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The Magna Carta is a foundational legal document that limited the power of the king. -
Martin Luther was a German monk. He believed that God’s forgiveness could not be bought. In 1517, he wrote the 95 Theses to protest against the Church. -
Schism took place in England. King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church after the Pope refused to let him divorce. Henry made himself the head of the Church of England. This event created a new Protestant church and ended the Pope’s authority in England. -
The Act of Union with Wales joined Wales and England into one kingdom. Wales became legally part of England and had to follow English laws. English became the official language of government. This strengthened the power of the English crown. -
She was a Catholic queen who tried to restore Catholicism in England. Many Protestants were executed, which gave her the nickname “Bloody Mary.” Her reign was short, and after her death, her sister Elizabeth I became queen. -
She was accused of plotting to kill her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, to take the throne. Mary was beheaded, and her death ended her claim to the English crown. -
A conflict between King Charles I and Parliament, ending with the execution of the king, marking the first time a reigning English monarch was legally tried and executed. -
A republican period after the execution of Charles I, led by Oliver Cromwell, with no king, focusing on parliamentary rule. -
The peaceful overthrow of King James II, leading to William and Mary taking the throne, and the establishment of the Bill of Rights, limiting royal power and protecting parliamentary authority. -
The formal political union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, creating a single parliament and government. -
Ireland was formally united with Great Britain under the Act of Union, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. -
The conflict that led to the creation of the Irish Free State, granting most of Ireland independence from British rule. -
A peace agreement ending decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, establishing a devolved government and power-sharing between Catholics and Protestants. -
The process by which the UK government granted political powers to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, creating regional parliaments and assemblies. -
Brexit is the name for the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. In 2016, British people voted in a referendum to leave.