CE History Events

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1485 Battle of Bosworth – defeat of Richard III by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII

1486 Henry VII married Elizabeth of York – helping unite the Houses of York & Lancaster

1492 Columbus' first voyage to America – discovering the West Indies

1501 Marriage alliance with Spain – Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon

1502 Death of Prince Arthur – leaving Henry as heir to the throne

1503 Marriage alliance with Scotland – Princess Margaret married James IV of Scotland

1509 Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon – with the Pope's special permission

1513 X Spurs (against France) and X Flodden (against the Scots) – and death of James V

1517 Martin Luther criticised the Pope – beginning Protestantism and the Reformation

1520 Field of Cloth of Gold – a meeting with the French, arranged by Cardinal Wolsey

1522 The pope gave Henry VIII the title 'Defender of the Faith' – for writing against Luther

1529 Fall of Wolsey – he failed to get the Pope's permission for Henry to divorce Catherine of Aragon

1530 Death of Wolsey – on his way to London to answer a charge of treason

1533 Thomas Cranmer made archbishop of Canterbury – and he allowed the royal divorce

1534 Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy – making Henry Head of the English Church

1535 Sir Thomas More executed – he would not accept Henry as Head of the English Church

1536 Pilgrimage of Grace – a revolt against the start of the Dissolution of the Monasteries

1540 Completion of the Dissolution of the Monasteries – and fall of Thomas Cromwell

1545 Sinking of the Mary Rose – during a war with France

1547 Duke of Somerset made Protector for Edward VI – who came to the throne aged 10

1549 First Prayer Book in English – produced by the Protestant archbishop Cranmer

Ket's Rebellion against enclosures – and fall of the Duke of Somerset

1553 The Duke of Northumberland tried to install Lady Jane Grey as Queen – and failed

1554 Wyatt's revolt – against the marriage of Mary Tudor to Philip II of Spain

1555 Burning of the Protestant bishops Latimer and Ridley – at Oxford

1556 Burning of the Protestant archbishop Cranmer – another 'Oxford Martyr'

1558 Loss of Calais – England's last possession in France

1559 Elizabeth I’s Church Settlement – making the Church in England Protestant again

1568 Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England – after conflicts with Scots Protestants e.g. John Knox

1569 Rebellion of the Northern Earls – supporting Mary, Queen of Scots (Henry VII’s grand-daughter)

1570 The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth I – who then supported the persecution of Catholics

1577-80 Drake’s World Voyage – plundering Spanish ships and colonies

1586 Babington Plot – in support of Mary, Queen of Scots; one of a number of such plots

1587 Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots – because of her involvement in plots against Elizabeth

1588 Spanish Armada – the failed attempt to invade England

1601 An Act for the Relief of the Poor – attempting to solve the problem of beggars and vagabonds

1603 Union of the English and Scottish crowns – James VI of Scotland also became James I of England

1605 Gunpowder Plot – by Catholics to kill the Protestant James VI and his ministers

1611 Authorised Version of the Bible – a new and more accurate translation into English

1620 The Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America – Puritans avoiding persecution in England

1625 Failure of Cadiz Expedition – organised by James’ favourite, the Duke of Buckingham

1627 Failure of La Rochelle Expedition – another Buckingham failure

1628 Petition of Right – accepted by Charles I to raise money for Buckingham

Murder of Buckingham – at Portsmouth, while preparing a third expedition

1629-40 Charles I’s ‘Personal Rule’ – without calling Parliament

1633 William Laud made archbishop of Canterbury – he persecuted Puritans and Catholics

1637 Trial of John Hampden – he had refused to pay Ship Money

1638 Scots signed a National Covenant – protesting against having to use an English Prayer Book

1639 Scots Army invaded England – the ‘First Bishop’s War’

1640 Charles I called the Short Parliament – to raise money for an army to fight the Scots

The Long Parliament – in which John Pym led opposition against Charles I

1641 Execution of the Earl of Strafford – chief adviser to the King

1642 Charles I attempted to arrest the ‘Five Members’ – his main opponents in Parliament

X Edgehill – the first major engagement of the Civil War, with neither side victorious

1643 Solemn League and Covenant – a deal bringing the Scots in on Parliament’s side

1644 X Marston Moor – Parliament and the Scots defeated the Royalist Army of Prince Rupert

1644-5 Formation of Parliament’s New Model Army – by Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell

1645 X Naseby – the New Model Army completely defeated the Royalists

1646 Charles I surrendered to the Scots – who handed him to Parliament in return for back-pay owed

1647 Charles I seized by the New Model Army – but escaped to the Isle of Wight

1648 X Preston – the Scots, supporting Charles I, defeated by Cromwell

Pride’s Purge – allowed into Parliament only those MPs in favour of putting the King on trial

1649 Trial and execution of Charles I – he was beheaded outside Whitehall palace

Start of the Commonwealth – the rule of the remainder of Parliament (called ‘The Rump’)

Cromwell sent to pacify Ireland – involving two bloody massacres

1650 X Dunbar – a Scots army supporting Charles II defeated by Cromwell

1651 X Worcester – Cromwell defeated an invading Scots army led by Charles II

1653 Cromwell expelled the Rump – and became Protector through the Instrument of Government

1655-56 Rule of the Major-Generals – Cromwell’s use of military force to control England

1658 X Dunes – the New Model Army helped the French defeat the Spanish

Death of Oliver Cromwell – his son Richard failed to retain power as Protector

1658-60 A confused time – order finally restored by George Monk, a New Model Army general

1660 The Restoration – the exiled Charles II invited to take the throne

1661-5 The Clarendon Code – the persecution of Puritans by the new royalist Parliament

1665 Great Plague – the return of bubonic plague to London

1666 Great Fire of London – lasting five days and destroying most of the city

1667 Dutch in the Medway – during a trade war, the Dutch destroyed or captured English warships

1673 Test Act – a law preventing Catholics from holding official positions

1678-81 Popish Plot – a supposed Catholic conspiracy ‘revealed’ by Titus Oates

1679 Exclusion Bill – an attempt to prevent the Catholic James (later James II) becoming King

1685 Monmouth’s Rebellion – a Protestant attempt to seize the throne after Charles II’s death

1687 Declaration of Indulgence – James II’s effort to give Catholics freedom of worship

1688 Trial of the Seven Bishops – who had protested against the Declaration of Indulgence

Birth of James II’s son – a Catholic heir to the throne

Invasion of England by William of Orange – a Dutch Protestant with a claim to the throne

1689 Glorious Revolution – William III and his wife Mary (James II’s daughter) made joint rulers

Siege of Londonderry – which successfully held out against James II’s invasion of Ireland

1690 X Boyne – defeat of James II in Ireland by William III

1694 Bank of England founded – to raise money for William’s war with France

1702 Start of the War of the Spanish Succession – to prevent France uniting with Spain

1704 X Blenheim – John Churchill, Duke of Malborough, defeated the French

1706 X Ramillies – Malborough again defeated the French

1708 X Oudenarde – another of Malborough’s victories over the French

1709 X Malplaquet – Malborough’s last (very bloody) victory over the French

1713 Treaty of Utrecht – ended the war and stated that France and Spain should not unite

1715 Jacobite Rebellion – James II’s son, James Edward, led an unsuccessful invasion

1720 South Sea Bubble – a financial crisis involving shares in the lucrative sugar trade

1721 Sir John Walpole rose to power – and became in effect the first Prime Minister

1739 War of Jenkins’ Ear – claimed to have been illegally cut off by the Spanish

1740 War of the Austrian Succession – again with England fighting against France

1745 Jacobite Rebellion – Bonnie Prince Charlie invaded England, reaching Derby

1746 X Culloden – ‘Butcher’ Cumberland defeated the Highlanders supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie

X Dettingden – George II led the English troops to victory against the French

1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle – ended