| 1065 |
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Lands from Pershore allocated to Westminster
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Edward the Confessor took lands from Pershore Abbey and allocated them to his new Abbey church at Westminster.1 |
| |
Dec |
Dedication of Westminster Abbey
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Work on the Abbey at Westminster was either complete or very nearly so at its dedication. Edward the Confessor who had devoted himself to creation was to die less than two weeks later. |
| Romanesque / Norman Period 1066 (+/- 25yrs) |
| 1066 |
Dec 25 |
William the Conqueror becomes King of England
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William the Conqueror was coronated as King of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day of 1066.2 |
| 1100 |
Aug 5 |
Henry I succeeds
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Henry was crowned king at Westminster Abbey. (Under Henry, the lodges continued and the first Magna Carta of charter of liberties was obtained by the Normans, restoring the laws of Edward the Confessor.)3 |
| 1135 |
Dec 26 |
Coronation of Stephen of Blois
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Stephen of Blois was crowned King Stephen of England at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1154 |
Dec 19 |
Henry crowned at Westminster Abbey
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Henry of Normandy crowned Henry II of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine crowned Queen, at Westminster.
4 |
| 1189 |
Sep 3 |
Richard I Crowned King
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Richard I was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. He was escorted along a path of woollen cloth. At the head of the procession was the clergy, first the priors next the abbots then the bishops. In the midst of the bishops were four barons holding golden candelabra, followed by Geoffrey de Lucy, John Marshal, William Marshal and William Fitzpatrick holding the Cap of State, golden spurs, golden sceptre and golden verge. The golden crown was carried by William de Mandeville. Richard was anointed with holy oil on his head, chest and hands. During the service a bat was seen to flutter around the throne which was seen to be an evil omen.5 |
| Early English Period 1190 (+/- 25yrs) |
| 1200 |
Sep 8 |
John and Isabella are crowned
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John and Isabella returned to England in late September and were both crowned at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1220 |
May |
Coronation of Henry III
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At his coronation in Westminster Abbey, Henry was reminded of his duties at king to maintain peace, defend the rights of the crown and to dispense justice where required. Henry was only around thirteen years old. |
| 1245 |
|
Rebuilding of Westminster Abbey
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Henry started the work of rebuilding Westminster Abbey as a tribute to Edward the Confessor.6 |
| Decorated Gothic Period 1275 (+/- 25yrs) |
| 1308 |
Feb 25 |
Edward's Coronation
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Edward II was crowned at Westminster Abbey. During the ceremony Gaveston was given the honour of carrying the crown. During the banquet that followed the King spent much more time with Gaveston than his wife. The Queen's uncles, who had travelled with her from France, left to report back to the King of France of the King's favouritism for Gaveston over Isabella. As part of the coronation ceremony Edward swore an oath that he should abide by the laws and customs that the community and realm determined.7 |
| Perpendicular Gothic Period 1350 (+/- 25yrs) |
| 1413 |
Dec |
Richard II's body moved
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In an act of respect to Richard II, Henry had the dead king's body moved to its proper resting place in Westminster Abbey. |
| 1421 |
Feb 23 |
Queen Catherine crowned
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Queen Catherine was crowned at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1445 |
May 30 |
Margaret of Anjou crowned
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After a triumphant entrance to London a few days earlier Margaret stayed at the Tower of London for a few days before going to Westminster Abbey where she was crowned. 8 |
| 1461 |
Jun 28 |
Edward IV is crowned
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The Yorkists were in control after the battle of Towton and Richard and George were brought back to England where they were made Knights of the Order of the Bath. Edward took part in the crown-wearing ceremonies at Westminster Abbey and became King of England. Shortly afterwards his younger brother George was given the title of Duke of Clarence. |
| 1465 |
May 26 |
Elizabeth crowned
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Elizabeth Woodville was finally crowned Queen at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1470 |
Qtr 4 |
Edward (V) is born
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Edward IV's wife Elizabeth gave birth to her first son. Elizabeth had taken refuge at Westminster Abbey after the King had fled to Burgundy. |
| 1478 |
Jan 15 |
Marriage of Richard, duke of York
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Richard, duke of York, married Anne Mowbray, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, at Westminster. The two were only children. Anne died in 1481 at the age of 8 or 9.
|
| 1485 |
Oct 30 |
Henry is crowned.
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Henry Tudor is crowned Henry VII at Westminster Abbey.9 |
| Early Modern Period (1500-1800) - Under Construction |
| 1503 - 1519
|
Construction of Henry VII Lady chapel
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Henry VII ordered the construction of a new Lady chapel at the east end of Westminster Abbey. The building work was carried out in the Perpendicular style. |
| 1509 |
Apr 21 |
Death of Henry VII
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Henry fell in and within just over a day he died of the illness. His body was first moved to St. Paul's and then to Westminster Abbey where he was buried next to his wife.10 |
| 1547 |
Feb 20 |
Edward VI crowned
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The coronation of Henry VIII's son Edward took place at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1553 |
Oct 1 |
Mary Tudor crowned
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The coronation of Mary Tudor took place at Westminster Abbey. Mary became the first true Queen of England. In the past, Matilda and Lady Jane Grey had come close but neither had ever been crowned. |
| 1558 |
Nov 17 |
Queen Mary dies
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Queen Mary died at the age of forty two. She was buried at Westminster Abbey. |
| 1559 |
Jan 14 |
Coronation pageants
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The tradition of holding pageants on the eve of the coronation was followed and Elizabeth viewed them all as she made her way from the Tower to Westminster. They were of a political nature showing the problems of the past and hopes for the future. |
| |
Jan 15 |
Coronation of Elizabeth
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The coronation of Elizabeth I took place at Westminster Abbey. She was crowned by Bishop Oglethorpe of Carlisle as the other more senior bishops refused to crown her due to their reluctance to accept the new Protestant religion. |
| 1626 |
Feb 2 |
Charles crowned
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Charles I was crowned at Westminster Abbey. |
his abbey church was built by Edward the Confessor between 1050 and 1065 on the site of an earlier church. Edward built the abbey on Thorney Island upstream from the medieval city. The abbey was dedicated in 1065 just weeks before Edward died. He was buried in his new church in January of 1066. Henry III began rebuilding the church starting with the Lady Chapel in around 1220. In 1245, in tribute to Edward the Confessor, Henry started much larger and expensive reconstruction work of the whole church.
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