I got most of my information from my father-in-law, John, who is an English historian (specializing in the House of Tudor) and The Columbia Encyclopedia (Third Edition). I also consulted the timeline in the back of Harmon and Holman's A Handbook to Literature (Seventh Edition). Any mistakes are not intentional and are due to my faulty memory and/or typing. If any of the stuff listed below interests you, I highly recommend trekking to Maple Woods Community College to take my father-in-law's classes!! His classes are well worth the trip.

I cannot stress enough that I received the lion's share of my knowledge from my father-in-law, John's, Western Civilization and Survey of English History classes. He teaches at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, MO. Enroll in one of his courses, if you ever get the chance--he's the best!! Or at the very least, visit his Western Civilization sites (they include "Student Notes" and everything!!).

THESE TIMELINES WERE BEGUN FOR MY OWN PERSONAL USE. THESE TIMELINES SHOULD NOT BE USED AS RESOURCES FOR ANY KIND OF RESEARCH PAPER. THESE TIMELINES SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS AN AID TO GIVE A "JUMPING OFF POINT." THESE TIMELINES ARE NOT PEER-REVIEWED; THEREFORE, THEY ARE SUBJECT TO ANY NUMBER OF UNINTENTIONAL AUTHORIAL TYPING ERRORS AND/OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS. REMEMBER, INTERNET SOURCES (WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS) CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE SOURCES!!

Because I did these timelines initially only for my own personal use, I have paraphrased and quoted without citing as one should for a research paper; therefore, anyone using these timelines should consult the sources listed on the Historical Timelines Page.

DO NOT QUOTE FROM THESE TIMELINES!! ALWAYS DOUBLE-CHECK MY WORK!!!!

The House of Tudor:

Henry VII (1457-1509), reigned as king of England (1485-1509). Henry VII became king after defeating Richard III (a member of the House of York who reigned from 1483-1485) at Bosworth Field. This put an end to the War of the Roses (between the House of York and House of Lancaster) which had begun in 1455. The War of the Roses is a bit too complicated to get into here, but trust me that Henry VII put an end to it. In 1486, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York (daughter of Edward IV) which united the House of York (Elizabeth's family) and the House of Lancaster (from whom Henry VII was descended). Henry's family is of the House of Tudor! Henry and Elizabeth had Arthur and Henry. There are other children, but they aren't important to us right now. In 1501, Prince Arthur was married to Katharine of Aragon (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain-you know them as the two that sent Columbus to find India-he found America instead). Prince Arthur, being the first-born son, was heir to the throne. However, he died in 1502 without making any babies with Katharine. So, Prince Henry (who will become Henry VIII) is next in line for the throne. As the king's second son, he was educated to go into the clergy. When Prince Arthur died, he was next in line. Henry VII was a very shrewd dude and knew that the alliance between England and Spain was very important so he wanted to unite the newly widowed Katharine to his son, Prince Henry. This union was considered incestuous (according to something in Leviticus) because Prince Henry and Prince Arthur were brothers and it is considered incestuous to marry your brother's wife, even if your brother dies. It took a dispensation granted by the pope in 1503 to make it ok. Henry VII died in 1509.

Henry VIII (1491-1547), reigned as king of England (1509-1547). Henry VIII is the king that is so famous for having so many wives. In 1509, the year he becomes king, he marries Katharine of Aragon (his brother's widow). In 1516, they had a child named Mary. This union produced no other heirs and women were not looked upon as suitable rulers. Katharine of Aragon was getting beyond child-rearing years, so Henry VIII was getting a bit antsy for an heir to his throne. About 1527, Henry VIII begins to ask the pope for an annulment due to the fact that, according to some scripture in Leviticus, he and Katharine should have never been married to begin with. Charles V of Spain, the most powerful man on the European continent, was the nephew of Katharine of Aragon (he was the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella) and made it known to the pope that he had better not give Henry VIII the annulment. Pope Clement VII, who is caught between a rock and a hard place, stalls and orders a commission to look into the matter. Meanwhile, Henry VIII has been having an affair with Anne Boleyn. In 1532, Anne Boleyn is pregnant. Henry VIII must move fast to marry Anne in case the child she is carrying is a male. An illegitimate child cannot succeed his throne. Henry gets most of the English clergy (except Sir Thomas More who is beheaded later for refusing) to tell him it is ok to annul his marriage to Katharine. 1533 is a big year. In 1533, Henry and Anne marry, the new archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declares his marriage to Katharine invalid, the pope excommunicates Henry VIII, and Elizabeth is born to Henry and Anne. Whoops. Another girl. In 1534, all papal powers have been transferred from the pope to the king. Up to this point, England had been Catholic. In fact, in 1521, the pope named Henry VIII "Defender of the Faith" for writing a treatise against Luther. But that was well before all of this. In 1534, the king of England has become the head of the church of England. The split between the Catholic church and England is complete at this point. The English church from this point on is generally referred to as the Anglican church but there are few noticeable religious changes under Henry VIII. He has simply replaced the pope. In 1536, Anne Boleyn is convicted of adultery and beheaded. Henry next marries Jane Seymour who gives birth to Edward in 1537. Jane dies shortly thereafter. Finally, Henry has a male heir!! In 1540, Henry marries Anne of Cleves. They don't like each other much (apparently Anne wasn't much of a looker and was a Lutheran to boot) so they divorce pretty quickly. Soon therafter, Henry marries Catherine Howard. However, in 1542, Catherine Howard is beheaded for adultery. In 1543, Henry marries Catherine Parr. She actually survives the marriage. Henry VIII dies in 1547. There is no conclusive proof that he died of syphilis but it is a fairly good bet. Syphilis was very widespread at that time and Henry VIII apparently had a sore on his leg that wouldn't heal. However, he did not exhibit other signs of syphilis, such as blindness, deafness, or insanity. He was not a lot of fun to be around because he was in a great deal of pain, but there is no proof that he was indeed insane in the last years of his life. To remember his wives: divorced (Katharine of Aragon), beheaded (Anne Boleyn), died (Jane Seymour), divorced (Anne of Cleves), beheaded (Catherine Howard), survived (Catherine Parr).

Edward VI (1537-1553), reigned as king of England (1547-1553). Edward VI is the son of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. He was so young that the country was pretty much ruled by his regents. During this time, England becomes more and more Protestant. He dies of tuberculosis in 1553.

Mary I (1516-1558), reigned as queen of England, (1553-1558). Mary is the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katharine of Aragon. Mary was raised as a Catholic. She is married to the man who will become Philip II of Spain (also very Catholic) in 1554. She tried to restore Catholicism to England. She is nicknamed "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of English Protestants. In 1555, Philip leaves Mary to return to the continent because Parliament was busily passing laws against him. Mary dies childless in 1558. It is conjectured that she had congenital syphilis because she was nearly blind, quite hard of hearing, and possibly insane.

Elizabeth I (1533-1603), reigned as queen of England, (1558-1603). Elizabeth is the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She never marries though she is courted by many rulers of the European continent (including her half-sister, Mary's widower, Philip II of Spain). Because she never married, she is called the "Virgin Queen." The state of Virginia is named in her honor. There is a good deal of intrigue during her long reign. She has Mary Queen of Scots (1547-1587) beheaded for her numerous attempts at overthrowing Elizabeth. The English navy defeated the Spanish Armada (a huge feat) in 1588. This is the high point of her reign. She is a very moderate ruler in terms of religion. She reestablished Protestantism in 1559. Shakespeare (1564-1616) is born and writes a good deal during her reign. She dies childless in 1603.

House of Stuart:

James I (1566-1625), reigned as king of England (1558-1625), reigned as James VI of Scotland from the time his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, abdicated her throne in 1567. He is the son of Lord Darnley and Mary Queen of Scots. He unites the crowns of Scotland and England. He succeeds Elizabeth because he is the grandson of Henry VII's daughter, Margaret Tudor (sister of Henry VIII), and James IV of Scotland who were the parents of Mary Queen of Scots. James I is Protestant. The King James Version (named for him) of the Bible comes in 1611. Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote a good deal and died during his reign. James I dies in 1625.

Charles I (1600-1649), reigned as king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1625-1649). He is the second son of James I and Anne of Denmark. He was married to the Catholic Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII of France. He tries to bring Catholicism back. Civil War begins in 1642. He is executed in 1649.

Commonwealth Interregnum (1649-1660)-mostly under Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)

Charles II (1630-1685), reigned as king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1660-1685). He is the second son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. The "Restoration" refers to the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660. In 1662, he marries Catherine of Braganza.. He is very tolerant religiously (he was probably Catholic but knew to keep his mouth shut). He dies in 1685.

James II (1633-1701), reigned as king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1685-1688). He is the son of Charles I and the brother/successor of Charles II. His second marriage to the Catholic Mary of Modena in 1673 made him unpopular. He marries Anne Hyde at the Restoration. He gets booted out (essentially because he was Catholic and his wife gave birth to a son who would become his heir thus leaving the country with a Catholic heir) in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. It is "glorious" because it is "bloodless." He dies in exile in 1701.

William III (1650-1702) and Mary II (1662-1694) reigned as joint monarchs of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1689-1694); William III reigned as king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1694-1702). Mary II is the daughter of James II and Anne Hyde. William III is the son of William II, prince of Orange and Mary, Charles I's oldest daughter. Mary II and William III (he is her cousin as well as her husband) were married in 1677. They were very Protestant so Parliament brought them in to rule after booting out Mary's father. Though they were named joint rulers, Mary II only really ruled when her husband was unavailable. Mary died in 1694. William rules alone until his death in 1702.

Anne (1665-1714), reigned as queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1702-1707), reigned as queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1707-1714). She is the daughter of James II and Anne Hyde. She was married to Prince George of Denmark in 1683. She was a Protestant and not close to her father. Anne dies in 1714. George I, the great-grandson of James I, succeeds her.

Thus endeth the House of Stuart. I am tired. Look the rest of it up for yourselves!! The House of Hanover (George I-Victoria) is next.