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1485
Richard lll is killed in battle
Richard III was King of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at Bosworth Field, marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. -
1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist. He led the first European expeditions to Central and South America, initiating the permanent European colonization of the Americas. Columbus also discovered the viable sailing route to the Americas, although at the time he thought he had discovered a route to the Far East. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance, whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. Among the works created by Leonardo in the 16th century is the small portrait known as the Mona Lisa. Its fame rests, in particular, on the elusive smile on the woman's face. -
1516
Thomas More's Utopia is published
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535) published in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. -
1534
WIth the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 until his death. He was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father, Henry VII. The Supremacy Act essentially created the Church of England and severed church ties with Rome. With the passing of the Act of Supremacy, the Pope was no longer considered the leader of Christians in England. -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Elizabeth was the last of five monarchs of the House of Tudor. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel. She depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers, led by William Cecil. One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor. It was expected that she would marry and produce a heir, but she never did -
1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avan, is born
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. His actual date of birth remains unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23rd of April. This date has proved appealing to biographers because Shakespeare died on the same date in 1616. Also, he was the third of eight children, and the eldest surviving son. -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was destroyed by a fire on June 29, 1613 and a second Globe Theater was built on the same site by June 1614. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear is a tragedy depicting the gradual descent into madness of the title character, after he disposes of his kingdom by giving bequests to two of his three daughters egged on by their continual flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.
Macbeth is a tragedy dramatizing the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia
The site for Jamestown was picked for several reasons, all of which met the criteria of the Virginia Company, who funded the settlement. The site was surrounded by water on three sides and was far inland; both meant it was easily defensible against possible Spanish attacks and the water was also deep enough that the English could tie their ships at the shoreline. Also, the site was not inhabited by the Native population. -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
Shakespeare's sonnets are published in small quarto edition (roughly the size of a modern paperback). The sonnets have been read, recited, reprinted, and written ever since their first appearance. They have inspired many creative works, including music and dance pieces, as well as other poems. -
King James Bible is published
Also called Authorized Version or King James Bible, it is the English translation of the Bible published under the auspices of King James I of England. The translation had a marked influence on English literary style and was generally accepted as the standard English Bible from the mid-17th to the early 20th century. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
The Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor in 1620, after first stopping near today's Provincetown. Plymouth Rock was the site where William Bradford and the other Pilgrims first set foot on land. Bradford was the governor of Plymouth Colony for 30 years and he is credited with establishing what we now call Thanksgiving. -
Newspapers are first published in London
William Caxton had introduced the first English printing press in 1476 and, by the early 16th century, the first 'news papers' were seen in Britain. They were, however, slow to evolve, with the largely illiterate population relying on town criers for news.The first regular English daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, was launched with the reign of Queen Anne in 1702. -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under its Council of State. He wrote Paradise Lost as a epic poem in blank verse. It is considered by critics to be Milton's major work, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. -
Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II
Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda, which made known the conditions of his acceptance of the crown of England. On the 8th of May it was proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
