Monarchy's Formation

Alfred the Great secured Wessex

871

Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by the time of his death had become the dominant ruler in England. He is one of only two English monarchs to be given the epithet "the Great", the other being the Scandinavian Cnut the Great. He was also the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons".

The conquest of England in 1066

1066

The conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy, was crucial in terms of both political and social change. The new monarch continued the centralisation of power begun in the Anglo-Saxon period, while the Feudal System continued to develop.

Pope Urban II calls for the First Crusade

1095

The Crusades were a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The most commonly known are the campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean aimed at recovering the Holy Land from Islamic rule but the term "Crusades" is also applied to other church-sanctioned campaigns. These were fought for a variety of reasons including suppressing paganism and heresy, the resolution of conflict among rival Roman Catholic groups, or for political and territorial advantage.

King Henry is crowned

1154

Henry accordingly became the first Angevin king of England and the first monarch of the Plantagenet dynasty as Henry II in 1154

Magna Carta

1215

The king hesitated to sign the Magna Carta because it would cause limited power, but English nobles forced the king to sign it. The myth of Magna Carta and its protection of personal liberties persisted after the Glorious Revolution, which was in 1688. Shortly after the 19th century. It influenced colonists in the Thirteen Colonies and formation of the Constitution, which became the supreme law of the United States

Simon de Montfort's Parliament

1265

It was an English parliament held from January 20th, 1265 until mid-March of the same year. It was instigated by Simon de Montfort who was a baronial rebel leader.. Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham. By the 14th century people got use to it, with the gathering becoming known as the House of Commons. Montfort is often termed the founder of the Commons.

The Hundred Years' War begins between England and France

1337

The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois, rulers of the Kingdom of France, over the succession to the French throne. The war marked both the height of chivalry and its subsequent decline, and the development of strong national identities in both countries.

Henry VII seizes the throne

1485

Henry Tudor is crowned King of England on the battlefield at Bosworth after his army defeats and kills Richard III. Henry VII presents himself as the unifier of the warring Lancaster and York dynasties – symbolised by his adoption of the red and white Tudor Rose. His reign brings 85 years of civil war to an end.

Church of England is created

1534

Henry requests an annulment of his marriage with Catherine from the Pope in order to marry Anne Boleyn. The request is refused. In response, Henry breaks from the authority of the Pope and is declared head of the English Church by Parliament. To cancel out the power of the Catholic church in England, he dissolves over 800 monasteries and transfers their wealth and lands transferred to the crown. Years of discord between Protestants and Catholics follow.

Wales is annexed to England

1535

The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 were parliamentary measures by which Wales became a full and equal part of the Kingdom of England and the legal system of England was extended to Wales and the norms of English administration introduced. The intention was to create a single state and legal jurisdiction. The Acts were passed during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, who came from the Welsh Tudor dynasty.

England becomes Protestant

1547

n order to make England a truly Protestant state, the Book of Common Prayer is introduced and religious imagery in churches is destroyed. Seymour is arrested and later executed after he fails to solve England's near bankruptcy. The king dies aged fifteen, never ruling in his own right. The cause of his death is not certain.

Elizabeth I’s reign begins

1558

When Mary dies, her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, becomes queen. Elizabeth returns England to Protestantism, but she does not enforce strict religious conformity and declares she does not want to 'make windows into men's souls'. Elizabeth chooses never to marry as she wants England free from the influence of foreign princes and the dissent and infighting a marriage to a fellow countryman might bring.

First English colony in America

1585

England wants to compete with Spain and Portugal, whose American colonies generate great wealth. Sir Walter Raleigh sets up a colony of about 100 men on the east coast of North America, which he names Virginia after Elizabeth I, ‘the Virgin Queen’. Although Raleigh's settlement fails after a year it marks the start of an effort by England to colonise North America. The first successful permanent settlement is founded in 1607.

The Puritan Revolution

1642

The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers") over, principally, the manner of England's government. The Puritan Revolution was a big movement. The war ended with the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Glorious Revolution

1688

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (James VII of Scotland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange. Some called it the Revolution of 1688, the Revolution ended chances of Catholicism being re-established in England. For Catholics, its effects were socially and politically a disaster. They were denied the right to vote.