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1485
Richard III is killed in battle
Richard met the outnumbered forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard rode a white courser.The size of Richard's army has been estimated at 8,000 and Henry's at 5,000, but exact numbers are not known. All that can be said is that the Royal army 'substantially' outnumbered Tudor's. -
1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americans
Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. The ships made landfall—not in Asia, as Columbus assumed, but on one of the Bahamian islands. -
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 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. -
1543
With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
The first Act of Supremacy was passed on November by the Parliament of England. It granted King Henry VIII of England and subsequent monarchs Royal Supremacy, such that he was declared the supreme head of the Church of England. In the Act of Supremacy, Henry abandoned Rome completely. -
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. Wikipedia -
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. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. 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. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. 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:It is important to understand the political context in which it waswritten, as that is the key to the main theme of the play, which is that excessive ambition will have terrible consequences. -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia
The founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English colony, in Virginia– 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts – sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely composed over an extended period. The sonnets were dedicated to a W. H., whose identity remains a mystery, although William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke, is frequently suggested because Shakespeare's First Folio was also dedicated to him. -
King James Bible is published
The King James Bible is 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. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusettes
The 102 travelers aboard the Mayflower landed upon the shores of Plymouth. This rock still sits on those shores to commemorate the historic event. The Pilgrims had an important question to answer before they set ashore. -
Newspapers are first published in London
Following the Restoration there arose a number of publications, including the London Gazette, the This list of the oldest newspapers sorts the newspapers of the world by the date of their first publication. The earliest newspapers date to 17th century Europe when printed periodicals began rapidly to replace the practice of hand-writing newssheetsfirst official journal of record and the newspaper of the Crown. -
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, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification.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
Restoration of the monarchy in England marked the return of Charles II as king, following the period of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. The bishops were restored to Parliament, which established a strict Anglican orthodoxy.
