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Jan 1, 1485
Richard lll is killed in battle
King of England from 1483 till his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. -
Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas
Chris and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. -
Jan 1, 1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world" half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. -
Jan 1, 1516
Thomas More's Utopia is published
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535) published in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. -
Jan 1, 1543
With the Supremacy Act, Henry Vlll proclaims himself head of Church of England
Responsible for the foundation of the English Protestant church that broke away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. confirmed the King's status as having supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognising Henry's supremacy. -
Jan 1, 1558
Elizabeth 1 becomes queen of England
Called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess. Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor. Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel. One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the Supreme Governor -
Jan 1, 1564
William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, is born
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. English poet, playwright and actor, also known as England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". He did 39 plays, 154 sonnets,and two long narrative poems. His plays have been translated into multiple languages. -
Globe Theatre is built in London.
Associated with William Shakespeare. Land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son. It was destroyed by a fire on June 29, 1613. It was later built on the same place in 1614 and closed for Ordinance issued on September 1642.It was reconstructed and named "Shakespeare's Globe" it opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet. -
Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
King Lear is a tragedy written by Shakespeare. His kingdom by giving bequests to two of his three daughters egged on by their continual flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. -
First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Virginia.
It was established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 4, 1607. It was considered permanent after brief abandonment in 1610. It was ruled by the Powhatan Confederacy, and specifically in that of the Paspahegh tribe. The natives welcomed and provided crucial provisions and support for the colonists who were not agriculturally inclined. -
Shakespeare's sonnets are published
Always a reference to the 154 sonnets that were first published all together in a quarto. There are six sonnets that Shakespeare wrote and one play is Romeo and Juliet. -
King James Bible is published
English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England. Include the 39 books of the Old Testament. Containing 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament. -
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Over a hundred travelers embarked on the voyage of the Mayflower in September 1620. Less than one third were Separatists. The rest were immigrants, adventurers, and speculators. Their voyage took about two months, and the passengers had a happier experience than most Atlantic trips. One death was suffered and one child was born. The child was named OCEANUS after the watery depths beneath them. -
Newspapers are first published in London
The first true newspaper published in Britain. By the 18th century, many more newspapers were being published there were 24 papers in all by the 1720s. The very first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, was first published in London -
John Milton begins Paradise Lost
An epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification. -
Puritan Commonwealth end; monarchy is restored with Charles ll
It marked the return of Charles II as king following the period of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. The bishops were restored to Parliament, which established a strict Anglican orthodoxy.
