Important Tudor Events
2 October 1452, Birth of Richard III
21st of January (St Agnes Day), 1457: Birth of Henry VII.
1465, birth of Elizabeth of York
December 16th, 1485, birth of Katherine of Aragon.
7 August 1485: The Battle of Bosworth
7 August 1485: Death of Richard III and the ascension of Henry VII
October 31, 1485, Coronation of Henry VII
18th of January, 1489: Marriage to Elizabeth of York (7 children in all born during this marriage but below are the more important ones.)
20th of September, 1489, birth of Arthur Tudor
November 29th, 1489: Birth of Margaret Tudor
28th of June, 1491: birth of Henry Tudor
March 18th, 1496: birth of Mary Rose Tudor
21th of December, 1498: Palace of Sheen burns down
14th of November, 1501: Wedding of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur. 1502: Death of Prince Arthur.
Anne Boleyn’s birth year – unknown, but sometime in this period between 1501 and 1507.
23rd of June, 1503: Treaty signed with Spain agreeing to the marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon.
21st of April, 1509: death of Henry VII and ascension of Henry VIII
11th of June, 1509: marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII
24th of June, 1509: Coronation of Henry and Catherine
29th of June, 1509: death of Margaret Beaufort
April of 28th, 1513: Battle of the Spurs
September 9th, 1513: Battle of Flodden and death of James IV.
February 18, 1516, birth of Mary Tudor
1520: The Field of Cloth of Gold
1527, Dr. John Dee born and Henry VIII becomes serious about his relationship with Anne Boleyn.
1532: Anne Boleyn and Henry go to Calais to get support for their marriage from François of France.
7 September, 1533: the birth of Elizabeth
1534: Henry VIII declares himself Head of the English Church – Act of Supremacy.
19th of May, 1536: Anne Boleyn’s murder.
May 30th, 1536: King Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour.
October, 1537, birth of Lady Jane Grey.
October 12th, 1537, birth of Edward VI
January 6th, 1540: Henry marries Anne of Cleves.
July 28th, 1540: Henry marries Katheryn Howard
1542: birth of Mary, Queen of Scots
1542: battle of Solway Moss and the death of James V
February 13th, 1542: Execution of Katheryn Howard
July 12th, 1543: Henry marries Katherine Parr
1544: Mary and Elizabeth reinstated to the English succession.
January 19th, 1547: Surrey executed
January 28th, 1547: Henry VIII dies and his son becomes Edward VI.
May 19, 1549: Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour executed.
1553: Edward VI death.
1553: Lady Jane Grey Queen for nine days.
1554: Wyatt’s rebellion, resulting in the death of Lady Jane Grey.
This rebellion also caused Elizabeth imprisonment in the Tower, where she feared for her life.
January 8th, 1554: the fall of Calais.
17th November, 1558, the death of Mary I.
Elizabeth becomes Queen
15th of January, 1559: Coronation of Elizabeth I.
8th of September, 1560: Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Although today mostly believed as the result of breast cancer complications, her death at the time resulted Elizabeth distancing herself from the man she came closest to marrying in her life: Robert Dudley.
October, 1562: Elizabeth I catches smallpox and almost dies.
July, 1588: the defeat of Spanish Armada.
September 4th, 1588, death of Robert Dudley.
1596: John Harrington, Godson of Elizabeth I, invents the hydraulic water closet.
March 24th, 1603 the death of Elizabeth
The Tudor Timeline
A Historical Guide to the World Behind Wendy J. Dunn’s Novels
From the rise of the Tudors in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, this was an age shaped not only by kings — but by women whose courage, faith, intelligence, and endurance altered history.
- 1485 — Battle of Bosworth Field: Henry Tudor defeats Richard III, ending the Wars of the Roses.
- 1486 — Marriage to Elizabeth of York: A dynastic union that symbolically heals civil war and establishes Tudor legitimacy.
The Tudor story begins with a woman whose blood legitimised a crown.
- 1509 — Henry VIII crowned: A glittering court rises around a new monarch.
- 1509 — Marriage to Katherine of Aragon: A partnership that will shape England’s destiny — politically, spiritually, and personally.
Katherine’s faith, scholarship, and political acumen anchor the early Tudor court.
- 1533 — Marriage to Anne Boleyn: England breaks with Rome.
- 1534 — Act of Supremacy: Henry declared Supreme Head of the Church of England.
- 1536 — Execution of Anne Boleyn: A public fall with private aftershocks across court and country.
- 1536–1541 — Dissolution of the Monasteries: Faith, wealth, and power are violently redistributed.
The cost of reform is borne most visibly by women.
- 1547 — Death of Henry VIII: Edward VI crowned at nine; the kingdom governed through protectors and councils.
- 1552 — Second Book of Common Prayer: Protestant reform intensifies, reshaping daily worship and identity.
Old loyalties tremble; new doctrines bite. The realm’s spiritual weather turns sharp.
- July 1553 — Lady Jane Grey proclaimed: A brief, perilous experiment in succession.
- July 1553 — Mary I triumphs: A Catholic queen takes the throne, determined to restore the old faith.
- 1554 — Wyatt’s Rebellion: Princess Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower under suspicion and fear.
This was an age when queens ruled — and paid for it.
- 1558 — Elizabeth I crowned: A new settlement must be forged from old wounds.
- 1559 — Religious Settlement: A Protestant framework designed to stabilise a divided kingdom.
- 1588 — Defeat of the Spanish Armada: A defining moment of national myth and maritime power.
Elizabeth reigns for 45 years, shaping England’s identity — and the legend that outlives her.
- 1603 — Death of Elizabeth I: With no Tudor heir, the crown passes to James VI of Scotland (James I of England).
The Tudor dynasty ends — but its women endure in story.
Other timelines:
http://www.britannia.com/history/reftime.html
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/RedBearsDream/TudorTL.html