| | | 1527 | Henry VIII meets Anne Boleyn  |
| Anne Boleyn came to the attention of Henry VIII. Anne was a lady-in-waiting for Queen Catherine and the sister of Mary Boleyn who was at the time the mistress of Henry VIII. Henry became besotted by Anne. |
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| May - Wolsey sets up secret court |
| To end the marriage between Henry and Catherine Wolsey set up a secret tribunal where Henry VIII had to answer charges of having a illegal marriage. The court was held in secret so Catherine did not know. The plan was to present the facts to the Pope who would annul the marriage. Problems occurred when Rome was attacked by Catherine's nephew Charles and the Pope was captured. Any chance of the Pope annulling the marriage was now gone. |
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| Jun 22 - Henry VIII declares his marriage invalid |
| Henry VIII told Catherine of Aragon that their marriage was invalid because she had earlier been married to his brother Arthur. Anne Boleyn, who Henry had become besotted with, wanted Henry to divorce Catherine and to marry her. |
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| 1530 | Nov 29 - Death of Wolsey |
| Thomas Wolsey died at Leicester. |
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| 1533 | Jan 25 - Marriage to Anne Boleyn |
| Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn at Whitehall Palace on or around the 25th of January. Anne was expecting a child which Henry and Anne hoped would be a boy. |
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| Spring - Act of Succession |
| A statute passed by Parliament called the 'Act of Succession' declared that Mary Tudor was illegitimate and not Henry's heir because the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was void. This meant that children of Henry and Anne Boleyn would be the true heirs to the English throne. |
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| Jun 1 - Coronation of Anne Boleyn |
| Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer. |
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| Sep 7 - Birth of Elizabeth to Anne Boleyn |
| Anne gave birth to Elizabeth a healthy girl. Henry had hoped they would have a boy to ensure the continuation of the Tudor line. |
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| 1536 | Jan - Death of Catherine of Aragon |
| Catherine of Aragon died. It was believed that she had been poisoned but it is possible that she died of cancer. |
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| May 19 - Execution of Anne Boleyn |
| Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was executed for treason and adultery. |
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| May 30 - Henry marries Jane Seymour |
| Henry married his third wife Jane Seymour the former lady-in-waiting to both Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. |
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| Oct 2 - Lincolnshire Rebellion |
| The short rebellion that took place for a couple of weeks in October was the prelude for a much larger rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. The Lincolnshire rebellion began in response to Henry VIII's unpopular policies, including the Dissolusion of the Monasteries. The Rebels also had grievances against Henry's unpopular advisers like Thomas Cranmer. The rebels consisted of both common people and land owners alike, but some land owners were forced to take part. The rebels reached Lincoln where they were assured Henry VIII would listen to their demands if they disbanded. Meanwhile Henry ordered that a army should be sent to Lincoln as kill the rebels. By the time that army, led by the Duke of Suffolk, reached Lincoln the rebels had dispersed. |
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| Oct 21 - Pilgrimage of Grace |
| Following the earlier Lincoln rebellion, a larger rebellion began further north in Yorkshire. This rebellion again protested against Henry VIII's unpopular policies and advisers. They wanted Henry to put a stop to the dissolution of the monasteries and they wanted the removal of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer and Henry's adviser Thomas Cromwell. The leader of the rebellion was Robert Aske, a lawyer and excellent organiser. Somewhere between 30,000 and 35,000 rebels were involved and they took control of Pontefract Castle which fell to them without any resistance. |
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| Oct 27 - Meeting with rebels |
| The Duke of Norfolk met with leaders of the rebels on Doncaster Bridge where their demands were heard. The Duke asked the rebels to disband promising that their demands would be concidered. The rebels complied with the request to dispand and returned home. Henry VIII made no attempt to concider their demands. |
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| Dec - Rebels list demands |
| At Pontefract the rebel leaders presented a list of demands. The rebels were assured of free pardons. |
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| 1537 | Qtr 1 - More uprisings |
| Although the main leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace were remaining peaceful and waiting for Henry VIII to look into their complaints others were not so trusting. Several uprisings occurred in the north east of England where Carlisle was besieged. The Duke of Norfolk was able to deal with the rebels and many of those suspected of taking part were hung in their villages as an example to the rest. |
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| Summer - Rebel leaders executed |
| Henry VIII summonsed the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace to him in London where the rebels believed they would discuss terms with the King as they had been promised free pardons. Instead, Henry had the rebels arrested. They were sent back to their home lands where they were tried and executed. |
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| Oct 12 - Edward VI born at Hampton Court |
| Jane Seymour gave birth to Edward at Hampton Court. The birth had complications and Jane became ill. |
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| Oct 24 - Jane Seymour dies |
| Jane Seymour died after complications with the birth of Edward VI. She was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. |
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| 1540 | Jan 6 - Marriage of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves |
| Although Henry was disappointed that Anne did not resemble her portrait the marriage went ahead as planned. |
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| Jul 9 - Marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled |
| The marriage of Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves was annulled just a few months after the marriage. Anne agreed to an annual income and the use of several lavish homes in England. |
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| Jul 28 - Marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard |
| Just weeks after the marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled Henry married Catherine Howard. |
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| 1542 | Feb 13 - Catherine Howard executed |
| Found guilty of adultery and therefore treason, Catherine Howard was sentenced to death and was executed. |
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| Nov 24 - Battle of Solway Moss |
| A terrible defeat for the Scottish when they were overrun by a much smaller force of English troops led by the duke of Norfolk. Several high-worth Scottish prisoners were taken and transported to the Tower of London for future ransom. The shock of the defeat is supposed to have been so great for the Scottish king, James V, that he died just a few weeks later. |
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| Dec 8 - Birth of Mary, Queen of Scots |
| Mary was born at Linlithgow Palace in West Lothian, Scotland. She was the daughter of James V, king of Scotland and Mary of Guise, from France. James V died a week after Mary was born and she became Queen of Scotland. |
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| Dec 14 - Death of James V of Scotland |
| The defeat of the Scottish army at Solway Moss a few weeks earlier is supposed to have shocked James V so much that he died. His daughter Mary was only a week or so old when he died and she became queen, known as Mary Queen of Scots. |
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| 1543 | Jul - Treaties at Greenwich |
| A treaty was signed by the Scots and Henry VIII swearing peace between the two nations and the agreement that Mary, Queen of Scots, should marry Henry's son Edward. |
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| Jul 12 - Marriage of Henry and Catherine Parr |
| Henry married Catherine Parr, his sixth and final wife. |
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| 1544 | Construction of Southsea Castle |
| Henry VIII built the castle at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour to protect against French invasions. |
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| 1547 | Jan 28 - Death of Henry VIII |
| Henry died at Whitehall Palace at the age of 55. He was buried in St. George's Chapel Windsor next to Jane Seymour, his favourite wife. |
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| Feb 20 - Edward VI crowned |
| The coronation of Henry VIII's son Edward took place at Westminster Abbey. |
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