Henry IV., ofBolingbroke.
D.He was the son of John of Gaunt, and grandson of Edward III.B.at Bolingbroke, 1366.M.(1) Mary, daughter of the earl of Hereford; (2) Jane, daughter of the king of Navarre.Dd.at Westminster, March 20, 1413.R.13½ years (1399 to 1413).
1399. Knights of the Bath first created, at the king’s coronation.
1401.Statute passed for burning heretics.A clergyman, named William Sawtre, burnt for holding the doctrines of the Lollards—the first English martyr.
1402. The Welsh defeated Sir Edmund Mortimer nearKnyghton, in Radnorshire (June 12). The Scots invaded England, and were vanquished atNesbit Moor(June 22). They were again defeated by the Percies atHomildon Hill(Sept. 14).
1403.Rebellion of the Percies.The Percies conspired with Sir Edmund Mortimer and Owen Glendower, the Welsh chief. Hotspur defeated and slain atShrewsbury(July 21).
“One of the most obstinate and bloody battles recorded in English history.”
1405. James of Scotland, son of Robert III., captured as he was proceeding to France. New conspiracy of Percy, earl of Northumberland, and his friends. Scrope, archbishop of York, one of the conspirators, executed—the first instance in our annals of a prelate undergoing capital punishment.
1407. England visited by a terrible pestilence.
1408. The earl of Northumberland defeated and slain atBramham Moor, near Tadcaster (Feb. 18).
1410. John Badby, a Lollard, executed for heresy.
In this reignthe influence of parliament was considerably increased. The members indulged more freely in liberty of speech, and carried their inquiries into every department of the government.
Henry V., ofMonmouth.
D.He was the son of Henry IV.B.at Monmouth, 1388.M.Catherine, daughter of Charles VI. of France.Dd.at Vincennes, Aug. 31, 1422.R.9½ years (1413 to 1422).
1413. Sir John Oldcastle (commonly called Lord Cobham), one of the Lollards, condemned as a heretic. He escaped into Wales, but was captured and burnt in 1417.
1414. Henry demanded the crown of France; and that unreasonable claim being disregarded, he claimed Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, Guienne, and other districts, together with the hand of the Princess Catherine, and a large dower.
1415. Negotiations continued. The French finally offered the duchy of Aquitaine and the hand of Catherine, with 800,000 crowns; but these terms were rejected.
WAR WITH FRANCE.Before setting sail for France, Henry detected a conspiracy to place the earl of March on the throne; Richard, earl of Cambridge, and other conspirators executed. Siege and capture ofHarfleur(Sept. 22).Henry gained a great victory atAGINCOURT (Oct. 25); the French loss 10,000, the English, 1,600.
1419.Rouencaptured 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 atBeaugéin Anjou (Mar. 22).
1422. Henry besieged and capturedMeaux(May).
Henry VI., ofWindsor.
D.He was the son of Henry V.B.at Windsor, 1421.M.Margaret of Anjou. Deposed, March, 1461. Probablymurderedin the Tower, May, 1471.R.38½ 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 atCrevant on Yonneby 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 atRouvrai(the Battle of Herrings, Feb. 12). SIEGE RAISED BY JOAN OF ARC (May). The English defeated atPatay(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 atChatillonin 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 atSt. 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, atBloreheath(Sept. 23).
1460. The Lancastrians, under the duke of Buckingham, defeated atNorthamptonby the Yorkists, under the earl of Warwick (July 10). The duke of York defeated and slain by the queen’s forces atWakefield Green(Dec. 31).
1461. Edward, earl of March (son and heir of Richard), defeated the Lancastrians, under the earl of Pembroke, atMortimer’s Cross(Feb. 2). Margaret defeated the Yorkists under the earl of Warwick atSt. 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.
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), atTowton, in Yorkshire: total loss 38,000 (Mar. 29). Henry and Margaret escaped into Scotland.
1464. The Lancastrians defeated atHedgley Moor(April 25), andHexham(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 atEdgecote, 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 atStamford(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, atNibley 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 atBarnet: Warwick, “the king-maker,” slain (April 14). Margaret landed at Weymouth, and was defeated by Edward atTewkesbury(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 beenmurderedin 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., surnamedCrookback.
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.Slainat 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, whereRichard was defeated and slain(Aug. 22).
Henry VII., ofRichmond.
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.23¾ 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, andthe 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 atStoke, 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. atEstaples(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 toBlackheath, 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.37¾ 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 nearBrest(Aug. 12).
1513. Henry besieged and capturedTerouenne. During the siege a body of French troops advanced for its relief, and were defeated atGuinegate: their hasty retreat led the battle to be called the “Battle of Spurs” (Aug. 16).James IV.invaded England, andwas defeated and slain atFLODDEN (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 ofDefender 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 executedfor 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 thePilgrimage of Grace, both of which were caused by the changes in religion.
1539. Suppression of the remaining monasteries. Statute passed known as theStatute 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 onSolway 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 offPortsmouth.
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.6½ 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 atPinkie(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.5¼ 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 ofSt. Quentin, in which the Spaniards, aided by the English, defeated the French (Aug. 10).
1558.Calais takenby 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.44½ 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 atCateau-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 theEdict of Nantes. Death of Lord Burleigh, and of Philip II. of Spain. The English were defeated atBlackwaterby 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.
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).
1603. Two plots (the Bye and Main) formed against the king, but soon abandoned. Sir Walter Raleigh, charged with being one of the conspirators in the Main plot (the alleged object of which was to raise Lady Arabella Stuart, the king’s cousin, to the throne), was convicted, and imprisoned in the Tower, where he remained for more than twelve years.
1604. The Puritans having petitioned for alterations in the ritual of the church, a conference was held between representatives of the Puritans, and of the conservative church party, before the king at Hampton Court, but very few concessions were granted to the petitioners.
1605. Discovery of a plot for blowing up the king and parliament with gunpowder. The principal conspirators were either killed in resisting their arrest, or executed. The executions took place early in 1606.
1607. James Town, in Virginia, founded;—the earliest permanent settlement of the English in North America.
1611. Commencement of British colonization of Ulster. Institution of the order of baronets. Publication of a new translation of the Bible (our present authorized version).
1612. Death of Robert Cecil (earl of Salisbury, and chief minister of the crown), and of Prince Henry, the king’s eldest son.
1616. Sir Walter Raleigh released from the Tower. The earl and countess of Somerset convicted of procuring the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury.
1617. Raleigh sailed to Guiana in search of a gold mine, but was unsuccessful, and on his return was committed to prison, because he had engaged in hostilities with the Spaniards, who had attacked him on his landing at St. Thomas.
1618. Raleigh executed on his former sentence.
1620. Emigration of the “Pilgrim Fathers” to New England.
1621. Parliament complained of monopolies, and prosecuted some of the monopolists. Francis Bacon, viscount St. Alban’s, convicted of bribery and corruption in the exercise of his office of Lord Chancellor. The Commons recorded in their journal thatthe liberties of parliament are the undoubted birthright of the subjects of England.
1622. On the dissolution of Parliament, Sir Edward Coke, Pym, and some other distinguished and patriotic members were imprisoned.
1623. Prince Charles and the duke of Buckingham proceeded to Spain in disguise, in order that the prince might see the infanta, to whom he was engaged to be married. They were received with great honour, but the marriage treaty was broken off near the close of the year.
1624. The earl of Middlesex convicted of bribery and oppression in the exercise of his office of lord treasurer.
During about half his reign, James governed without the control of parliaments. Loans, the sale of honours, enormous fines levied by the Star Chamber, and, on one occasion, a benevolence, were among the methods he adopted to secure an income.
Charles I.
D.He was the son of James I.B.at Dunfermline, 1600.M.Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV., of France.Executedat Whitehall, Jan. 30, 1649.R.24 years (1625 to 1649).
1625. Charles’s first parliament met at Westminster, but was adjourned to Oxford, as the plague was raging in the capital. The Commons granted a supply, but, contrary to precedent, voted tonnage and poundage for one year only. Parliament dissolved because a further supply was refused unless coupled with a redress of grievances.
1626. Second parliament. Impeachment of the duke of Buckingham, the king’s minister, to save whom parliament was dissolved.
1627. Unsuccessful expedition of the duke of Buckingham to aid the Protestants at Rochelle. The king raised money by illegal taxation, and by forced loans: those who resisted the loans were imprisoned.
1628.Third parliament.PETITION OF RIGHTdrawn up, to which Charles reluctantly agreed.
The Petition of Right declared the illegality—1, of all pecuniary demands without the consent of parliament; 2, of the punishment of persons for refusing to pay such demands; 3, of billeting soldiers and mariners on private subjects; 4, of proceedings for punishing persons by martial law.
1629. Parliament dissolved for passing resolutions on religion and taxation which were obnoxious to the king. Some of the principal members imprisoned.
1632. Lord Wentworth appointed deputy of Ireland.
1633. Laud appointed archbishop of Canterbury.
1634.Imposition of ship-moneyon seaport towns. It was extended to inland towns in the following year.
1637. John Hampden having refused to pay ship-money, the legality of the tax was discussed before the judges, who decided in its favour. An attempt to introduce a book of canons and a liturgy in Scotland led to great disturbances.
1638.The Scots drew up a covenant, by which they pledged themselves to resist all innovations in religion.
1639. Charles determined to coerce the Scots, who assembled an army. Not having confidence in his forces, he agreed to an accommodation with the Scots, known as thePacification of Berwick.
1640. Fourth parliament assembled, and was soon dissolved, because it refused to grant money without a redress of grievances. The Scots invaded England, and defeated the royal vanguard atNewburn(Aug. 28).Treaty of Ripon, by the terms of which the Scottish army was to abstain from all acts of hostility, on condition of receiving a weekly payment till the differences between them and the king were adjusted.THE LONG PARLIAMENTassembled (Nov. 3). The earl of Strafford (Lord Wentworth) impeached of high treason.
1641. A statute passed, enacting thatparliament should not be dissolved without its own consent. Execution of the earl of Strafford. The Star Chamber, High Commission Court, and other arbitrary courts abolished.Insurrection of the Catholics in Ireland, and fearful excesses committed. The Commons drew up a REMONSTRANCE on the state of the nation.
1642.Charles went to the House of Commons to arrest five members—Pym, Hampden, Haselrig, Hollis, and Strode, whom, with Lord Kimbolton, he had charged with high treason; but he failed in his attempt, as the obnoxious members were designedly absent.The parliament passed a bill for regulating the militia, to which he refused his assent. TheCIVIL WAR, orGREAT REBELLION: Charles raised his standard at Nottingham (Aug. 22). Indecisive battle atEdgehill, in Warwickshire (Oct. 23).
The immediate cause of the rebellion, says Lord Brougham, were—1. The religious zeal, or rather fury, excited by the encouragement which the king and queen gave to Popery, and which was greatly magnified, at least as concerned him. 2. A conspiracy was discovered of some leading persons in the king’s party to march the army to London and subdue the parliament. 3. That which, more than all the rest, hurried on matters to extremities, was the insane step he took of entering, in person, the House of Commons, and claiming the surrender of five members, the leaders of the party opposed to him, but who had the whole Commons and nearly the whole Lords for their followers. That it led immediately to the vote which vested in parliament the nomination of militia officers—in other words, the command of the army—cannot be doubted; and this was the commencement of the Civil War.
1643. Battle ofChalgrove Field, near Oxford, where Hampden was mortally wounded (June 18); Royalist victories atAtherton Moor, in Yorkshire (June 30), andRoundway Down, near Devizes (July 13). Prince Rupert, the king’s nephew, tookBristol, but the king himself failed in an attempt onGloucester. Royalists defeated atNewbury, in Berkshire, where the earls of Sunderland and Carnarvon and Lord Falkland were slain (Sept. 20). Death of Pym.
1644. The king assembled a rival parliament (consisting of the loyal members) at Oxford. The Scots entered England to aid the Long Parliament. Royalists defeated atNantwich(Jan. 25). The parliamentarians, mainly by the military genius of Oliver Cromwell, gained a great victory atMarston Moor, in Yorkshire (July 2). Indecisive battle atNewbury(Oct. 27).
1645. Archbishop Laud executed for high treason. A treaty of peace begun at Uxbridge, but the two parties could not agree as to the terms.Self-denying ordinancepassed, ordaining that no member of parliament should hold in future any civil or military office.The parliamentarians gained a decisive victory atNASEBY, in Northamptonshire (June 14). Bristol retaken by Sir Thomas Fairfax. The earl of Montrose, who had gained several victories over the covenanters, was totally defeated atPhiliphaugh, near Selkirk (Sept. 13).
1646. The king surrendered himself to the Scots who were stationed near Newark (May 5).
END OF THE FIRST CIVIL WAR.
1647. The Scots gave Charles up to the parliament on payment of part of their arrears. The latter endeavoured to disband the English army, but failed: and the army seized the king. About five months after, he escaped to the Isle of Wight, but was arrested and imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle.
1648. SECOND CIVIL WAR. A royalist insurrection in Wales was soon suppressed by Cromwell, who also defeated, atPreston, a Scotch army that had invaded England in behalf of the king (Aug. 17). The Presbyterians, in the absence of the army, being predominant in parliament, began a treaty with Charles at Newport; but while the negotiations were proceeding, the army directed Charles to be removed to Hurst Castle, and Colonel Pride “purged” the House by forcibly excluding many of the members unfavourable to the army: this proceeding was known asPride’s Purge. The remainder, orRump Parliament, voted that the king should be brought to trial as guilty of high treason against the people.
1649.THE KINGwas tried in Westminster Hall, and though he refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the high court of justice, he wasCONDEMNED AND EXECUTED.
Principal Officers in the Civil War.—Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice (the king’s nephews), the earls of Lindsey, Newcastle, and Montrose, Sir Ralph Hopton, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, and Goring, royalist commanders. The earl of Essex, Lord Kimbolton, afterwards earl of Manchester, Sir William Waller, Sir Thomas Fairfax, Hampden, Cromwell, Ireton, and Lambert, parliamentary commanders.
1649. Charles II. proclaimed king in Scotland, and soon after in Ireland. The Commons voted that the House of Lords and the office of King should be abolished. A council of forty-one persons appointed to conduct the government. Cromwell went to Ireland, tookDroghedaandWexfordby storm, and captured several other towns.
1650. Montrose appeared in arms in Scotland on behalf of Charles II., but was captured, and executed at Edinburgh. Cromwell returned from Ireland, and about a month after Charles’s arrival in Scotland, he crossed the Tweed (July), and defeated the Scots under General Leslie atDunbar(Sept. 3).
1651. Charles crowned at Scone. He raised an army and invaded England, but was pursued by Cromwell, and defeated atWorcester(Sept. 3). After a series of perilous adventures he escaped to France.Navigation Actpassed.
This act, which aimed a deadly blow at the Dutch carrying trade, forbade the importation of goods from Asia, Africa, or America, in any ships except such as belonged to English subjects, and in the case of European goods they must be imported in English ships, or in ships that were the property of the people of the country producing the goods.
1652. WAR WITH THE DUTCH. Van Tromp defeated by Blake offDover(May 19), and an indecisive battle was fought between De Ruyter and Ayscue offPlymouth(Aug. 16). The English were victorious in theDowns(Sept. 28), and defeated in the same neighbourhood two months after (Nov. 29).
1653. The Dutch defeated with great loss offPortland(Feb. 18-20); and they were again defeated off theNorth Foreland(June 2, 3), and offTexel(July 31): Van Tromp killed in the last battle.Cromwell forcibly dissolved the Rump Parliament(April 20). The Little Parliament met, and about five months after surrendered their power into the hands ofCROMWELL, who was declaredLORD PROTECTOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH(Dec. 16).
1654. Peace concluded with Holland. Scotland incorporated with England. Cromwell called a new parliament, which met Sept. 3, and was dissolved early in the next year (Jan. 22).
1655. Capture of Jamaica. The Jews were again allowed to settle in England.
1657. A parliament, which had first assembled in1656(Sept. 17), offered Cromwell the title of king, which he refused. He was then empowered to name his successor, and to create a second legislative assembly.
1658. The French and English defeated the Spaniards at theDunes, near Dunkirk (June 4). Dunkirk taken, and surrendered to the English.DEATH OF THE PROTECTOR(Sept. 3). He was succeeded by his son Richard.
1659. A new parliament assembled, but after sitting three months was dissolved by Richard Cromwell, at the request of the army leaders. He resigned the Protectorate. The Long (Rump) Parliament reassembled. The royalists attempted an insurrection, but were defeated atNantwich. The parliament expelled by the army, and a Committee of Safety appointed; but two months later the parliament was reinstated.
1660. General Monk, the parliamentary commander in Scotland, came to London with his troops, and at his desire the members expelled by Pride were readmitted. This parliament resolved that a new parliament should assemble, and dissolved itself. TheConvention Parliamentmet, and Charles, who was residing at Breda, and with whom Monk had been lately holding communications, sent, at his suggestion, a letter containing theDeclaration from Breda. CHARLES RECALLED. His restoration dates from his public entry into London (May 29).