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1485
Richard III is killed in battle
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. -
1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the "Mona Lisa"
The Mona Lisa is 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" -
1516
Thomas More's "Utopia" is published.
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535) published in 1516 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. Henry was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry is best known for his six marriages, in particular his efforts to have his first marriage, to Catherine of Aragon, annulled. -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Elizabeth I 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. -
1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born.
William 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. -
Globe Theatre is built in London
It was built in 1599 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. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes "King Lear" and "Macbeth"
King Lear was first performed on December 26, 1606 and Macbeth was in 1606 as well. -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established in Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown is a historic site in east Virginia. Historic Jamestowne is home to the ruins of the first permanent English settlement in North America. It includes the remains of 18th-century Ambler Mansion. Artifacts from the region’s settlers are on display in the Archaearium archaeology museum. Nearby, the Jamestown Settlement is a living-history museum with recreations of a 1610s fort and a Powhatan Indian village. -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
The sonnets are composed in iambic pentameter, the meter used in Shakespeare's plays. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. He wrote 154 of them. -
King James Bible is published.
The King James Version, also known as the King James Bible or simply the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed/published in 1611. -
"The Mayflower" lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
he Mayflower was an English ship that famously transported the first English Puritans, known today as the Pilgrims, to the New World in 1620. There were 102 passengers. -
Newspapers are first published in London.
During 17th century there were many kinds of news publications and told both the news and rumors. -
John Milton begins "Paradise Lost"
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. 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. -
Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored by Charles II
he Commonwealth was the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were ruled as a republic following the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execution of Charles I. The Restoration of the English monarchy took place in the Stuart period. It began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under King Charles II.
