Scotland before becoming the King of England, in 1603.
He died in 1625. -
🧨 The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot is a conspiracy led by a small group of Catholics, after James' decision to not pass the Millenary Petition. Their idea was to blow up Parliament, where James I was staying for a session, and kill him. But they got caught before any of that could happen. -
Jamestown in Virginia
Jamestown, located in Virginia, represents the first British settlement. -
📜 The "Great Contract"
Because of James I's spending personality, Parliament decided to restrict his access to the royal finances. The King did not appreciate it, and decided to put taxes into place, which is normally Parliament's prerogative.
This led to crashes with MPs, as they feared that the king was trying to take away their powers.
To settle everyone, James decided to pass a financial reform, with the "Great Contract" as a centerpiece. But they refused to vote in favour, and James dismissed Parliament. -
Period: to
⚔️ Thirty Years' War
James I believed that he could make peace between Catholics and Protestants by marrying his daughter to a Protestant prince and his son to a Catholic princess.
But a war broke out after his daughter's suitor was invited to take the throne after the Emperor Ferdinand Habsburg. -
Period: to
👑 King Charles I
Charles I was the son of James I and, just like his father, he believed in the divine rights of kings. He favoured a minority of Anglicans, called Arminians who wished to restore traditional features of the Catholic Church.
He was executed in 1649. -
📜 Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights is a document containing the members of the Parliament's complaints. They wanted Charles I to finally recognise the limits of his powers, and that he could not, for example, put into place extra-parliamentary taxations (Charles ended up suspending the seating). -
📜 The Three Resolutions
The Three Resolutions Act is a document implicitly attacking the King's religious belief and way of governing. Indeed, it declared that anyone trying "to bring Popery in Arminianism" was an enemy of the kingdom. As well as anyone who tried to take control of the taxes without Parliament's consent.
This will cause the beginning of the Personal Rule, after the dissolution of the Parliament. -
Period: to
The Personal Rule
The Personal Rule is a period during which the King Charles I ruled the country without Parliament. It lasted for 11 years. -
⚔️ Bishops' War
After the introduction of the New Prayer Book, called the Book of Common Prayer in 1637, Scotland was set aflame.
This riot will rapidly turn into a grand rebellion, known as the Bishops' War. -
Period: to
The Long Parliament
Following the Short Parliament which lasted 3 weeks, the Long Parliament was called, after Scotland invaded England and came back victorious from the Bishops' War, as Charles was asked to pay for the Scottish army in a way of humiliate him. To be able to pay, the latter had to call Parliament who was still the one in control of the crown's finance. -
📜 The Militia Act
This act passed by the Parliament declared that the army should be placed under the control of generals appointed by it. Therefore, taking the king's ability to appoint whoever he desired. -
📜 The Grand Remonstrance
The Grand Remonstrance is an important document sumarizing all the wrong doings of the king and that concluded on "revolutionary" demands. Such as a reform of the Church, a right for Parliament to control any army sent to Ireland, or for the House of Commons to be able to choose the king's minister.
Unfortunately, it divided Parliament into two groups (the Royalists and the Parliamentarians), causing a war to break out. -
Declaration of war against Parliament
Charles I formally declared war on Parliament. -
Period: to
⚔️ The First Civil War
Opposing Royalists and Parliamentarians, it would cost the lives of 190 000 englishmen. But it will also be the scene of the creation of the New Model Army.
Created in 1644, it was unlike no other regional armies, as this one was national, and controlled and paid by Westminster. -
Pride's Purge
Colonel Pride from the army entered the House of Commons while a vote was happening, stopped it and proceeded to arrest 45 conservatives leader part of the Parliament. -
Period: to
⚔️ The Second Civil War
The Second Civil War was provoked by Charles' escape from the army custody. He allied with Scotland and promised to introduce Calvinism into England, if the Scottish army invaded his country and restore his power.
It horrified Parliament who could not believe that the King would use a foreign army to wage war on his own people. -
Period: to
The Interregnum
A period of time in which the country was governed by its people, without a King. Unfortunately, it failed after they tried multiple forms of government and did not found a common ground. They (led by Cromwell), then, decided to create a military protectorate. -
Period: to
Commonwealth
After the King's execution, the monarchy and the House of Lords were abolished (as it was mainly composed of Royalists or people not conforming with the Parliamentarians' ideas).
This marked the beginning of a republic, called the Commonwealth. It will last from 1649 to 1653.
But not being able to settle on a government that will satisfy everyone, the Commonwealth is put to an end. -
King's execution
King Charles I was executed, after his trial for high treason (humiliating him as it placed Parliament above him). It is called a regicide. -
End of Commonwealth
Facing tensions with the Rump Parliament, Cromwell decided to dissolved it. A new Parliament was then put into place, called the "Barebones Parliament", but it will get dissolved as it also faced tensions.
This will be the start of the Protectorate. -
Period: to
The Cromwellian Protectorate
This protectorate is a Military Dictatorship, it will put Cromwell as the Lord Protector (to not use the word King) and will put into place several rules and set the powers of the "Lord Protector", representing England's first and only written constitution (known as "The Instrument of Government", from 1653). -
📜 Declaration of Breda
After being through 7 governments in less than a year, people longed for some stability, something they had only found in monarchy. Seeing the state of mind of the English people, Charles II issued this Declaration to present his pardon and hope for forgiveness, to later be able to get back on the throne.
It promised a general pardon, to continue a religious toleration and his agreement to share his power with Parliament.
It will worked and the King will be restored on May 29th. -
Period: to
👑 King Charles II
After the restoration of Charles II (Charles I's son) as king, he faced several tensions and disasters. Unfortunately, it had the negative impact of increasing the hostility towards Charles and his court. He got the nickname of "merry monarch".
He will die in 1685, and despite the fear of his people, he will be succeeded by his brother James II. -
The Popish Plot
A rumour spread through the monarchy saying that the French were planning to murder the king of England, and replace him by his brother James II. The reason was that James was Catholic.
But it terrified people as they feared he would implement pro-Catholic politics. -
Period: to
The Exclusion Crisis
The fear of a Catholic reimplementation caused Parliament to try and change the rules of succession (stepping over the divine right of Kings). The king's reaction was to dissolve Parliament. -
Period: to
👑 King James II
Brother of Charles II, his reign will be short as a deep fear settled in the country after he sat on the throne, as he was a fervent Catholic. This cause a disagreement and a threat to parliament's power, especially after his wife gave him a Catholic heir.
Parliament will then invite his son-in-law to invade England and take his place (which worked). -
The Glorious Revolution
Shedding no blood, the goal was to dislodged the King from his throne to put James II's daughter at his place. The Glorious Revolution ended with joint rulers, William III and Mary II, but certains limits to their powers will be fixed by Parliament. -
Period: to
👑 King William III and Queen Mary II
After taking his father-in-law's place, he became King William III.
Although, he will share his reign with his wife, Mary II (1689-1694), they will become joint rulers. -
📜 The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is one of the document fixing their power's limits.
It lists James' misdeeds, set out the rights of Parliament, set out the basic civil rights and it also was a key political text. -
📜 Act of Settlement
This document settled the order of succession after William and Mary had no surviving children.
It will declared that no Catholic would be able to sat on the throne. It set a new balance of powers in favour of Parliament, settling the tensions between the crown and the latter. -
Period: to
👑 Queen Anne
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📜 Act of Union
This act created the United Kingdom of Britain, composed by England (and Wales) and Scotland.
But under Queen Anne, it will be ratified. -
Period: to
👑 King George I
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Period: to
End of the First British Empire
The American War of Independance caused the United-Kingdom to lose a huge part of its empire. -
📜 Act of Union
The Act of Union is an act agreeing to the union of Great Britain (England and Scotland) with Ireland. Creating the United-Kingdom.