This is a timeline put together on the events occurring in England since the Norman Conquest, focusing especially on church matters.

1. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
NORMAN KINGS (principal language: French)
1066-108
7
William I, aka
William the
Conqueror
(gained throne
by conquest)
Ousted English-born bishops and
replaced them with Normans
1070-1st Jewish settlements in
England
1076-Investiture Controvery begins,
pitting the Pope against European
kings for the right to name Bishops.
1066-Battle of Hastings, resulting in
Norman (French) rule
1087-110
0
William II, aka
William Rufus
(son of Wm I)
1096-1st Crusade begins under
Pope Urban II
1093-Southern Wales brought under
Norman control
1100-1135 Henry I, aka
Henry Beauclerc
(brother of Wm
II)
1122-Concordat of Worms ends
Investiture Controversy: Pope to
appoint Bishops who must swear
allegiance to secular monarchs.
1135-1154 Stephen, aka
Stephen of Blois
(nephew of Henry
I)
1147-2nd Crusade begins under
Pope Eugene III
1138-The Anarchy begins civil war
1153-Treaty of Westminster ends
The Anarchy
HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET (principal language: French)
1154-1189 Henry II, aka
Henry
Curtmantle
(grandson of
Henry I)
1170-Archbishop of Canterbury,
Thomas Becket, murdered by the
King’s knights
English Common Law
institutionalized
1189-1199 Richard I, aka
Richard the
Lionheart (son of
Henry II)
1189-3rd Crusade begins under
Pope Gregory VIII
1190-York Massacre of Jews
1199-121
6
John (brother of
Richard I)
1202-4th Crusade begins under
Pope Innocent III
1204-Sack of Constantinople
1210-Franciscan order founded
1215-Magna Carta signed, limiting
absolute power of the King
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2. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1216-127
2
Henry III, aka
Henry of
Winchester (son
of John)
1217- 5th Crusade begins under
Pope Innocent III
1228-6th Crusade begins under
Pope Honorius III
1248-7th Crusade begins under
Pope Innocent IV
1253-Statute of Jewry affirms State
persecution of Jews
1269-Westminster Abbey as we
know it consecrated
1270-8th Crusade begins under
vacant papacy
1264-Parliament permanently
established at Westminster
1272-130
7
Edward I, aka
Edward
Longshanks (son
of Henry III)
1290-Edict of Expulsion (of all Jews
in England)
1284-Northern Wales conquered,
Wales annexed by England
1295-House of Lords
1305-Execution of William Wallace
1307-132
7
Edward II, aka
Edward of
Caernarfon (son
of Edward I)
1311-Ordinances of 1311 trim the
Sovereign’s ability to rule without
parliamentary approvals
1327-Edward II abdicates under
threat from allies of Queen Isabella
1327-137
7
Edward III, aka
Edward of
Windsor (son of
Edward III)
1338-Hundred Years War begins
1341-House of Commons est’d
1348-Bubonic Plague begins
1377-139
9
Richard II, aka
Richard of
Bordeaux
(grandson of
Edward III)
HOUSE OF LANCASTER (principal language: English)
1399-141
3
Henry IV, aka
Henry
Bolingbroke
(cousin of
Richard II)
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3. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1413-142
2
Henry V, aka
Henry of
Monmouth (son
of Henry IV)
1415-Battle of Agincourt ends with
Henry V in control of northern France
and nearing control of all France
1422-146
1
Henry VI (son of
Henry V)
1455-Gutenberg Bible printed 1453-Constantinople conquered by
Turks, renamed Istanbul, becomes
capital of Ottoman Emp as Byzantine
Empire ends
1453-Hundred Years War ends with
loss of most French territory
1455-Wars of Roses begin
(Lancasters and Tudors vs Yorks for
control of throne)
HOUSE OF YORK
1461-148
3
Edward IV, aka
Edward of York
(descendent of
Edward III,
gained throne by
conquest)
1478-Spanish Inquisition begins
1483 Edward V (son of
Edward IV)
1483-Edward V deposed as
illegitimate before coronation
1483-148
5
Richard III
(brother of
Edward IV)
1485-Richard III defeated and killed
at Battle of Bosworth Field
HOUSE OF TUDOR (primarily language: English)
1485-150
9
Henry VII, aka
Henry Tudor
(gained throne
by conquest)
1487-Wars of Roses end with Tudors
in control
1492-Christopher Columbus sails for
East Indies, finds Bahamas
1497-John Cabot sails for Asia, finds
Newfoundland
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4. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1509-154
7
Henry VIII (son
of Henry VII)
1517-Martin Luther nails “95 Theses”
in Wittenburg, start of Protestant
Reformation
1521-Pope designates Henry VIII as
“Defender of the Faith”
1534-Act of Succession affirms
Catherine anulment
1534-Act of Supremacy makes
King head of church
1538-Henry excommunicated by
Pope Paul III
1536-Act of Union declares intention
to unify Wales/England
1547-155
3
Edward VI (son
of Henry VIII and
Jane Seymour)
1549-Cranmer writes first Book of
Common Prayer
1553-155
8
Mary I, aka
Bloody Mary
(daughter of
Henry VIII and
Catherine of
Aragon)
Attempted total conversion of
England to Roman Catholic
1556-Cranmer burned at stake by
Mary I for heresy
1556-Conquest of Ireland
1558-French retake Calais
1558-160
3
Elizabeth I
(daughter of
Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn)
1560-John Knox reformation creates
Church of Scotland
1570-Elizabeth excommunicated by
Pope Pius V
1571-The Thirty Nine Articles
approved by Parliament
1594-Hooker writes Lawes of
Ecclesiastical Politie
1580-Drake completes world
circumnavigation
1588-Spanish Armada defeated by
English navy
1597-Parliament approves sending
convicts to colonies
1600-East India Company
HOUSE OF STUART
1603-162
5
James I, aka
James VI of
Scotland
(grandson of
Henry VII and
second cousin of
Elizabeth I)
1605-Gunpowder Plot fails, Guy
Fawkes executed
1607-Church of England est’d in
Jamestown, VA
1611-King James version of Bible is
published
1620-1st Puritans land in Plymouth,
MA
1603-James unifies crowns of
Scotland and England
1607-Jamestown settlement
Key:
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5. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1625-164
9
Charles I (son of
James I)
1636-Harvard founded to train
Congregational clergy
1642-English Civil War begins
1648-2nd English Civil War
1649-Charles executed; Abolition of
Monarchy; C’wealth of England
declared
COMMONWEALTH (LORD PROTECTORS)
1653-165
8
Oliver Cromwell
(took power by
conquest)
Commencement of Puritan rule
1655-Jewish resettlement begins
1655-Jamaica taken from Spain
1658-165
9
Richard
Cromwell (son of
Oliver Cromwell)
RESTORATION OF HOUSE OF STUART
1659-168
5
Charles II (son of
Charles I)
1662-Revised Book of Common
Prayer adopted after Savoy
Conference
1673-Test Act makes CofE loyalty
requisite for public office
1675-St. Paul’s Cathedral (London)
construction begins
1659-Cromwell’s body disinterred
and “executed” and beheaded
1664-New Amsterdam becomes New
York
1666-Bahamas colonized
1685-168
8
James II, aka
James VII of
Scotland
(younger brother
of Charles II)
1685-James suspends Scottish and
English parliaments to rule by decree
1688-Glorious Revolution deposes
Catholic James II in favor of his
Anglican daughter Mary II,
re-establishes primacy of parliament
1689-170
2
William III, aka
William of
Orange
(grandson of
Charles I) and
Mary II (niece of
Charles II)
1693-College of Wm & Mary
founded in VA by Church of England
1701-Act of Settlement ensures the
crown will remain protestant
1702-171
4
Anne
(younger sister of
Mary II)
1707-Act of Union (of England and
Scotland, forming UK of GB)
1713 – Treaty of Utrecht ends War of
the Spanish Succession
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6. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
HOUSE OF HANOVER (primarily language: initially, German)
1714-172
7
George I
(second cousin
to Queen Anne)
1719-Ireland declared inseparable
from Britain by the British
Government
1727-176
0
George II (son of
George I)
1740s-First Great Awakening peaks,
evangelism grows in Church of
England, and Presbyterians split
from Congregationalists in colonies
1760-182
0
George III
(grandson of
George II)
1784-Samuel Seabury, the first
American Episcopal bishop, is
consecrated in Scotland.
1785-Church of England
reorganizes as Protestant
Episcopal Church of US
1789-First Episcopal Book of
Common Prayer, largely from
1662 Anglican BCP but with
influence of 1764 Scottish liturgy
1804-ECUSA ordains first black
priest, Absalom Jones.
1763-Treaty of Paris ended French &
Indian War clarifies British claims in
New World; gives Cuba and Manila
to Spain in deal
1765-Stamp Act and Quartering
Act imposed on American
colonies
1770-Capt Cook claims New South
Wales for Britain
1773-Boston Tea Party
1776-American Revolution begins
1783-Treaty of Versailles ends war,
recognizes US independence,
Britain retains West Indies and
Canada
1788-1st British convicts arrive in
Australia
1801-Irish Act of Union
1805-Admiral Nelson wins Battle of
Trafalgar
1820-183
0
George IV (son
of George III)
1828-Repeal of Test Acts
1829-Relief Act allows
re-establishment of Catholic Church
in England
1830-183
7
William IV
(younger brother
of George IV)
1834-Spanish Inquisition ends 1832-Reform Act (Middle Class
Enfranchisement)
1833-Abolition of slavery across
entire British Empire
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7. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1837-190
1
Victoria
(granddaughter
of George III)
1840s-Second Great Awakening
peaks, fueling growth of Baptist,
Methodist and Presbyterian faiths
1861-ECCSA created
1865-ECUSA reunited
1839-The Opium Wars between
China and Britain
1842-Treaty of Nanking cedes Hong
Kong to British
1861-American Civil War begins
1870-British troops removed from
Canada, Australia and NZ
1876-Victoria named Empress of
India
1881-First Boer War results in South
African independence
1901-191
0
Edward VII (son
of Victoria)
1905-Aliens Act restrict poor and
Jewish European immigrants
1907-Construction of Washington
National Cathedral begins
1901-Australian independence
HOUSE OF WINDSOR (principal language: English)
1910-193
6
George V (son of
Edward VII)
1914-World War I begins
1917-Balfour Declaration for Jewish
homeland in Palestine
1917-Bolshevik Revolution
1919-Irish War for Independence
starts
1919-Treaty of Versailles ends WWI
1920-Treaty of Sèvres disbands
Ottoman Empire
1921-Territorial Peak of British
Empire
1921-Ireland independence
1922-Egyptian independence
1926-Balfour Declaration establishes
modern C’wealth
1934-S.Africa independence
Key:
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8. Years Monarch Church/Religious Events Other Historical Events
1936 Edward VIII (son
of George V)
1936-King abdicates to marry
Wallace Simpson
1936-195
2
George VI
(younger brother
of Edward VIII)
1938-UK Kindertransport program in
response to Kristallnacht
1939-World War II begins
1945-Axis powers surrender
1947-Indian independence
1947-NZ independence
1948-British exit Palestine
1952-Rebellion against British rule in
Kenya begins
1952-202
2
Elizabeth II
(daughter of
George VI)
1965-Second Vatican Council ends,
bringing Catholic liberalization
1974-Women first ordained in
ECUSA
1989-1st female bishop in the
ECUSA/Anglican communion,
Barbara Harris, is consecrated.
2001-ELCA-ECUSA communion
established
2003-1st openly gay bishop in the
ECUSA, Gene Robinson, is
consecreated
2006-1st female Presiding Bishop of
ECUSA, Katherine Jeffers Schori, is
elected.
2008-ACNA Founded
2012-ECUSA blesses same-sex
marriage
2015-1st African-American Presiding
Bishop of ECUSA, Michael Curry, is
elected.
1966-All African colonies except
Namibia achieve independence
1972-Bloody Sunday intensifies The
Troubles in NI
1982-Canadian independence
1982 Falklands War (Argentina)
1998-Good Friday Agreement ends
The Troubles with NI
1997-Hong Kong handed to China
2022- Charles III (son
of Elizabeth II)
Key:
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