conspiracy to place the earl of March on the throne; Richard, earl of
Cambridge, and other conspirators executed. Siege and capture of HARFLEUR
(Sept. 22). =Henry gained a great victory at= AGINCOURT (Oct. 25); the
French loss 10,000, the English, 1,600.
1419. ROUEN captured by the English, after a siege of nearly six months
(Jan. 19). The duke of Burgundy assassinated in the presence of the
dauphin: the duke's son at once joined the English.
1420. ~Treaty of Troyes~ (May 21): Henry was to marry Catherine, to govern
France in the name of Charles, who was insane, and on his death to succeed
him.
1421. The duke of Clarence, the king's brother, defeated and slain by the
dauphin's troops at BEAUGÉ in Anjou (Mar. 22).
1422. Henry besieged and captured MEAUX (May).
HENRY VI., of WINDSOR.
=D.= He was the son of Henry V. =B.= at Windsor, 1421. =M.= Margaret of
Anjou. Deposed, March, 1461. Probably =murdered= in the Tower, May, 1471.
=R.= 38-1/2 years (1422 to 1461).
1422. The duke of Bedford appointed protector of England, and in his
absence beyond sea, his brother, the duke of Gloucester. Bedford regent of
France. Charles VI. died, and Henry was proclaimed king.
1423. The French and their Scottish allies defeated at CREVANT ON YONNE by
the earl of Salisbury, one of the ablest of the English commanders (July
31).
1424. =The duke of Bedford gained a great victory over the French at
Verneuil= (Aug. 17).
1428. Orleans besieged by the English; one of the first sieges in which
cannon were found to be of importance.
1429. The French, endeavouring to intercept supplies for the English army,
were defeated at ROUVRAI (the Battle of Herrings, Feb. 12). SIEGE RAISED
BY JOAN OF ARC (May). The English defeated at PATAY (June 18). Charles
VII. crowned at Rheims.
1430. Joan of Arc captured at the siege of Compiègne, and burnt, the next
year, at Rouen for sorcery and witchcraft.
1435. ~Treaty of Arras~: the duke of Burgundy withdrew from the English
alliance. Death of Bedford.
1436. Paris recovered by Charles VII. Richard, duke of York, became regent
of France, but was recalled the next year, and succeeded by Richard
Beauchamp, earl of Warwick. He died in 1439, and York became regent a
second time.
1440. John Beaumont created viscount, being the first of that title in
England.
1441. Eleanor Cobham, duchess of Gloucester, prosecuted for witchcraft and
treason, and condemned to do public penance.
1445. Maine and Anjou, the keys of Normandy, ceded to the queen's father
on her marriage with Henry.
1447. Death of the duke of Gloucester,--said by most historians to have
been assassinated. Death of his rival, Cardinal Beaufort. Edmund Beaufort,
duke of Somerset, succeeded the duke of York as regent in France.
1449. =Normandy conquered by the French.= The duke of York appointed
lieutenant of Ireland.
1450. The duke of Suffolk, the king's chief minister, banished for five
years: he was intercepted, and beheaded at sea. =Jack Cade's
insurrection.= Cade taken and slain.
This rising was thought by some to have been instigated by the friends
of the duke of York, who, as far as hereditary succession alone was
concerned, had a better right to the throne than Henry. Richard was
descended from Lionel, duke of Clarence, second son of Edward III.,
and Henry from John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, the fourth son.
Henry, however, was unquestionably lawful sovereign of England.
1451. =Guienne conquered by the French.=
1452. Talbot, the veteran earl of Shrewsbury, one of the greatest
commanders of the age, recovered Bordeaux, and other places in Guienne.
1453. Talbot defeated and slain at CHATILLON in Perigord (July 20). =Final
loss of Guienne.= The king became insane. Birth of the Prince of Wales.
1454. York appointed protector; but a few months after, the king partially
recovered, and revoked the duke's commission.
1455. BEGINNING OF THE WARS OF THE ROSES.
The Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians at ST. ALBAN'S: the duke of
Somerset was slain, and the king fell into the hands of the Yorkist
faction (May 22). Renewal of his illness. =York made protector a second
time, and with such powers as to give the protectorate a revolutionary
character.=
This was the first battle in what were called the "Wars of the
Roses"--a name applied to them because the emblem of the Lancastrians
was a red, and that of the Yorkists a white rose. Several causes
combined to bring about the struggle. The principal were--1, the
feeble and unwarlike character of the king; and 2, the resolute
determination of the queen and the Somerset family that Henry should
retain the crown, and that the succession should vest in his son.
1456. Recovery of the king and removal of the protector.
1458. Hollow reconciliation of the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions.
1459. =Renewal of the Civil War.= The Lancastrians, under Lord Audley,
defeated by the Yorkists, under the earl of Salisbury, at BLOREHEATH
(Sept. 23).
1460. The Lancastrians, under the duke of Buckingham, defeated at
NORTHAMPTON by the Yorkists, under the earl of Warwick (July 10). The duke
of York defeated and slain by the queen's forces at WAKEFIELD GREEN (Dec.
31).
1461. Edward, earl of March (son and heir of Richard), defeated the
Lancastrians, under the earl of Pembroke, at MORTIMER'S CROSS (Feb. 2).
Margaret defeated the Yorkists under the earl of Warwick at ST. ALBAN'S
(Feb. 17). Edward a few days after reached London, =and was acknowledged
king= (Mar. 4).
In the early part of this reign it was enacted that county members must be
elected by freeholders whose estates were worth at least 40s. a year.
THE HOUSE OF YORK.
EDWARD IV.
=D.= Edward was the eldest surviving son of Richard, duke of York, who was
the lineal descendant of Lionel, duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. =B.=
at Rouen, 1441. =M.= Elizabeth Woodville. =Dd.= at Westminster, April 9,
1483. =R.= 22 years (1461 to 1483).
1461. Edward defeated the Lancastrians, under the duke of Somerset (son of
the duke slain at St. Alban's), at TOWTON, in Yorkshire: total loss 38,000
(Mar. 29). Henry and Margaret escaped into Scotland.
1464. The Lancastrians defeated at HEDGLEY MOOR (April 25), and HEXHAM
(May 15). The duke of Somerset captured in the second battle, and
executed.
1467. Jealousy between the Woodvilles (relatives of the queen) and the
Nevilles (or Warwick family). The latter had been, up to this time, the
most strenuous supporters of the Yorkists.
1469. An insurrection broke out, and the royal forces were defeated at
EDGECOTE, near Banbury (July 26). The queen's father and one of her
brothers captured soon after, and beheaded by the insurgents.
1470. An insurrection in Lincolnshire. The insurgents defeated by the king
at STAMFORD (Mar. 12). The earl of Warwick, the duke of Clarence (brother
of Edward IV.), and Queen Margaret, met at the court of Louis XI. of
France, and were reconciled. =Warwick and Clarence invaded England=, and
proclaimed Henry VI. Edward escaped to Flanders.
In this year a battle was fought between the friends and retainers of
Lord Berkeley, and those of Lord Lisle, at NIBLEY GREEN, in
Gloucestershire--the last instance of a pitched battle between two
powerful noblemen in England.
1471. Edward returned, and was soon joined by Clarence. The Lancastrians,
under Warwick, defeated by Edward at BARNET: Warwick, "the king-maker,"
slain (April 14). Margaret landed at Weymouth, and was defeated by Edward
at TEWKESBURY (May 4). Prince Edward assassinated, and the duke of
Somerset (brother of the commander at Hexham) executed.
1475. Edward demanded the crown of France, and invaded the country to
enforce his claim. ~Treaty of Pecquigny~ (Aug. 29).
The most important article of the treaty was that Edward agreed to a
truce for 7 years, on condition of receiving an annuity from Louis XI.
1478. Edward prosecuted his brother Clarence for high treason. He was
condemned, and is said to have been drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.
Edward was the first sovereign who exacted benevolences from his subjects.
Tonnage and poundage were granted to him for life.
EDWARD V.
=D.= He was the son of Edward IV. =B.= In the Sanctuary at Westminster
1470. Said to have been =murdered= in the Tower about Aug., 1483. =R.=
from April 9 to June 26, 1483.
1483. Richard, duke of Gloucester, the king's uncle, made protector. Lord
Hastings, and the earl of Rivers, the king's maternal uncle, executed.
=Richard was offered the crown, which he accepted.=
RICHARD III., surnamed CROOKBACK.
=D.= He was brother of Edward IV. =B.= at Fotheringay Castle, 1450. =M.=
Anne, daughter of the earl of Warwick, and widow of Prince Edward. =Slain=
at Bosworth Field, Aug. 22, 1485. =R.= 2 years (1483 to 1485).
1483. The duke of Buckingham, hitherto Richard's chief adherent, joined in
a conspiracy to raise Henry, earl of Richmond, to the throne, but was
captured, and beheaded at Salisbury.
1484. A parliament met, and enacted several beneficial laws: these laws
were the first entirely drawn up in English. On the death of his son,
Richard declared his nephew, John de la Pole, earl of Lincoln, heir to the
throne.
1485. =Henry of Richmond invaded England.= The two armies met at BOSWORTH,
where =Richard was defeated and slain= (Aug. 22).
THE TUDOR LINE.
HENRY VII., of RICHMOND.
=D.= Henry was the son of Margaret (daughter of John Beaufort, duke of
Somerset) and of Edmund Tudor. John Beaufort's father was an illegitimate
son of John of Gaunt. =B.= probably at Pembroke, 1456. =M.= Elizabeth,
daughter of Edward IV. =Dd.= at Richmond, April 21, 1509. =R.= 23-3/4
years (1485 to 1509).
1485. The earl of Warwick, son of the duke of Clarence, confined in the
Tower. Parliament settled the crown on Henry and his heirs.
1486. Henry married Elizabeth, and =the rival claims of the two houses
were blended=. _The Court of Star Chamber established._
1487. Lambert Simnel appeared in Ireland, and, personating the earl of
Warwick, was proclaimed king as Edward VI. He and his supporters landed in
England, and were defeated at STOKE, near Newark (June 16).
1492. Perkin Warbeck appeared in Ireland, and declared himself to be
Richard, duke of York (son of Edward IV.), generally supposed to have been
murdered in the Tower. =Columbus discovered America.= Henry invaded
France, but soon concluded a peace with Charles VIII. at ~Estaples~ (Nov.
3).
Charles agreed to pay £149,000, partly to reimburse Henry for his
expenses in a war in Brittany, and partly as arrears of Edward's
pension.
1494. Joan Boughton, the first English female martyr, burnt for heresy.
1496. James IV. of Scotland espoused the cause of Warbeck, and invaded
England. None of the English joined the invaders, and the Scots returned
laden with plunder.
1497. A heavy tax, voted by parliament for war with Scotland, led to an
insurrection in Cornwall. The insurgents marched to BLACKHEATH, near
London, where they were defeated (June 22). Warbeck landed in Cornwall,
and besieged Exeter, but retreated on the approach of the royal forces. He
afterwards surrendered, and was sent prisoner to London. John Cabot and
his son Sebastian discovered Newfoundland. Vasco de Gama doubled the Cape
of Good Hope.
1499. Warbeck and the earl of Warwick executed for high treason.
1501. Prince Arthur married Catherine of Arragon. He died in the following
year.
1503. James IV. of Scotland married the king's daughter Margaret. Henry,
whose ruling passion was avarice, exacted, in the course of his reign,
immense sums from his subjects by unjust and irregular means. He is said
to have died worth £1,800,000. The chief instruments of his exactions were
two lawyers, named Empson and Dudley.
HENRY VIII.
=D.= He was the son of Henry VII. =B.= at Greenwich, 1491. =M.= (1)
Catherine of Arragon, his brother's widow, whom he divorced--she died
1536; (2) Anne Boleyn, beheaded for alleged immorality, May 19, 1536; (3)
Jane Seymour, the day after Anne's execution--she died 1537; (4) Anne of
Cleves, whom he divorced; (5) Catherine Howard, beheaded for immorality,
Feb 13, 1542; (6) Catherine Parr, who survived him. =Dd.= at Westminster,
Jan. 28, 1547. =R.= 37-3/4 years (1509 to 1547).
1510. Empson and Dudley executed on a frivolous charge of high treason.
1512. War with France. Sir Edward Howard gained a victory over the French
fleet near BREST (Aug. 12).
1513. Henry besieged and captured TEROUENNE. During the siege a body of
French troops advanced for its relief, and were defeated at GUINEGATE:
their hasty retreat led the battle to be called the "Battle of Spurs"
(Aug. 16). =James IV.= invaded England, and =was defeated and slain at=
FLODDEN (Sept. 9).
1514. Peace concluded with France and Scotland.
1515. Wolsey made Cardinal by the Pope, and chancellor by the king. In
1518 he was appointed papal legate.
1520. Henry visited Francis I. of France. The place where they met called
"The Field of the Cloth of Gold."
1521. Edward, duke of Buckingham, first peer of the realm, executed for
high treason. Henry wrote a book against Luther, and, in return, the pope
conferred on him the title of =Defender of the Faith=.
1527. =Henry began to express doubts as to the validity of his marriage
with Catherine.=
1529. Cardinals Wolsey and Compeggio held a court to try the validity of
the marriage, but adjourned it without coming to any decision. Wolsey
sentenced, soon after, to the loss of his goods, and imprisonment during
the king's pleasure, for having received bulls from Rome. _Henry released
from his debts by statute._
1530. Wolsey pardoned, but afterwards arrested for treason. He died in
Leicester Abbey on his way to the Tower.
1532. Sir Thomas More, who had succeeded Wolsey as chancellor, resigned
his office. COMMENCEMENT OF THE REFORMATION.
1533. Cranmer appointed archbishop of Canterbury. He held a court at
Dunstable, and declared that Henry's marriage with Catherine was null and
void.
1534. =PAPAL SUPREMACY ABOLISHED IN ENGLAND.= Henry declared to be "the
only Supreme Head on earth of the Church of England." Bishop Fisher and
Sir Thomas More attainted of high treason for refusing to acknowledge the
invalidity of Henry's marriage with Catherine.
1535. =Fisher and More executed= for declining to acknowledge Henry as
head of the church. Cromwell appointed the king's vicar-general in
ecclesiastical matters.
1536. =Wales incorporated with England=, and subjected to English laws.
Suppression of the lesser monasteries. Insurrection in Lincolnshire, and
another in Yorkshire, called the =Pilgrimage of Grace=, both of which were
caused by the changes in religion.
1539. Suppression of the remaining monasteries. Statute passed known as
the _Statute of Six Articles_. The abbots of Glastonbury, Reading, and
Colchester executed for high treason.
By the Statute of Six Articles--1, Transubstantiation; 2, Communion in
one kind; 3, The celibacy of the clergy; 4, Vows of chastity; 5,
Private masses; and 6, Auricular confession,--were declared to be
agreeable to the law of God. Those who denied the first were to be
burnt; those who denied the rest were to suffer the loss of property
for the first offence, and death for the second.
1540. Cromwell, now earl of Essex, executed for high treason.
1541. Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, executed for high treason. =Henry
declared king of Ireland.=
1542. =War with Scotland.= The Scottish army routed on SOLWAY MOSS (Nov.
25); James V. died a few days after, and was succeeded by his daughter
Mary, only a week old.
1544. Henry empowered to alter the succession by will. _Parliament
remitted to the king all money he had borrowed since 1542, and directed
that any sums he had paid back should be returned to him._ He invaded
France, besieged and captured Boulogne, but, as his ally the Emperor
Charles made a separate peace at Crêpy, he was obliged to return to
England.
1545. An indecisive action between the English and French fleets off
PORTSMOUTH.
1546. Peace concluded with France. The duke of Norfolk and his son, the
earl of Surrey, committed to the Tower for high treason.
1547. Execution of the earl of Surrey. The execution of his father was
prevented by the death of the king.
EDWARD VI.
=D.= He was the son of Henry VIII. and of Jane Seymour. =B.= at Hampton
Court, 1537. =Dd.= at Greenwich, July 6, 1553. =R.= 6-1/2 years (1547 to
1553).
1547. The earl of Hertford, the king's maternal uncle, appointed
protector, and soon after created duke of Somerset. =War with Scotland.=
The Scots defeated with great loss at PINKIE (Sept. 10). Repeal of the
Statute of Six Articles.
1548. The French sent troops to assist the Scots; and Queen Mary was
conveyed to France.
1549. _The Act of Uniformity of divine worship passed._ Execution of Lord
Seymour, brother of the protector, for high treason. Insurrections in
Cornwall, Devon, and Norfolk;--the western insurrection caused chiefly by
the changes in religion; the eastern by the enclosing of land;--the
latter, which was the most formidable, was suppressed by the earl of
Warwick; and Ket, the leader, was hanged at Norwich Castle. =These
outbreaks led to the institution of lords-lieutenant of counties.=
Somerset removed from the protectorate by Warwick and his friends, and
sent to the Tower.
1550. Peace concluded with France and Scotland. Somerset released, and
re-admitted to the council. Joan Bocher (or Joan of Kent) burnt for
heresy.
1552. Execution of Somerset on a charge of intending to imprison the earl
of Warwick (who had just been created duke of Northumberland).
1553. Edward, on the suggestion of Northumberland, altered the succession,
and made Lady Jane Grey heir to the throne.
She was granddaughter of Henry VIII.'s sister Mary, and wife of Lord
Guildford Dudley, fourth son of Northumberland.
MARY.
=D.= She was the daughter of Henry VIII. and of Catherine of Arragon. =B.=
at Greenwich, 1516. =M.= Philip (son of Charles V., emperor of Germany),
who soon after became king of Spain. =Dd.= at St. James's, Westminster,
Nov. 17, 1558. =R.= 5-1/4 years (1553 to 1558).
1553. Lady Jane Grey proclaimed queen; but the people were not disposed to
sanction the change of the succession, and soon recognized Mary. Norfolk,
Bishop Gardiner, and others, released from prison. Execution of
Northumberland for high treason. =Practical re-establishment of the
Catholic religion.= Lady Jane Grey, her husband, and Cranmer, convicted of
high treason.
1554. Insurrection of Sir Thomas Wyatt to prevent the queen's marriage
with Philip. Wyatt taken and executed. Lady Jane Grey and her husband
executed. The Princess Elizabeth placed in prison, because she was
supposed to be concerned in the insurrection.
1555. =Commencement of the Marian persecution.= Rogers, prebendary of St.
Paul's, Bishops Hooper, Latimer, Ridley, and many other persons, burnt for
heresy.
1556. Cranmer burnt for heresy, and Cardinal Pole consecrated archbishop
the day after his death.
1557. War declared against France. Battle of ST. QUENTIN, in which the
Spaniards, aided by the English, defeated the French (Aug. 10).
1558. =Calais taken= by the duke of Guise after it had been in the
possession of the English for 210 years (Jan. 7). Death of Cardinal Pole.
ELIZABETH.
=D.= She was the daughter of Henry VIII. and of Anne Boleyn. =B.= at
Greenwich, 1533. =Dd.= at Richmond, March 24, 1603. =R.= 44-1/2 years
(1558 to 1603).
1558. Sir William Cecil (afterwards Lord Burleigh) chosen by the queen as
her chief adviser.
1559. THE PROTESTANT RELIGION RE-ESTABLISHED BY PARLIAMENT: _Act of
Supremacy and Act of Uniformity passed_. Peace concluded with France at
~Cateau-Cambresis~ (April 2). Parker appointed archbishop of Canterbury.
1561. Mary, queen of Scots, widow of Francis II. of France, returned to
Scotland after an absence of about thirteen years.
1562. =Ratification of the 39 Articles.= The Puritan party were defeated
in Convocation.
The Puritans objected to the wearing of ecclesiastical vestments, to
the sign of the cross in baptism, to kneeling at the communion, to
bowing at the name of Jesus, to the ring in marriage, and, some years
later, to the Episcopal form of government. Elizabeth, who was fond of
some of the Romish practices, was bitterly opposed to the Puritans,
but they were secretly supported by Cecil, Leicester, and other of her
councillors.
1565. Mary, queen of Scots, married her cousin, Lord Darnley.
1567. Lord Darnley was murdered; and Mary married Bothwell, who was
publicly charged with the crime. She was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle,
and compelled to resign the crown to her infant son James.
1568. Mary escaped and raised an army, but was defeated by the regent
Murray. She fled into England, and was detained as a prisoner.
1569. The earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland raised an insurrection
in the north, for the purpose of re-establishing the Catholic religion,
and of liberating Mary, but were soon compelled to abandon the attempt.
1572. Execution of the duke of Norfolk for high treason. He was charged
with conspiring to dethrone Elizabeth, and to marry Mary. =Massacre of
Protestants in France on St. Bartholomew's day.=
1578. Elizabeth concluded an alliance with the people of the Netherlands,
who had revolted against Spain.
1579. Treaty of Union between the revolted provinces at Utrecht--the
foundation of the Netherland Republic.
1580. Francis Drake returned from his voyage round the world.
1583. _Complete establishment of the High Commission Court._
1585. Elizabeth sent military aid to the Netherlands, and appointed the
earl of Leicester commander-in-chief.
1586. Sir Philip Sidney mortally wounded at Zutphen. A plot discovered for
assassinating the queen and liberating the queen of Scots. Babington and
other conspirators executed. Trial and conviction of Mary for complicity
in the plot.
1587. =Execution of Mary, queen of Scots, at Fotheringay= (Feb. 8).
1588. =THE SPANISH ARMADA.= Philip sent a large armada to invade England,
but it was defeated and dispersed.
The "Invincible Armada" consisted of about 130 ships and 30,000 men,
and an army of invasion of about 35,000 men was collected in the
Netherlands, under the duke of Parma, ready to be carried across in
transports, under the protection of the Armada. The Spaniards lost 81
vessels and 13,500 men.
1589. Henry IV. succeeded to the crown of France, and was opposed by the
confederacy of the Catholic nobles, known as the League, as well as by the
pope and Philip II. Elizabeth rendered him military and pecuniary aid.
1596. Cadiz captured by an armament under the earl of Essex and Lord
Howard.
1598. Henry IV. granted toleration and protection to the Protestants by
the =Edict of Nantes=. Death of Lord Burleigh, and of Philip II. of Spain.
The English were defeated at BLACKWATER by the rebel earl of Tyrone (Aug.
14).
1599. The earl of Essex appointed lord-lieutenant of Ireland. In stead of
resorting to active hostilities, he made a treaty with the earl of Tyrone.
On returning home to justify his conduct, he was placed in custody, but
was set at liberty the next year.
1600. =Establishment of the East India Company.=
1601. Essex plotted to seize the queen, and compel her to remove his
enemies from power. He attempted to raise an insurrection in London, but
failed, and was executed for high treason. Great complaints made in
Parliament about monopolies. _Poor Law Act passed_: this act, with some
modifications, remained in force till 1834.
1602. Submission of the earl of Tyrone.
In the course of this reign several extremely severe laws were passed
against the Catholics, and some very intolerant ones against the
Protestant Nonconformists. COMMENCEMENT OF THE MARITIME GREATNESS OF
ENGLAND.
THE HOUSE OF STUART.
JAMES I.
=D.= James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and of Lord Darnley. Mary
was the granddaughter of Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. =B.= at
Edinburgh, 1566. =M.= Anne, daughter of Frederick II., of Denmark. =Dd.=
at Theobalds, in Hertfordshire, Mar. 27, 1625. =R.= 22 years (1603 to
1625).