22 August: Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth.

17 June: Henry VII defeats a pretender to his throne at the Battle of Stoke

2 April: Arthur, Prince of Wales dies, leaving his widow, Catherine of Aragon
With the heir to the throne now dead, the 11-year old Henry, Duke of York, became first in line to the throne.

8 August: James IV of Scotland marries Margaret, daughter of Henry VII of England. Although this meant peace between the two countries, the marriage also gives James IV's descendents a claim to the English throne.

21 April: Henry VII dies and is succeeded by his younger son Henry VIII
Two months after he became king, he married his brother's Spanish widow, Catherine of Aragon.

9 September: James IV of Scotland is defeated and killed at the Battle of Flodden Field. While Henry VIII's forces were campaigning against the French king Louis XII, James IV of Scotland invaded England.

Thomas Wolsey becomes a cardinal and Lord Chancellor

June: Henry VIII meets Francis I of France at the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold'
The first meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I of France took place just outside the English-held town of Guines near Calais, France. In a fortnight of ceremonies and entertainments, the English and French kings attempted to outshine each other with extravagant clothes and jewels, lavish tents and spectacular feasts, jousts and games.

17 October: The pope grants Henry VIII the title 'Defender of the Faith'
Pope Leo X conferred the title on Henry for his book 'Assertio Septem Sacramentorum' (Defence of the Seven Sacraments), which affirmed the supremacy of the pope.

Henry VIII appeals to the pope to annul his marriage so that he could marry Ann Boleyn instead.

29 February: First Protestant martyr is burned in Scotland

25 January: Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn, following divorce from Catherine of Aragon

November: Act of Supremacy makes Henry head of the English church
Henry VIII formed the 'Church of England separating England from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry himself was never a Protestant, but the break with Rome was a huge encouragement to Protestants in England.

6 July: Former Chancellor Sir Thomas More is executed for treason for refusing to swear to the Act of Succession (which made Ann Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth heir to the throne) because its preface undermined the authority of the pope.

Destruction or closure of 560 monasteries and religious houses

Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn is executed

4 August Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer receives the first Bible in English

12 October: A male heir, Edward, is born to Henry VIII and Jane Seymour
Henry was shattered by her death shortly after Edward's birth.

Henry VIII changes his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland

28 January: Henry VIII dies and is succeeded by nine-year-old Edward VI

6 July: Edward VI dies and is succeeded by Lady Jane Grey
Four days after Edward died, Jane was proclaimed queen, but widespread popular support for Mary ensured her reign lasted only a matter of days.

19 July: Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, becomes queen
Mary was the first woman to be crowned monarch of England in her own right. A devout Catholic, she was determined to halt the growth of Protestantism initiated by her father, and return England to Roman Catholicism.

25 July: Mary marries Philip of Spain despite widespread opposition

21 March: Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burnt for heresy
Thomas Cranmer, who had approved the divorce of Henry VIII from Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, went to the stake the following March.

7 January: England's last French possession, Calais, is lost

17 November Mary dies and Elizabeth I accedes to the throne

24 June: Book of Common Prayer becomes the only legal form of worship

c. 26 September: Francis Drake arrives at Plymouth after circumnavigating the world

8 February: Mary Stuart (Mary I of Scotland) is executed when found guilty of treason to kill Elizabeth