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Period: 1509 to 1547
Henri VIII's reign and the break with Rome
As one of the most famous English Kings, Henri VIII is known for a lot of things during his reign such as the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 (a schism)
He was also a devout Catholic who actively wrote against Martin Luther and expressed his loyalty to the Pope. He also went on pilgrimage at least three times as a King. -
Period: 1509 to 1547
Henry's succession
During his reign as King of Englaand, Henry VIII had a lot of wives, 6 in total.
He had children with 3 of them, leaving him with 3 heirs : Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. -
Period: Jul 10, 1509 to May 27, 1564
John Calvin
He was an influential French Protestant known for the Predistination Doctrine. He spread his teachings from Geneva, which was a haven for reformers who were persecuted because of their religion -
1517
Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-Fivety Theses
Martin Luther was a German Monk and one of the Protestants who were heavily criticizing the Indulgences. The Indulgences were documents given by the Church within the authority of the Pope that reduced the amount of time someone would spend in the purgatory. His famous text hence mark the start of the European Reformation. -
1522
New Testament and the translation of the Bible
Protestants believed that the Bible should be accessible to everyone, that is why they started to translate it into the vernacular. It was first translated in German by Martin Luther, alongside the publication of the New Testament which was widely disseminated. -
1527
The Royal Divorce
In 1527, and after 18 years of marriage, Henri VIII wanted his marriage with Catherine of Aragon to be completely annuled because of various reasons: he was in love with Anne Boleyn, she supported the Hasburgs while Henri wanted an alliiance with France, and she failed to bear a son.
However, this led him to break away from the Pope's authority, establishing a separate Church -> the Church of England -
Period: 1532 to 1537
The body of legislation
This whole body of legislation passed from 1532 to 1537 :
-> reduced the authority and power of the Pope and the clergy
-> transferred powers to the King -
1534
The Act of Supremacy
When the schism happened -> this led England to break from the Catholic Church. The break was gradual and mostly political. -
1536
The Pilgrimage of Grace
Rebellions in Yorshikre and Lincolnshire started to rise, protesting against the dissolution process. They also demanded the restoration of the Pope and of Mary Tudor Royal Succession, as well as Economic grievances.
The repression was brutal, a lot of people died. -
Period: 1536 to 1541
The dissolution of the monasteries and its consequences
To Henry VIII, they were "bastions" of poverty:
-> disbanded and the Crown appropriated their income and land
-> the dissolution of these monasteries was a sort of nationalisation
-> the valuables were confiscated and melted down In consequence :
-> all the monasteries had disappeared
-> huge impact on the nuns and monks who lived there
-> impact on the social fabric of communities and on the clergy's finances -
Period: 1547 to 1553
Edward VI's reign
As the only son of Henry VIII, he was the first to access to the throne after the death of his father. His reign was marked by a series of measures pushing England towards Protestantism. -
1549
Protestant measures and the Book of Common Prayer
Edward VI was a Protestant leading to the revision of the mass-book publication of the Book of Common Prayer. As a result ->
- Roman Catholic practices were eradicated
- The marriage of clergy was allowed
- The imposition of the Prayer Book led to rebellions in Cornwall and Devon. After his death in 1553, the country was virtually bankrupt. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Mary I's reign
She was the firrst Queen regnant of England. As a fervant Catholic, she made sure to rsetore Catholicism in only 18 months, repealing the Protestant legislation of her father and half-brother. -
Period: 1553 to
Poverty in Elizabethan England
To establish the idea that central and local governments had a responsibility for helping the poor, poor laws were passed between 1553 and 1603:
However, there was also a distinction between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor, leading to severe inequalities.
After her death in 1603, and the imposition of Protestantism, this legacy remained in place until the 19th century. -
Period: 1555 to 1558
"Bloody Mary" and the death of the Queen
During her reign, Protestantism was confined to secrecy as heretics were burned between 1555 and 1558 :
- Over 200 Protestants were burnt alive
- They also had to flee the country, leading them to the Continent (known as Switzerland). When she died in 1558, it was greeted by the nation as no one liked her anymore, as her reign was short and full of atrocities.
Before dying, she made her half-sister Elizabeth, future Queen of England, swar that she would carry on with the Catholics reforms. -
Period: 1558 to
Elizabeth I's reign
During her long reign, Elizabeth I returned to Protestantism via a Middle Way, a compromise for the sake of national unity, to maintain an alliance with Catholic Spain against France, as well as to not alienate her subjects, konwing that a lot of them were Catholics. -
Period: 1558 to
The marriage question
In the 16th century, marriage was seen as women's natural condition.
That is why the Queen had many suitors and was under pressure to marry someone in order to have a heir during the entirety of her reign.
She had a love affair with Robert Dudley, but never marrried him because of rumors spreading.
In the end, she never married, preaching that she was "married to the Kingdom of England". -
Period: 1558 to
The Elizabethan myth and the ceremonies
During her reign, royal portraits were a crucial means of propaganda.
Rules were given to paint her portrait, and as she grew older, portraits were destroyed when they were judged offending to the Queen.
Also, the Queen took part in various Parades in London, as well as Royal Progresses in summer -> she travelled through the South of England, the Midlands, etc. -
Period: 1559 to 1563
A New legislation
Between 1559 and 1563, she passed new legislation:- The Act of Supremacy (Church Organisation) -> 1559
- The Act of Uniformity (Religious belief) -> 1559
- The 39 articles of faith (Doctrine) -> 1563 to 1517
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1569
The Northern Rebellion
This rebellion was organized by Catholics to protest against various religious reforms:
- 6000 insurgents
- An attempt to replace Queen Elizabeth by Mary, Queen of Scots
- The revolt was led by the Earls of Westmorland and Northumberland but was crushed. -
Period: 1570 to
The repression of Catholics
Catholics were persecuted after 1570 because Protestantism was now associated with patriotism, the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570, as well as many Catholics were ploting against the Queen. Stated by the 1581 Act, Catholics were submitted to the death penalty for any person converting, or already coonverted to Catholicism -> now forbidden to participate or celebrate the Catholic Mass. -
The imprisonement and execution of Mary Queen of Scots
She represented a threat to Elizabeth as she was in France as a Catholic and was the widow of the French King Francis II.
After she fled Scotland in 1568, she was imprisoned in England for 19 years because she was dangerous.
She was executed in 1587 although the Queen was reluctant to do so. -
The defeat of the Spanish Armada
Because Philip II, the Catholic King of Spain supported several plots against Elizabeth and that she on her side supported the Dutch Revolt against Spain, he decided to attempt to invade England. However, Spain ended up losing as England had a material advantage (a new fleet, new strategies), as well as thanks to the Tilbury Speech that the Queen gave to her troups. -
Period: to
Reign of James I
During his reign, James I experienced several problems with Religion.
As Queen Mary's son, Catholics had high hopes for a Catholic England, but he instead pursued Elizabeth's repressive laws.
He also experienced several problems with his relationship with Parliament. -
Period: to
King Charles' reign
Charles I firmly believed in the divine right of Kings and interpreted all criticism as a challenge to his authority, making him a very authoritarian King who was also in conflict with the Parliament at the time. -
Period: to
The English Civil Warss
These several wars were caused by 4 key factors, leading it to Civil War:
- religious and financial divisons, as well as the relation between the Kinf and Parliament, but also the fact that the King was governing three kingdoms as the same time. -
Period: to
The Interregnum
The Interregnum is composed of the Commonwealth as well as the Cromwellian Corporate. -
Period: to
The Georgian era
This era was known for its politics as well as its famous Kings:
- George I (1714 -1727)
- George II (1727 - 1760)
- George III (1760 - 1820)
- George IV (1820 - 1830) -
The British Empire by 1783
In 1783, Britain had established an Empire which was composed of several colonies in North America and the Pacific, as well as trading posts in India and naval bases in the Mediterranean.