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1485
Richard III 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, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the protagonist of Richard III, one of William Shakespeare's history plays. -
1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. He led the first European expeditions to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, initiating the permanent European colonization of the Americas. Columbus discovered the viable sailing route to the Americas. He is credited with the opening of the Americas for conquest and settlement by Europeans. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". It is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962, which is worth nearly $800 million in 2017 -
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 himslef head of Church of England
The title created in 1531 for King Henry VIII, who was responsible for the foundation of the English Protestant church. The Act of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed the King's status as having supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognizing Henry's supremacy. By 1536, Henry had broken with Rome, seized the church's assets in England and declared the Church of England as the established church with himself as its head. -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Elizabeth was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death on 24 March 1603. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. -
1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the Bard of Avon. His extant works consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright -
Globe Theatre is built in London
It was built by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed by an Ordinance issued on 6 September 1642. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear is a tragedy It depicts 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 also a tragedy, and It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia
It was established by the Virginia Company of London as James Fort and was considered permanent after brief abandonment. It served as the capital of the colony of Virginia for 83 years. The natives initially welcomed and provided crucial provisions and support for the colonists. Relations soured early on, however, leading to the total annihilation of the natives in warfare within three years. Mortality was very high due to disease and starvation. -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
It is considered a continuation of the sonnet tradition that swept through the Renaissance. It observes the stylistic form of the English sonnet, the rhyme scheme, the 14 lines, and the meter. It introduce such significant departures of content that they seem to be rebelling against well-worn 200 year-old traditions. He explores themes such as lust, homoeroticism, misogyny, infidelity, and acrimony in ways that may challenge, but which also open new terrain for the sonnet form. -
King James Bilbe is published
an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England. The books of the King James Version include the 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament. It was first printed by Robert Barker, the King's Printer, and was the third translation into English approved by the English Church authorities. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Was an English ship that famously transported the first English Puritans, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth, England, to the New World. There were 102 passengers, and the crew is estimated to have been about 30. The ship has become a cultural icon in the history of the United States. The Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact prior to leaving the ship and establishing Plymouth Colony. -
Newspapers are first published in London
When the English started printing their own papers in London, they reverted to the pamphlet format used by contemporary books. The era of these newsbooks lasted until the Oxford Gazette came out. The control over printing relaxed greatly after the abolition of Star Chamber. The Civil War escalated the demand for news. News pamphlets or books reported the war, often supporting one side or the other. Following the Restoration there arose a number of publications, including the London Gazette. -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
An epic poem in blank verse. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification. It helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. The poem concerns the biblical story of the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. -
Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarcy is restored with Charles II
He made several promises in relation to the reclamation of the crown of England. Monck organized the Convention Parliament. It proclaimed that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649. To celebrate Return, 29 May was made a public holiday, popularly known as Oak Apple Day. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661. Some contemporaries described the Restoration as "a divinely ordained miracle"
