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.