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The 1500's to 1600's |
| 1534 |
At the urging of Henry VIII, Parliament made the king supreme head of the Church of England. |
| 1536 |
Henry VIII united Wales and England. |
| 1541 |
The Irish Parliament declared Henry VIII king of Ireland. |
| 1547 |
Edward VI, 9-year-old son of Henry VIII, succeeded him as king. England became a Protestant country. |
| 1553 |
Mary Tudor became queen as Mary I and soon made England officially Roman Catholic again. |
| 1558 |
Elizabeth I became queen, and England became Protestant. |
| 1560 |
The Scottish Church became Protestant. |
| 1568 |
Mary, Queen of Scots, was driven from her throne and fled to England. |
| 1585 |
Elizabeth had Mary executed for treason. |
| 1588 |
An English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada. |
| 1603 |
Scotland and England were united under King James, known as James I of England and James VI of Scotland. |
| 1605 |
Extremist Roman Catholics conspired to kill James in the Gunpowder Plot, but the plot was discovered. |
| 1628 |
Parliament passed the Petition of Right to limit the power of the king. |
| 1629-1640 |
Charles I ruled without Parliament. |
| 1642 |
The English Civil War broke out between supporters of the king and supporters of Parliament. |
| 1649 |
Charles I was beheaded after a trial arranged by Oliver Cromwell and senior army officers. |
| 1649 |
England became a republic called the Commonwealth of England. |
| 1653 |
The English Army created a written constitution for England and Ireland, naming Oliver Cromwell as lord protector (head of state). |
| 1660 |
Parliament restored the monarchy, and Charles II became King. |
| 1688 |
Parliament replaced James II with William III and Mary II in the Glorious Revolution. |
| 1689 |
Parliament passed the Bill of Rights, which guaranteed many basic civil rights. |
