The Tudor Period. Explore the dynasty that brought The Reformation to Britain.
The Tudor Period 1485 - 1603
Find out more about the Tudor Period in Britain by using a combination of the timeline and synopsis below as well as our posts. Find new intriguing connections using our themed history pages. Explore the world of science, the arts, church, government or law. Unravel the intricacies of this complicated period that wrought such change for the people of England.
Year | Event | Narrative |
---|---|---|
1485 | Henry Tudor wins battle of Bosworth thus bringing to an end the War of the Roses and becomes Henry VII | The Battle of Bosworth was significant in that it ended the lack of governance by putting a strong king on the throne of England. |
1485 | Henry VII crowned King of England. Henry Tudor claimed royal blood through his mother's paternal descent from the illegitimate line of John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, in addition Henry's father Edmund Tudor was the grandson of Catherine of Valois, former Queen Consort of King Henry V. | King Henry VII came to be on the throne of England through conquest, Parliaments declaration, Pope's confirmation and descent from John of Gaunt. |
1485 | Birth of Katherine of Aragon. She is the youngest child of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain | She is the youngest child of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain |
1486 | Marriage between Henry VII and Elizabeth of York | Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. Henry VII cemented his succession and settled the friction between the Yorkists and Lancastrians by marrying the Yorkist heir |
1486 | Birth of Arthur, Prince of Wales. | Keen to tie the Tudors to the oldest royal houses they name their son Arthur after King Arthur of Cadwaldr, from whom they claim descent. |
1487 | Elizabeth of York is crowned Queen consort of England | Royalty |
1487 - 1499 | Revolt against the rule of King Henry VII | Lambert Simnel pretended to be the Earl of Warwick was crowned King of England at Dublin. When he landed in England he was met by other Yorkists including the Earl of Lincoln a nephew of King Edward IV. |
1487 | Battle of Stoke | Last battle in the War of the Roses at which the Earl of Lincoln was killed. |
1489 | Treaty of Medina el Campo | The Treaty of Medina el Campo between England and Spain. This treaty agrees for the betrothal between Katherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur. They agreed a common policy towards their enemy France and a reduction in tariffs between the two countries. |
1489 | Princess Margaret is born | Margaret daughter of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Her descendants will found the Stuart dynasty. |
1490 | An anatomical theatre is built in Italy for the dissection of corpses | Science |
1491 | Birth of Prince Henry, future Henry VIII | Royalty |
1492 | Christopher Columbus sets sail on one of four voyages around the world | Exploration |
1492 | Graphite is used in pencils for the first time in England | Science |
1494 | The first paper mill is built in England, possibly on the River Meon in Hampshire | Printing |
1496 | Princess Mary is born daughter of King Henry VII | Royalty |
1497 | Battle of Stoke Field ended the pretender's, Lambert Simnel's, uprising | Battles |
1497 | Battle of Blackheath: Henry VII led 25,000 men to defeat the rebels of the First Cornish Rebellion who were encouraged by the pretender Perkin Warbeck who claimed to be Richard the Duke of York (Elizabeth of York's younger brother) | Battles |
1497 | Cabot landed in what is today Newfoundland, Canada and claimed it for his patron King Henry VII calling it "Prima Vista" | Exploration |
1497 | Arthur, Prince of Wales is betrothed to Katherine of Aragon | Royalty |
1498 | Vasco de Gama reaches India | Exploration |
1498 | Venetian printer Ottaviano dei Petrucci invents a way of printing music using movable type | Printing Music |
1499 | Erasmus made his first visit to England. | People |
1499 | Prince Edmund is born to King Henry VII | Royalty |
1499 | Catherine and Arthur married by Proxy | Royalty |
1501 | Catherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales marry | Royalty |
1501 | Anne Boleyn is born | Royalty |
1501 | Erasmus writes 'In Praise of Folly', a satire on human nature | Philosophy literature |
1502 | Death of Prince Arthur and Prince Henry becomes heir apparent | Royalty |
1502 | Treaty of Perpetual Peace | This was a treaty signed between King Henry and King James IV of Scotland as part of the marriage negotiations of Margaret Tudor. |
1502 | Margaret, daughter of Henry VII, marries James IV of Scotland | Royalty |
1502 | Papal dispensation for the marriage of Prince Henry to his brother's widow. | A papal dispensation was obtained to enable Prince Henry to marry the wife (Catherine of Aragon) of his brother Arthur who had died earlier this year. |
1503 | Queen Elizabeth delivered a daughter named Catherine who died shortly after birth. Elizabeth died a few days later on 10th Feb | Royalty |
1503 | Catherine betrothed to Prince Henry | Royalty |
1503 | Raw sugar is refined | Science |
1509 | King Henry VII died | Royalty |
1509 | Marriage between King Henry and Catherine of Aragon | Royalty |
1509 | Accession of King Henry VIII. Henry and Catherine are crowned at the same time. | Royalty |
1509 | Margaret Beaufort, grandmother of King Henry VIII dies. She has been hugely influential in the life of the Tudor dynasty. | Royalty |
1510 | Catherine of Aragon is suspected of having either a phantom pregnancy or has given birth to a stillborn child | Royalty |
1511 | Catherine gives birth to a son, called Henry. The child dies 52 days later. | Royalty |
1512 | Margaret Tudor gives birth to a son, James | Royalty |
1513 | King Henry goes to France with 35,000 troops to fight the Battle of Spurs at Therouanne. He surrenders within 6 days. | Battles |
1513 | The Battle of Flodden Field. Fought between King James IV of Scotland and the English army headed by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. Catherine of Aragon is in charge whilst Henry is in France. King James IV is killed. It is the largest battle fought between the two nations. | Battles |
1513 | Prince James becomes King James V of Scotland. Margaret Tudor rules as regent as her son is only a year old. | Royalty |
1514 | Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII marries King Louis XII of France | Royalty |
1515 | King Louis XII of France dies | Royalty |
1515 | Cardinal Wolsey is made Chancellor | Politics |
1515 | Mary Tudor, now a widow, marries Charles Brandon (their grand daughter is Jane Grey) | Royalty |
1516 | Princess Mary born at Greenwich | Royalty |
1517 | In Germany, Martin Luther begins a protest against some behaviour of the Catholic Church. | Religion |
1518 | King Henry begins his affair with Elizabeth Blount | Royalty |
1519 | Henry Fitzroy, King Henry's illegitimate son by Elizabeth Blount is born and given the title Duke of Richmond | Royalty |
1520 | Mary Boleyn marries William Carey | Politics |
1520 | Field of Cloth of Gold . King Francois I of France meets King Henry VIII but fails to gain his support against Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V | Politics |
1521 | King Henry stands in opposition to Martin Luther and wins the title "Defender of the Faith" from Pope Leo X. | Religion Politics |
1521 | Diet of Worms | Politics |
1522 | Treaty of Windsor. A treaty between England and the Holy Roman Empire | Politics |
1525 | The introduction of Tynsdale's New Testament | Religion |
1525 | King Henry begins an affair with Mary Boleyn | Royalty |
1525 | Katherine Howard is born | Royalty |
1526 | Mary Boleyn gives birth to a son Henry, whom it is supposed is King Henry's son. In the meantime Henry falls madly in love with Anne Boleyn, sister of Mary and lady in waiting to Catherine. | Royalty |
1527 | Ecclesiastical court established at Westminster to hear King Henry VIII's arguments, requesting an annulment of his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon | Religion |
1527 | King Henry asks the Pope directly for an annulment to his marriage to Catherine on the case that he doubts the validity of their marriage, she is his brothers wife | Politics |
1527 | Cardinal Campeggio sent by Pope to hear Henry VIII's case | Religion Politics |
1529 | Legatine court opens at Black Friars | Politics |
1529 | Henry and Catherine sit before the Legatine court. Catherine insists she was a virgin when she married Henry and hence the marriage is valid, he argues against the validity of their marriage. | Politics |
1529 | Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey is stripped of all his titles for failing to obtain the Pope's consent to his divorce from Catherine of Aragon | Politics |
1529 | Thomas More is made Chancellor | Politics |
1530 | King Henry asks all lords and prelates lords to sign a letter to Pope Clement asking that he grant the king's request for an annulment of his marriage. Sir Tomas More refuses to sign the document. | Politics |
1530 | Cardinal Wolse takes matters into his own hands and opens discussions with the Pope and Catherine. He also seeks to have Anne Boleyn sent into exile. Henry hears of this and orders him to London to face trial and execution | Politics |
1530 | Cardinal Wolsey is taken ill on his journey to London and dies at Leicester | Politics |
1531 | Parliament is divided as Henry in his fury demands that he be recognized as the "sole protector and supreme head of the English Church and clergy.John Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester, strongly disagrees with this and expresses it openly. | Politics |
1531 | Henry is finally made the Supreme Head of the Church of England | Religion |
1531 | Catherine is further urged to drop her opposition to an annulment she refuses | Politics |
1531 | Henry and Catherine separate and she is sent away from court in deep humiliation | Politics |
1532 | Thomas Cromwell a lawyer, becomes closer to King Henry and becomes a trusted advisor. Cromwell shares Anne Boleyns Protestant beliefs | Politics |
1532 | Thomas Cromwell moves to limit the authority of the Church to punish heretics. | Religion Politics |
1532 | Cromwell prepares a bill to transfer powers of the Church to Parliament. Cromwell also asks that the bishops be denied their longstanding authority to arrest heretics, they agree but Sir Thomas More refuses. | Religion Politics |
1532 | Sir Thomas More resigns as Chancellor | Politics |
1532 | Anne Boleyn becomes pregnant | Royalty |
1533 | King Henry and Anne Boleyn get married and Henry as a result is excommunicated by Pope Clement VII | Royalty Religion |
1533 | Thomas Cranmer is made Archbishop of Canterbury | Religion |
1533 | Cranmer declares Henry and Catherines marriage invalid and validates Henry and Annes marriage. | Religion |
1533 | Anne is crowned Queen of England | Royalty |
1533 | Mary Tudor, younger sister of Henry VIII, dies | Royalty |
1533 | George Boleyn, brother of Anne is accused of attempting to murder Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII illegitimate son | Royalty Politics |
1533 | Queen Anne gives birth to Princess Elizabeth | Royalty |
1534 | Act of Succession. Only children of King's marriage to Anne Boleyn are his lawful heirs | Politics |
1534 | Henry defies Rome and the result is the Act of Supremacy, which made the king the head of the Church of England. | Religion |
1534 | Henry meets with Cranmer and Cromwell to discuss ending his marriage with Anne | Religion Politics |
1535 | Henry faces down his opponents. Sir Thomas Moore and Bishop Fisher of Rochester are executed for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the English Church | Religion Politics |
1535 | King Henry starts to court Jane Seymour | Royalty |
1535 | A bible is published in English. (Before this, all bibles were written in Latin.) Now people can read the bible for themselves | Religion |
1536 | Catherine of Aragon died in Kimbolton Castle | Royalty |
1536 | Katherine Howard and music teacher Henry Manox begin an affair | |
1536 | Mark Smeaton arrested on suspicion of adultery with Queen Anne | Politics Royalty |
1536 | George Boleyn arrested for incest/adultery with the Queen, his sister | Politics Royalty |
1536 | Anne Boleyn arrested and taken to the Tower | Politics Royalty |
1536 | Anne Boleyn tried for treason, adultery and incest in the Great Hall of the Tower of London | Politics Royalty |
1536 | Anne Boleyn executed Anne Boleyn’s Execution Speech | Anne was on Tower Hill. Anne's body and head were buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula |
1536 | Jane Seymour and Henry VIII were formally betrothed | Royalty |
1536 | King Henry and Jane Seymour were married | Royalty |
1536 | Mary Tudor writes to her father accepting her illegitimate status, the annulment of her parents marriage, and her father's position as Supreme Head of the English Church | Royalty Politics Religion |
1536 | Henry Fitzroy, illegitimate son of King Henry dies at the age of 17 | Royalty |
1536 | King Henry begins the process of the dissolution of the monasteries, this continues through to 1539 | Royalty Politics Religion |
1536 | William Tyndale, whose English Bible so outraged the King, is executed | Politics |
1536 | Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion, 40,000 marched in protest at Reformation led by Robert Aske | Politics |
1537 | Rebellion continued to spread but martial law was imposed upon the rebellious regions, ending the rebellion. | Politics |
1537 | Prince Edward is born and then christened at Hampton Court Palace on the 15th | Royalty |
1537 | Jane Seymour died as a result of childbirth giving birth to Prince Edward. | Royalty |
1538 | The Great Bible is published under King Henry's authority | Printing |
1539 | Marriage treaty between King Henry and Anne of Cleeves is signed | Royalty Politics |
1540 | The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was formed. | Religion |
1540 | King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleeves marry | Royalty |
1540 | Thomas Cromwell is made Earl of Essex | Politics |
1540 | Thomas Cromwell is charged with High Treason | Politics |
1540 | Marriage between the King and Anne of Cleeves is annulled | Royalty Politics |
1540 | King Henry VIII who is 49 years old married Katherine Howard who is only 15 years old | Royalty |
1540 | The Jesuits are founded | Religion |
1541 | Katherine Howard appoints Francis Dereham as her Private Secretary. They had previously been lovers and this move will ultimately bring their downfall. | Politics |
1541 | King Henry VIII is informed of Katherine's adultery with his trusted servant Thomas Culpepper and with Francis Dereham. Katherine is arrested and stripped of her title Queen. In Dec Culpepper and Dereham are executed. | Politics |
1542 | Irish Parliament declares Henry VIII and his descendants (the kings of England) King of Ireland | Politics |
1542 | Law Parliament passes the bill of attainder which declares the intent to commit treason punishable by death. | Politics Law Treason |
1542 | Katherine Howard executed for Treason | Royalty Politics |
1542 | The Roman Inquisition is established | Religion |
1542 | Chronicles of Edward HallThe Chronicles of Edward Hall | A chronicle written by lawyer Edward Hall from 1399 to the death of King Henry VIII. |
1542 | Mary Queen of Scotts is born, daughter of James V of Scotland | Royalty |
1543 | Act of Advancement of Religion | Religion Law |
1543 | The Treaty of Greenwich between England & Scotland | Politics |
1543 | King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr marry | Royalty |
1543 | The Third Succession Act passed by Parliament, restored Mary and Elizabeth to the succession after Edward and his potential offspring | Politics |
1544 | Thomas Wriothesley becomes Lord Chancellor | Politics |
1544 | King Henry VIII leaves to fight in France at the Battle of Boulogne | Battles |
1545 | The ship the Mary Rose is sunk just off Portsmouth Hampshire whilst King Henry VIII watches | Battles |
1546 | King Henry VIII charters the Royal Navy | Military |
1546 | Death of Luther | Religion |
1546 | After the death of Luther John Calvin became the leading Protestant thinker. | Religion |
1549 | King Henry VIII died | Royalty |
1554 | The marriage of Queen Mary and Philip of Spain took place in Winchester Cathedral. They were married by Bishop Gardiner with full Catholic ritual. | Royalty |
1554 | Arrival in Britain of Cardinal Pole who was sent with the mission of reconciling England with the Pope. At a solemn session of Parliament, he absolved the English nation and re-admitted it to the union of the Catholic Church. | Religion |
1555 - 1558 | The burning of the Protestant Martyrs known as the Marian Persecution. | Religion |
1555 | Phillip of Spain warned Queen Mary she was proceeding too quickly in her campaign to bring England back to the Catholic Church but nothing would halt her and Phillip returned to Spain. | Royalty |
1556 | Thomas Cranmer, formerly Archbishop of Canterbury was burnt at Oxford. | Religion |
1558 | The war between France and Spain into which England was dragged on account of Phillip now being King of Spain, resulted in the loss of Calais. | Military |
1558 | The death of Queen Mary | Royalty |
1558 | Elizabeth is crowned Queen Elizabeth I | Royalty |
1559 | The Act of Supremacy was passed which declared the Sovereign to be supreme of all persons and causes within the realm. | Politics Royalty |
1559 | The Act of Uniformity which compelled the clergy to use the second prayer book of Edward VI with modifications in favour of the older practises. | Religion |
1559 | Mary Stuart was now Queen of France and her husband Francis II sent an army to the fortress of Leith. Queen Elizabeth I sent a force north and laid siege to the fortress, the French had to give way under threat of famine. | Military |
1560 | Treaty of Edinburgh. This treaty was of great importance as it ensured a Protestant Scotland. | Politics Religion |
1561 | Mary Stuart returned to Scotland after the death of her husband. | Royalty Politics |
1562 | John Hawkins made his first successful slave voyage. | Trade |
1564 | Birth of William Shakespeare | Literature |
1564 | Birth of Christopher Marlowe | Literature |
1565 | Mary Stuart married Lord Darnley | Royalty |
1567 | The murder of Lord Darnley. The Earl of Bothwell was the probable murderer. Mary then married Bothwell and was implicated in the murder of her husband. The Scottish lords rose against the pair and she was forced to sign her abdication. Her infant son was crowned King James VI of Scotland. | Royalty |
1569 | The Northern Rising. An attempt to put Mary on the throne of England. It failed but Elizabeth had her revenge and ordered gallows to be erected on every village green and between 600 - 700 people were hanged. | Royalty Politics |
1570 | Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth. | Religion |
1571 | The Ridolfi Plot. A plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne. Her chief supporter in England was the Duke of Norfolk. It failed. | Politics |
1572 | Execution of the Duke of Norfolk. | Politics |
1572 | Treaty of Blois. An alliance with France by which England would join France in assisting the Netherlands against Spain. | Politics |
1572 | The Massacre of St Bartholemew when thousands of Huguenots were murdered on the streets of Paris on the order of Catherine de Medici. | Religion |
1577 | Francis Drake made his voyage around the world. He plundered Spanish ports off the coast of Chile and on his return in the Golden Hind Queen Elizabeth met him at Deptford where she knighted him in front of the Spanish Ambassador. | Exploration |
1584 | Assassination of William of Orange | Politics |
1585 | Virginia founded. Sir Richard Grenville and 100 pioneers made a settlement on Roanoke Island but it was not a success. | Exploration |
1586 | The Babington Plot. Supporters of Mary hatch a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne. | |
1586 | After the failure of the Babington Plot Mary was tried before a special court at Fotheringhay Castle and found guilty of treason. | |
1587 | Execution of Mary at Fotheringhay Castle. | |
1588 | The Spanish Armada | Military |
1592 | Founding of the Levant Comapany | Business Trade |
1601 | Queen Elizabeth attended her last parliament. | Politics Royalty |
1601 | Poor law code | Law |
1603 | Death of Queen Elizabeth. | |
The Tudor period arrives on the battlefield of Bosworth
In 1485 when Henry Tudor stood, victorious, on the battlefield at Bosworth, there can have been no idea of the impact that the new age, the time of the Tudors, would have. It must have seemed for most, just another twist in the story that would become known as the War of The Roses. Just another grab for the throne of England. Henry Tudor lacked a good claim to the throne. It depended on the one hand upon the marriage of his grandfather Owen ap Tudor to the widow of King Henry V. On the other, it depended upon the descent from an illegitimate child of John of Gaunt, whose line had been specifically excluded from succession but had subsequently been recognized upon the legitimate marriage to Katherine Swynnford. Not an auspicious start then. However half a century later the accession of the Tudors seemed logical and indeed the beginning of a new era but how was that acceptance achieved?
One man with a head on his shoulders is worth a dozen without
Queen Elizabeth I

Battle of Bosworth
The new Tudor King
Henry VII took care not to be too radical and he strove to keep control of all government matters, he was organized and oversaw all he could, without involving others. He knew his position was tenuous. He was, on the face of it, industrious and ruled with a powerful authority, with Majesty. He believed in the crown, he had to, if the Tudors were to become successful. He had to eliminate rival claimants and there were many. The previous royal family had married and intermarried with a range of aristocratic families and there were many who could claim 'royalty', it had got too complicated. Henry married Elizabeth of York, seemingly uniting the houses York and Lancaster and in that moment created a brand, the Tudor Rose that came to symbolize the new era, the Tudor Period.
Tudor Politics had replaced war as the key to power.
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