The Renaissance Period

By rachel.frost
  • 1485 Richard III is killed in battle
    Oct 1, 1485

    1485 Richard III is killed in battle

    Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, the last significant clash of the War of Roses.
  • 1492 Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
    Oct 1, 1492

    1492 Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas

    The Spanish-funded Italian explorer discovered various parts of the world, the most famous being America. This made Spain the most wealthy and powerful nation in the world.
  • c. 1503 Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
    Oct 1, 1503

    c. 1503 Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa

    One of the most well-known paintings that set the standard for future portraits.
  • 1516 Thomas More’s Utopia is published
    Sep 30, 1516

    1516 Thomas More’s Utopia is published

    More's book discusses the political system where policies are governed by reason.
  • c. 1543 With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England
    Oct 1, 1543

    c. 1543 With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of Church of England

    This allowed King Henry VIII to divorce his wife and become the head of the Protestant Church of England.
  • 1558 Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
    Oct 1, 1558

    1558 Elizabeth I becomes queen of England

    Daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn who ruled England for 44 years.
  • 1564 William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
    Apr 26, 1564

    1564 William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born

    William Shakespeare, the English national poet, is today considered to be the greatest dramatist of all time.
  • 1599 Globe Theatre is built in London

    1599 Globe Theatre is built in London

    The Globe Theater was one of the first places that Shakespeare's acting company would perform.
  • 1605-1606 Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth

    1605-1606 Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth

    Macbeth and King Lear’s are both examples of Shakespeare's famous tragic tales.
  • 1607 First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia.

    1607 First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia.

    Settlemant along the banks of the James River, Those who tried to live there faced many forms of conflict before more pilgrims could come and help them.
  • 1609 Shakespeare’s sonnets are published

    1609 Shakespeare’s sonnets are published

    All of Shakespeare's sonnets give an explanation in the beginning, describing difficult phrases and literary elements used in each work, and a little background information to help the reader have a better unerstanding of how to read the sonnet.
  • 1611 King James Bible is published

    1611 King James Bible is published

    The Church wanted a version of the Bible inEnglish so that more people could read it.
  • 1620 The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts

    1620 The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts

    Ship carrying a population of people wanting to start a new life.
  • 1621 Newspapers are first published in London

    1621 Newspapers are first published in London

    With the making of newspapers, there came a greater oppurtunity for more people to know what was going on in the world.
  • c.1658 John Milton begins Paradise Lost

    c.1658 John Milton begins Paradise Lost

    Milton actually wrote ten books of Paradise Lost. His original intentions were to write a tragedy.
  • 1660 Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II

    1660 Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II

    Charles II led during the Restoration period. Charles' skills allowed him to lead his country through the struggles of that era.