Consort XXIV
by Henry VIII

 

   

 

 

Aug. 22, 1485

Henry Tudor wins battle of Bosworth becoming Henry VII
 

Oct 27, 1485

Henry VII bestows the title of Duke of Bedford upon his uncle, Jasper Tudor.
 

Dec. 16, 1485

Birth of Katherine of Aragon
 

Jan 16, 1486

Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV
 

Sep. 20, 1486

Birth of Arthur, Prince of Wales
 

May 24, 1487

Lambert Simnel, pretender to the English throne, is crowned as Edward VI in Dublin.
 

Nov 24, 1487

Elizabeth of York is crowned Queen of England.
 

Jun 11, 1488

King James III of Scotland murdered at Sauchieburn. He is succeeded by James IV.
 

Feb 14, 1489

Henry VII and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I ally to assist the Bretons in the Treaty of Dordrecht.
 

Mar 27, 1489

Treaty of Medina del Campo, Katherine and Arthur Betrothed
 

Apr 28, 1489

Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, is killed by a mob while collecting taxes.
 

Jul 2, 1489

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, born.
 

Nov 28, 1489

Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII born at Westminster
 

Jun 28, 1491

Birth of Prince Henry, Future Henry VIII
 

Jun 8, 1492

Elizabeth Woodville, widow of King Edward IV, dies at Bermondsey.
 

Jul 2, 1492

Elizabeth of York gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth.
 

Oct 2, 1492

King Henry VII invades France.
 

Feb 10, 1495

Sir William Stanley, Henry VII’s Lord Chamberlain, is executed for complicity in the Perkin Warbeck’s conspiracy.
 

Mar 18, 1495

Birth of Mary Tudor, fifth child of Henry VII, at Richmond
 

Sep 14, 1495

Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VII, dies at Eltham Palace, aged three years.
 

Dec 26, 1495

Jasper Tudor, uncle of Henry VII, dies.
 

Mar 5, 1496

Henry VII commissions John and Sebastian Cabot to discover new lands.
 

Jul 18, 1496

England joins the Holy League against France.
 

Oct 21, 1496

Philip the Handsome marries Juana of Castile, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
 

Apr 3, 1497

Juan, elder brother of Catherine of Aragon, marries Margaret of Austria.
 

Jun 18, 1497

Henry VII ratifies the treaty between his son Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon,
daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
 

Jun 24, 1497

John Cabot discovers Newfoundland for which he named "Prima Vista."
 

Aug 10, 1497

Arthur, Prince of Wales is betrothed to Catherine of Aragon.
 

Oct 4, 1497

Juan, brother of Catherine of Aragon and heir to the Spanish throne, dies.
 

Dec 21, 1497

Sheen Palace at Richmond is destroyed by fire.
 

Apr 8, 1498

Charles VIII of France dies.
 

Jul 15, 1498

Perkin Warbeck, pretender to the English throne by pretending to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, is
imprisoned in the Tower.
 

Aug 23, 1498

Isabella, elder sister of Catherine of Aragon and wife of Manuel I of Portugal, dies giving birth to
her son, Miguel. Her son died the following year.
 

Feb 22, 1499

Birth of Edmund Tudor, sixth child of Henry VII, at Greenwich Palace
 

May 19, 1499

Katherine and Arthur married by Proxy
 

Nov 23, 1499

Perkin Warbeck is executed.
 

? 1500

Birth of Anne Boleyn
 

Feb 24, 1500

Emperor Charles V is born.
 

Jun 19, 1500

Death of Edmund Tudor, aged 16, months, at Hatfield
 

May 19, 1501

Katherine and Arthur married for the second time by proxy
 

Sep 27, 1501

Catherine of Aragon departs from Laredo on the Basque coast to England.
 

Oct 2, 1501

Catherine of Aragon arrives at Plymouth, England.
 

Nov. 14, 1501

Katherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales marry
 

Dec 21, 1501

Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon depart for Wales.
 

Apr. 2, 1502

Death of Prince Arthur
 

Feb 10, 1503

Elizabeth of York dies, giving birth to her youngest daughter, which she names Catherine.
 

Feb 23, 1503

Elizabeth of York buried at Westminster Abbey.
 

Jun 25, 1503

Katherine betrothed to Prince Henry
 

Aug 8, 1503

Margaret Tudor marries King James IV of Scotland.
 

Dec 26, 1503

Pope Julius grants a papal dispensation to allow the marriage of Prince Henry to Catherine of
Aragon.
 

Feb. 18, 1504

Henry created Prince of Wales
 

Nov 24, 1504

Queen Isabella of Castile, mother of Catherine of Aragon, dies. She is succeeded by her daughter
Juana.
 

Jun 27, 1505

Prince Henry repudiates betrothal to Katherine
 

Jan 31, 1506

King Henry VII receives Philip I and Juana of Castile at Windsor. Their ship, enroute from Zeeland to
Spain, was blown off course and accidentally landed at Melcombe, near Waymouth.
 

Sep 25, 1506

King Philip I of Castile dies at Burgos. His wife Queen Juana becomes insane.
 

? 1507

Birth of Jane Seymour
 

Dec 21, 1507

Henry VII signs marriage treaty between his daughter Mary and the Archduke Charles, son of Philip I of Spain.
 

Apr. 22, 1509

Death of Henry VII - accession of Henry VIII
 

May 10, 1509

Henry VII buried at Westminster Abbey next to his wife, Elizabeth of York.

     
 

     
   

Queen Katherine of Aragon

     
 

Jun 11, 1509

Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon married
 

Jun 24, 1509

Coronation of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon
 

Jun 29, 1509

Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and mother of Henry VII, dies at Westminster.
 

Jun 31, 1510

Catherine of Aragon gives birth to stillborn daughter.
 

Aug 17, 1510

Edmund Dudley, Earl of Suffolk, beheaded at the Tower of London for treason.
 

Jan 1, 1511

Birth of Prince Henry
 

Feb. 22, 1511

Death of Prince Henry
 

Nov 13, 1511

Henry VIII joins the Holy League.
 

? 1512

Birth of Katherine Parr
 

Apr 10, 1512

Margaret Tudor gives birth to James (later James V of Scotland) in Linlithgow.
 

Sep 24, 1513

Tournai surrenders to the English.
 

Oct. 1513

Birth of son - died soon after birth
 

Aug 6, 1514

Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, marries Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus.
 

Oct 9, 1514

Mary Tudor, younger sister of Henry VIII marries King Louis XII of France
 

Nov 5, 1514

Mary Tudor crowned Queen of France.
 

Nov. 1514

Birth of son - died soon after birth
 

May 13, 1515

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, marries the already pregnant Mary Tudor at Greenwich. He had
secretly married her several months earlier in France without the King's permission.
 

Sep. 22, 1515

Birth of Anne of Cleves
 

Dec 24, 1515

Thomas Wolsey appointed Lord Chancellor of England.
 

Jan 1516

Death of Ferdinand of Aragon, Katherine's father
 

Jan 23, 1516

King Ferdinand, father of Catherine of Aragon, dies at Madrigalejo.
 

Feb. 18, 1516

Birth of Princess Mary
 

Mar 11, 1516

Henry Brandon, son of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor (younger sister of Henry VIII) born
 

Jan 17, 1517

Henry Grey, father of Lady Jane Grey, born.
 

Jul 16, 1517

Frances Brandon, daughter of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor and mother of Lady Jane Grey, born
at Hatfield.
 

Nov 11, 1517

Thomas Parr, father of Catherine Parr, dies in London.
 

Nov 10, 1518

Catherine of Aragon gives birth to another stillborn daughter.
 

Feb. 1519

Death of Maximilian, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles of Castile, Katherine's nephew, elected as his replacement
 

Jun 1519

Birth of Henry FitzRoy, Bastard son of Henry VIII and Elizabeth Blount
 

Feb 04, 1520

Mary Boleyn, former mistress of Henry VIII, marries William Carey.
 

Jun 8-26, 1520

Field of the Cloth of Gold held between Henry VIII and Francis I of France.
 

Jul 10, 1520

Henry VIII meets Emperor Charles V at Gravelines.
 

May 17, 1521

Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, executed for high treason.
 

Oct 11, 1521

Henry VIII named Defender of the Faith by Pope Leo X.
 

1524

Katherine past childbearing, Henry VIII on longer sleeps with her
 

? 1525

Birth of Katherine Howard
 

Feb. 1526

Henry VIII begins courting Anne Boleyn
 

May 17, 1527

Ecclesiastical court established at Westminster to hear Henry VIII's arguments requesting an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon
 

Jun 18, 1525

Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII is created Duke of Richmond. Thomas Boleyn is created
Viscount Rochford. At this ceremony is where Henry first spots his daughter, Anne Boleyn.
 

Jun 22, 1527

Henry tells Katherine he doubts the validity of their marriage
 

Sep. 1527

Henry VIII asks Pope for an annulment
 

Apr 2, 1528

Margaret Tudor marries her third husband, Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven
 

Sep. 29, 1528

Cardinal Campeggio sent by Pope to hear Henry VIII's case
 

May 20, 1529

Lady Maud Green Parr, mother of Catherine Parr, dies.
 

May 31, 1529

Legatine court opens at Black Friars
 

Oct 26, 1529

Sir Thomas More appointed Lord Chancellor of England to replace Thomas Wolsey
 

Dec 8, 1529

Thomas Boleyn created Earl of Wiltshire.
 

Nov. 1530

Death of Cardinal Wolsey
 

Nov 4, 1530

Thomas Wolsey is arrested for high treason.
 

Nov 29, 1530

Thomas Wolsey dies at Leicester while enroute to London to be executed.
 

Feb. 11, 1531

Parliament makes Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church in England
 

Jul. 14, 1531

Henry separates from Katherine and banishes her from court
 

May 16, 1532

Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor.
 

Sep. 1, 1532

Anne Boleyn created Marquis of Pembroke
 

Nov 15, 1532

Pope Clement VII threatens Henry VIII with excommunication if he does not leave Anne Boleyn
     
   

Queen Anne Boleyn

     
 

Jan 25, 1533

Secret marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
 

Mar 30, 1533

Thomas Cranmer is appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
 

May 23, 1533

Archbishop Cranmer declares the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon to be invalid
 

Jun 1, 1533

Coronation of Anne Boleyn
 

Jun 24, 1533

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, born.
 

Jun 25, 1533

Mary Tudor, younger sister of Henry VIII, dies at Westhorpe, Suffolk.
 

Jul 11, 1533

Pope Clement VII excommunicates Henry VIII.
 

Sep. 7, 1533

Birth of Princess Elizabeth
 

Mar 8, 1534

Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, son of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, dies.
 

Mar 23, 1534

Parliament passes Act of Succession. Only children of King's marriage to Anne Boleyn are his lawful heirs
 

Mar 23, 1534

Pope pronounces Henry VIII's marriage to Katherine of Aragon valid
 

Apr 20, 1534

Elizabeth Barton, known as the "Nun of Kent" is executed for high treason at Tyburn.
 

May 11, 1534

Henry VIII makes peace with James V of Scotland.
 

Jul. 1534

Birth of Stillborn child to Anne Boleyn
 

Sep 25, 1534

Pope Clement VII dies.
 

Jan 15, 1535

Henry VIII assumes the title "Supreme Head of the Church."
 

Jun 22, 1535

Execution of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester
 

Jun 1535

Birth of stillborn child
 

Jul. 6, 1535

Execution of Sir Thomas More
 

Sep 10, 1535

Henry VIII visits Sir John Seymour at Wolf Hall, Savernake, Wiltshire. He meets his daughter, Jane
Seymour for the first time.
 

Nov. 1535

Henry VIII begins courting Jane Seymour
 

Jan 7, 1536

Death of Katherine of Aragon
 

Jan 29, 1536

Anne Boleyn gave birth to a stillborn son
 

Jan 29, 1536

Katherine of Aragon buried at Peterborough Abbey
 

Apr 30, 1536

Mark Smeaton, musician to Anne Boleyn, is arrested for suspicious criminal intercourse with Anne Boleyn..
 

May 1, 1536

Anne Boleyn arrested and taken to the Tower of London
 

May 1, 1536

Sir Henry Norris arrested for alleged affair with Anne Boleyn.
 

May 2, 1536

George Boleyn arrested for high treason.
 

May 4, 1536

Sir Francis Weston and Sir William Brereton arrested for high treason.
 

May 5, 1536

English poet Sir Thomas Wyatt and Sir Richard Page arrested for high treason.
 

May 15, 1536

Trial of Anne Boleyn
 

May 17, 1536

Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, Francis Weston, William Brereton and George Boleyn executed
 

May 19, 1536

Execution of Anne Boleyn
 

May 20, 1536

Henry VIII betrothed to Jane Seymour
     
   

Queen Jane Seymour

     
 

May 30, 1536

Henry VIII and Jane Seymour married
 

Jun 4, 1536

Jane Seymour officially proclaimed Queen of England by Parliament.
 

Jun 1536

Parliament passes Act of Succession. Only children of King's marriage to Jane Seymour are his lawful heirs
 

Jul 6, 1536

Henry VIII meets with his daughter Mary at Hackney for the first time since his divorce from Catherine of Aragon at the instigation of Jane Seymour.
 

Jul 8, 1536

Lady Margaret Douglas, niece of Henry VIII, is arrested and sent to the Tower after her betrothal to Thomas Howard without permission.
 

Jul 22, 1536

Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII, dies of tuberculosis.
 

Oct 9, 1536

The Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular rising in the north country against the dissolution of monasteries and religious innovations, begins under Robert Aske at Doncaster.
 

Dec 21, 1536

Sir John Seymour, father of Jane, died at Wolf Hall.
 

Jul 12, 1537

English rebel Robert Aske is executed.
 

Oct 15, 1537

Prince Edward christened at Hampton Court.
 

Oct. 12, 1537

Birth of Prince Edward
 

Oct. 24, 1537

Death of Jane Seymour
 

Nov 12, 1537

Jane Seymour buried at Garter Chapel at Windsor.
 

Apr 3, 1538

Lady Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, mother of Anne Boleyn, dies at Reading’s Place besides Baynard’s Castle in London.
 

Feb 6, 1539

Duke John III of Cleves, father of Anne, dies.
 

Mar 13, 1539

Sir Thomas Boleyn, father of Anne, dies.
 

Sep. 4, 1539

Henry VIII betrothed to Anne of Cleves
 

Oct 6, 1539

Marriage treaty between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves signed.
     
   

Queen Anne of Cleves

     
 

Jan 6, 1540

Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves married
 

Apr. 1540

Henry VIII begins courting Katherine Howard
 

Apr 17, 1540

Thomas Cromwell is created Earl of Essex.
 

Jun 18, 1540

Thomas Cromwell is arrested for high treason.
 

Jul. 9, 1540

Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves is annulled
 

Jul. 28, 1540

Execution of Thomas Cromwell
     
   

Queen Katherine Howard

     
 

Jul. 28, 1540

Henry VIII and Katherine Howard married
 

May 28, 1541

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, is executed for treason. She is the last of the Plantagenets.
 

Aug 27, 1541

Catherine Howard appoints her ex-lover Francis Dereham as her private secretary
 

Oct 18, 1541

Margaret Tudor, older sister of Henry VIII, died at Methven Castle.
 

Nov. 1, 1541

Henry VIII informed of Catherine's adultery
 

Dec 18, 1541

Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham are executed at Tyburn for high treason.
 

Feb. 7, 1542

Parliament passes Act of Attainder condemning Katherine Howard to death
 

Feb 13, 1542

Catherine Howard executed for treason
 

Feb 13, 1542

Lady Jane Rochford executed for treason for aiding in Catherine Howard's adultry
 

May 5, 1542

Agnes Howard, dowager Duchess of Norfolk, is released from the Tower after being cleared of the Catherine Howard scandal.
 

Mar 2, 1543

John Nevill, 3rd Baron Latimer, second husband of Catherine Parr, died in London.
     
   

Queen Catherine Parr

     
 

Jul. 12, 1543

Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr
 

Jul 19, 1543

Lady Mary Boleyn Carey, sister of Anne Boleyn, dies.
 

Jul 7, 1544

Catherine Parr is appointed Regent of England while Henry VIII is off to war in France.
 

Jul 13, 1545

Catherine Parr makes amends with King Henry before the warrant for her arrest was carried out for charges of heresy.
 

Apr 24, 1546

Henry VIII charters the English Navy.
 

Jul 16, 1546

Anne Askew is burned at the stake at Smithfield for heresy.
 

Jan 24, 1547

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is executed for high treason.
 

Jan 28, 1547

Death of Henry VIII - accession of Edward VI, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford becomes protector of England
 

Feb 16, 1547

Henry VIII buried at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor next to Jane Seymour.

     
 

 

Jan 31, 1547

Edward Seymour named Lord Protector of England.
 

Feb 20, 1547

Edward VI crowned King at Westminster.
 

Apr. 1547

Marriage of Katherine Parr to Thomas Seymour
 

May 04, 1547

Catherine Parr secretly married Thomas Seymour.
 

Aug 15, 1548

Mary, Queen of Scots, lands in France to marry the future Francis II
 

Aug. 30, 1548

Birth of Mary, daughter of Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour
 

Sep. 7, 1548

Catherine Parr buried at Sudeley Castle
 

Jan 15, 1549

The Act of Uniformity was passed by the House of Lords, making the Catholic Mass illegal and introducing the Book of Common Prayer.
 

Jan 16, 1549

Thomas Seymour arrested and sent to Tower of London for having schemed to marry Edward VI to Lady Jane Grey (age 12) and himself to Princess Elizabeth (age 16)
 

Jan 21, 1549

Katherine Ashley and Thomas Parry, members of the household of Princess Elizabeth, were arrested and taken to the Tower on suspicion of conspiring to marry the Princess Elizabeth to Thomas Seymour.

 

Mar 20 1549

Thomas Seymour, baron Seymour of Sudeley is executed
 

? 1549

Book of Common Prayer by Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer published
 

May 20, 1549

Parliament passes an Act of Uniformity which forbids other prayer books
 

Oct 10, 1549

Edward Seymour, Lord Protector, is arrested by John Dudley on suspicion of treason.
 

Jun 4, 1550

Robert Dudley, son of John Dudley Earl of Warwick marries Amy Robsart.
 

? 1551

42 articles of religion published by archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer
 

Mar 18, 1551

Mary Tudor meets with her brother Edward in hopes of reconciling their religious differences.
 

Mar 29, 1551

Henry Sidney, son of Sir William, married Mary Dudley, daughter of John Dudley.
 

Jul 14, 1551

Henry Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, dies.
 

Oct 11, 1551

John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, is created Duke of Northumberland.
 

Jan 22, 1552

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, former lord protector of England executed after trial on rumped-up charges
 

Jun 27, 1552

King Edward sets out on an extended progress through the southern and western regions of England.
 

Apr 14, 1552

Parliament passes a more radical Book of Common Prayer in the Second Act of Uniformity
 

May 21, 1553

Lady Jane Grey unwillingly marries Guildford Dudley, youngest of John in a double ceremony with her sister Catherine who married Lord William Herbert.
 

Jun 21, 1553

King Edward VI signs a statement naming Lady Jane Grey as his successor.
 

Jul. 6, 1553

Edward VI dies - accession of Mary I

     
 

 

1553

Treaty of marriage arranged between Mary I and Prince Philip of Spain
 

!553

Insurrection against Mary I is led by Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk whose daughter, Jane is married to Lord Guildford Dudley as part of a plot to alter the succession
 

Jul 10, 1553

Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England.
 

Jul. 19, 1553

Forces loyal to Mary I disperse Suffolk's troops and Jane Grey is imprisoned in the Tower of London. Mary proclaimed Queen
 

Aug. 3, 1553

Mary enters London
 

Aug 8, 1553

Edward VI is buried at Westminster.
 

Aug 18, 1553

John Dudley is tried and convicted of treason.
 

Aug. 22, 1553

Duke of Northumberland, John Dudley executed at the Tower of London.
 

Aug 23, 1553

Catholic Bishop Stephen Gardiner is appointed Lord Chancellor of England upon his release from the Tower. He was imprisoned there during Edward’s reign.
 

Oct 1, 1553

Mary crowned Queen.
 

Oct 5, 1553

Mary holds first Parliament to legitimize the marriage of her father Henry VIII and
her mother Catherine of Aragon.
 

Nov 13, 1553

Lady Jane Grey is tried to for treason.
 

Nov 14, 1553

Queen Mary pardons Lady Jane Grey.
 

1554

Duke of Suffolk released from prison as show of clemency. Suffolk again proclaims his daughter Jane, Queen and tries to rally support
 

Jan 12, 1554

The marriage treaty is signed between Mary and Philip II of Spain.
 

Jan 22, 1554

Sir Thomas Wyatt raises a new insurgent army and occupies Rochester
 

Feb. 7, 1554

Some of Wyatt's men are cut off by the Queen's forces and others desert. Wyatt surrenders.
 

Feb. 12, 1554

Lady Jane Grey and her husband are executed
 

Feb 23, 1554

Henry Grey, father of Lady Jane Grey is executed.
 

Mar 9, 1554

Frances Brandon, mother of Lady Jane Grey, marries Adrian Stokes.
 

Mar 15, 1554

Sir Thomas Wyatt is tried for treason
 

Mar 18, 1554

Princess Elizabeth is sent to the Tower for suspicion of complicity in Sir Thomas
Wyatt’s rebellion.
 

Apr. 11, 1554

Sir Thomas Wyatt is executed
 

May 19, 1554

Princess Elizabeth transfers from the Tower of London to Woodstock.
 

Jul 25, 1554

Queen Mary marries Philip II of Spain.
 

Nov 30, 1554

Sir Philip Sidney born at Penshurst, Kent.
 

1555

Mary I returns England to the Catholic faith persecuting Protestants.
 

Feb 9, 1555

John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, is burned at the stake for heresy.
 

Apr 11, 1555

Juana of Castile, sister of Catherine of Aragon and mother of Emperor Charles V, dies at Tordesillas.
 

Oct. 16, 1555

Hugh Latimer, bishop of Worcester, and Nicholas Ridley, bishop of London burned at the stake
 

Nov 12, 1555

Stephen Gardiner, Lord Chancellor of England, dies at Whitehall, London.
 

Jan 1, 1556

Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York, appointed Lord Chancellor of England.
 

Feb. 14, 1556

Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is degraded from his office
 

Mar 8, 1556

Queen Mary grants charter of the founding of Holy Trinity College at Oxford.
 

March 21, 1556

Thomas Cranmer renounces Rome and is burned at the stake
 

Apr. 1556

Reginald Pole is named Archbishop of Canterbury
 

Feb 27, 1557

Queen Mary receives Osep Nepea, the first Russian ambassador ever to set foot on English soil.
 

Jun 7, 1557

England declares war on France.
 

Jul. 16, 1557

Death of Anne of Cleves
 

Jan 7, 1558

The French capture Calais from the English, which belonged to England for more than 200 years.
 

Apr 24, 1558

Mary, Queen of Scots, marries the future Francis II of France.
 

Sep 21, 1558

Emperor Charles V dies at the monastery of Yuste in Estremadura.
 

Nov. 17, 1558

Death of Mary I accession of Elizabeth I

     
 

 

? 1558

Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's court favorite is named to the privy council
 

Jan 13, 1559

Elizabeth crowned Queen of England
 

Apr 2, 1559

Peace treaty signed at Cambrasis between England and France. Calais is to remain in French hands for eight years and then be restored to England under a penalty of 500,000 crowns
 

Jun 24, 1559

The Elizabethan Prayer Book is first used.
 

Jul 10, 1559

King Henry II of France dies. He is succeeded by his son, Francis II and his wife, Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen Mary of Scotland and France assumes the title Queen of England also
 

Nov 11, 1559

Frances Brandon, mother of Lady Jane Grey, dies in London.
 

1560

French troops in Scotland try to assert Queen Mary's claim to the English throne, considered Illegitimate by Catholics
 

1560

English troops besiege the French at Leith Scotland
 

Jun 1560

Mary's mother Marie of Lorraine, who has acted as regent in Scotland for her daughter , dies
 

Jun 11, 1560

Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland, dies.
 

Jul. 6, 1560

Treaty of Edinburgh ends French interference in Scotland
 

Sep 8, 1560

Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, is found dead at the foot of the stairs in her home, Cumnor Place outside Oxford. She appeared to have fallen down the stairs and broken her neck but rumors fly that Robert conspired to have her murdered in order to marry Elizabeth.
 

Dec. 5, 1560

Francois II King of France dies. His brother is crowned Charles IX
 

Dec 15, 1560

Sir Thomas Parry, cofferer to Queen Elizabeth, dies.
 

Aug 10, 1561

Lady Catherine Grey, sister of Lady Jane and next in line to the English throne, is arrested for marrying Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford without Elizabeth’s permission, and taken to the Tower.
 

Aug. 19, 1561

Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland and becomes embroiled in arguments with Calvinist John Knox who's Confession of Faith denied Papal authority in Scotland
 

Sep. 20, 1561

Treaty signed at Hampton Court pledging Elizabeth's support of the persecuted French Huguenots.
 

Sep 24, 1561

Lady Catherine Grey gives birth to a son, Edward, in the Tower of London.
 

1561

English navigator John Hawkins hijacks Portuguese slave ship, trading the slaves in Brazil for ginger, pearls and sugar beginning England's participation in the slave trade
 

Jul 15, 1562

Elizabeth cancels a scheduled meeting with Mary, Queen of Scots because of Mary’s
continued attacks on French Protestants.
 

1563

Mary Queen of Scots sends her secretary to Elizabeth claiming the right of succession
    Anglican Church (Church of England) established by adoption of Thomas Cranmer's 39 articles
    Sir John Hawkins brings the potato to England ( it could have been a sweet potato)
 

1564

Elizabeth takes a share of John Hawkins' 2nd slave run and loans him one of her ships
 

1565

London Royal Exchange founded
    Royal College of Physicians given authority to dissect human cadavers
    John Hawkins introduces tobacco to England
 

Mar 9, 1566

Italian secretary to Mary Queen of Scots is murdered in front of her by Scottish nobles acting on order from her husband Henry Lord Darnley
 

Jun 19, 1566

Mary, Queen of Scots gives birth to James (later James I of England).
 

Feb. 10, 1567

Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots is murdered. Mary is suspected of complicity
 

Apr. 24, 1567

Queen Mary of Scotland is kidnapped by James Hepburn, earl of Bothwell
 

May 15, 1567

Mary marries the earl of Bothwell in a Protestant service provoking a rebellion
 

Jul. 24, 1567

Mary is forced to put aside Bothwell and sign an abdication in favor of her 13 month old son
 

May 13, 1568

Mary of Scotland escapes from captivity, is defeated at Langside, flees to England and is placed in captivity by Elizabeth
 

1568

Sir John Hawkins is ambushed at sea by the Spanish around the West Indies. He looses 2 ships which precipitates an undeclared state of war
    English explorer David Ingram travels from the Gulf of Mexico north to Canada
 

Jan 27, 1568

Lady Catherine Grey dies.
 

1569

English earls near the Scottish border rebel against Elizabeth but are easily suppressed
 

Oct 1, 1569

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk is imprisoned in the Tower for attempting to marry Mary, Queen of Scots.
 

Jan 2, 1571

Marriage negotiations are open between Elizabeth and Henry, Duke of Anjou.
 

Feb 25, 1571

Sir William Cecil is created Lord Burghley.
 

 

Sir Francis Drake puts to sea to attempt to capture Spanish galleons carrying silver
 

Apr 23, 1572

Queen Elizabeth knights Walter Devereux, Earl of Hereford, for his defeat of the Catholic earls of the north who rose in revoly in 1571.
 

Aug 22, 1572

Thomas Percy, seventh Earl of Northumberland, is executed at York for treason.
 

1573

Sir Francis Drake captures largest haul in history - a shipment of silver from Potosi mines destined for Spain
 

Dec 21, 1573

Sir Francis Walsingham appointed Principal Secretary of State
 

May 30, 1574

King Charles IX of France dies. He is succeeded by Henry III.
 

Jun 2, 1574

Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is executed at the Tower of London for treason.
 

Dec 12, 1574

Anne of Denmark, daughter of Frederick II and Queen Consort of James I, born
 

May 17, 1575

Mathew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, dies.
 

Jul 22, 1575

Two Dutch Anabaptists are burned at the stake at Smithfield by order of Queen Elizabeth.
 

Nov 14, 1575

Queen Elizabeth refuses to accept the sovereignty of the Netherlands, which William the Silent of Orange, in desperation at the course of war, had agreed to have offered to her.
 

May 9, 1576

The Earl of Essex is reappointed "Earl Marshal of Ireland".
 

Sep 22, 1576

The Earl of Essex dies.
 

1577

Sir Francis Drake leaves with a fleet of ships to sail down the coast of Africa to South America
 

1578

Francis Drake sails through the Strait of Magellan loosing 4 of his ships. He ravages the coasts of Chile and Peru
    Elizabeth grants a patent to Sir Humphrey Gilbert to inhabit and possess all remote and heathen lands. He begins to search for the Northwest Passage
 

Mar 10, 1578

Queen Elizabeth pays a subsidy of 20,000 pounds to John Casimir of the Palatinate to aid the Dutch.
 

Apr 14, 1578

James Hepburn, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, dies in confinement in the castle of Dragsholm, Zeeland.
 

Apr 20, 1578

Lady Mary Grey, sister of Lady Jane, dies.
 

Jun 11, 1578

Queen Elizabeth grants a patent to Sir Humphrey Gilbert to explore and colonize the New World.
 

Sep 21, 1578

Robert Dudley secretly marries Lady Lettice Knollys, widow of the Earl of Essex
and cousin to Queen Elizabeth, at Wanstead.
 

Sep 26, 1578

Sir Humphrey Gilbert sets sails from Dartmouth to the New World. The attempt soon fails due to lack of equipment and lack of discipline among his crew.
 

Jun 17, 1579

Sir Francis Drake puts in for repairs north of present day San Francisco and proclaims England’s sovereignty over New Albion (California).
 

Aug 17, 1579

Francis, Duke of Anjou, visits Queen Elizabeth at Greenwich with the intent to marry her.
 

Oct 7, 1579

The Privy Council fails to give Queen Elizabeth the support she expects in the proceedings of a marriage treaty with the Duke of Anjou.
 

Jan 9, 1580

John Smith, early settler of the Jamestown colony in Virginia, is baptized at Willoughby-By-Alford, Lincolnshire.
 

Sep 19, 1580

Katherine Brandon Bertie, Dowager Duchess of Suffolk and cousin to Queen Elizabeth, dies.
 

Sep 26, 1580

Sir Francis Drake returns to England after being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world
 

1581

Sir Francis Drake takes the richest prize ever captured on the high seas - gold, silver, gems worth as much as the crown's total revenue for one year. Spain protests and wants restitution. Elizabeth keeps the booty
 

Mar 18, 1581

Parliament passes a severe legislation against Roman Catholics, to retain their obedience to the Queen, with fines of 100 marks for hearing Mass and 20 pounds per month for recusancy.
 

May 4, 1581

Francis Drake is knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
 

Nov 7, 1581

The marriage treaty between Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Anjou is signed.
 

Dec 24, 1582

The London Bridge Waterworks begins piping water into private homes for the first time.
 

Jun 11, 1583

Sir Humphrey Gilbert departs England with five ships for the New World.
 

Jun 18, 1583

The first known life insurance policy is made in England on the life of William Gibbons for one year at eight percent premium.
 

Jul 6, 1583

Edmund Grindal, Archbishop of Canterbury, dies.
 

Aug 3, 1583

Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrives at Newfoundlands and claims it in the name of the Crown.
 

Sep 9, 1583

Sir Humphrey Gilbert drowns at sea enroute back to England.
 

1583

Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland in the name of Elizabeth
 

 

England and Turkey establish trade
 

Mar 25, 1584

Walter Raleigh, who accompanied Sir Humphrey Gilbert on his voyage to the New World, renews Gilbert’s patent to explore and settle in North America.
 

Jun 4, 1584

Virginia colony of Roanoke Island established by Sir Walter Raleigh
 

Jun 15, 1584

Francis, Duke of Anjou, dies at Chateau-Thiery.
 

1585

Treaty of Nonesuch allies England with the Protestant United Provinces breaking with Spain
    Sir Francis Drake sails for the West Indies with 30 ships to attack Spanish interests
 

Jun 29, 1585

Queen Elizabeth declines offers by the Dutch commission for soverignty of the Low Countries.
 

Jul 27, 1585

Sir Walter Raleigh sends new expedition to Virginia under his cousin Sir Richard Greenville and Sir Ralph Lane
    Chesapeake Bay discovered by Sir Ralph Lane
    Davis Strait discovered by John Davis while trying to find the Northwest Passage
 

Aug 14, 1585

Queen Elizabeth issues a declaration taking the Netherlands under her protection.
 

Dec 8, 1585

Robert Dudley sets sail with an English army to fight the Spanish forces who are occupying the Netherlands.
 

1586

Sir Francis Drake attacks San Domingo forcing the Governor to pay ransom
    Sir Francis Walsingham discovers plot to assassinate Elizabeth and free Mary Queen of Scots led by Anthony Babbington
 

Jul 1, 1586

Queen Elizabeth and James VI of Scotland form a league of amity with the Treaty of Berwick.
 

Oct 17, 1586

Sir Philip Sidney dies.
 

Oct. 25, 1586

Mary Queen of Scots is convicted of involvement in the Babbington plot
    Sir Francis Drake picks up Ralph Lane and other Roanoke settlers and sets sail for England
    Sir Richard Granville captures Spanish ship and pillages the Azores on his return to England to organize defenses against a Spanish Invasion
    Navigator Thomas Cavendish begins 2 year voyage around the world - making him the 3rd man to do it
 

Feb. 8, 1587

Mary Queen of Scots beheaded
 

 Apr 19, 1587

Philip II of Spain's invasion fleet preparation is interrupted by Sir Francis Drake's invasion of Port of Cadiz
 

Jun 18, 1587

Queen Elizabeth appoints Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, as Master of Horse.
 

Jul 22, 1587

John White leads an expedition to the English Roanoke Colony.
 

Aug 13, 1587

Manteo, an Indian residing at the Roanoke colony, is baptized into the Church of England and invested with the power as Lord of Roanoke.
 

Aug. 18, 1587

Virginia Dare born in Roanoke colony making her the first English child born in North America
    Sir Francis Drake captures Spanish treasure ship Sao Felipe
    Eggplant introduced into England
 

1588

Spanish Armada of 132 ships sails for England. England's navy consists of 34 ships and 163 armed merchant vessels
 

July 31, 1588

The navies of Spain and England engage
 

Aug. 8, 1588

Spanish Armada defeated by English and a great storm. This victory opens the world to English colonization
 

Sep 4, 1588

Robert Dudley dies at Cornbury from possible cancer of the stomach.
 

 

English merchants found the Guinea Company to traffic in slaves from Africa's Guinea coast
 

1589

First knitting machine invented by clergyman William Lee. Elizabeth refuses to grant a patent, so the machines are set up in Rouen
 

 

England imports wood from Norway because of extensive deforestation
 

Dec 22, 1589

King James VI marries Anne of Denmark.
 

Apr 6, 1590

Sir Francis Walsingham dies.
 

May 17, 1590

Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
 

Aug 17, 1590

John White returns to Roanoke after being delayed by war with Spain to find that the colony has vanished
 

Apr 10, 1591

James Lancaster leaves Plymouth on his first voyage to the East Indies.
 

Apr 17, 1591

Queen Elizabeth sends Sir John Norris with 3000 men to aid King Henry IV of France.
 

Sep 5, 1591

Sir Richard Grenville dies.
 

1593

Elizabeth tells Parliament that she has the right to assent or dissent from anything they do.
    Statutes are pending that will impose stiff penalties on people who refuse to attend Church of England services and make it a crime to attend Catholic services.
    Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins trys to voyage around the world - unsuccessfully. He reports 10,000 have died of scurvy in the British Navy
    Coal Mining is boosted by wood shortage
 

1594

Sir Richard Hawkins rounds Cape Horn, plunders Spanish ports and is taken prisoner. He is not ransomed until 1602
 

Feb 19, 1594

Henry Frederick, son of James VI, born at Stirling Castle.
 

1595

Irish Catholic leader Hugh O.Neill, earl of Tyrone captures Irish castles and approaches Spain's Philip II for help against England. Elizabeth proclaims him a traitor.
    Spanish forces land in Cornwall and burn the towns of Penzance and Mousehole
    Sir Walter Raleigh sails to explore the Orinoco River of South America
 

Nov 12, 1595

Sir John Hawkins, English navigator, dies off the coast of Puerto Rico.
 

1596

English fleet under the earl of Essex, Lord Howard of Effingham and Francis Vere captures Cadiz
 

 Jan 28, 1596

Sir Francis Drake dies of the plague while at sea
    The Water Closet is invented by poet Sir John Harington but has few buyers
 

Aug 19, 1596

Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James VI of Scotland, born at Dumferline.
 

1597

Philip II sends a 2nd armada against England. A storm scatters his ships.
    The Tomato is introduced into England as an ornamental plant
    Elizabeth makes Robert Devereux, earl of Essex the earl marshal of England
    The blackness of Elizabeth's teeth is noticed by a German traveler who attributes them to her excessive consumption of sugar.
 

1598

Irish rebel forces defeat the English at the Battle of Yellow Ford
 

Aug 4, 1598

Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley, dies in London.
 

Sep 13, 1598

King Philip II of Spain dies. He is succeeded by Philip III.
 

1599

The Earl of Essex is sent to Ireland to subdue the rebels but is defeated and makes a truce with the them instead. He returns home to England to vindicate himself
    English Geographer Richard Hakluyt publishes a recognizable map of North America
 

1600

The East India Co. is chartered in London challenging Dutch control of the spice trade
    Tobacco is sold in London for its weight in silver shillings
 

1601

Elizabeth refuses to renew the earl of Essex's patent for sweet wines as punishment for his failure in Ireland. He takes to the streets of London in hopes of gaining popular support, which he doesn't get. He surrenders to the Queen's troops, is put on trial and beheaded
    England enacts a law similar to Scotland's Poor Law for the relief of the needy
    Captain James Lancaster of the East India Co. gives his crew lemon and orange juice. His 200 men are the only crew not decimated by scurvy.
    William Parry of the Persian expedition introduces coffee into England
 

1602

English mariner Bartholomew Gosnold explores New England

 

Mar 24, 1603

Elizabeth I dies at the age of 69 after a reign of 45 years ending the Tudor monarchy . She is succeeded by Scotland's James VI, Stuart son of the late Mary Queen of Scots, who becomes James I, uniting England and Scotland

   

Credits

   

Kevin Currin a Tudor History scholar at the University of California San Diego is co-author of this extensive chronology. Thanks to his additions and corrections, this page may be of use to students of this fascinating period.


Rupert Barnes of the United Kingdom for pointing out I had used the arms of Denmark on the first iteration of this page.


I am, of course, responsible for any remaining errors.

Kelly