1570
Elizabeth I is excommunicated by Pope Pius V.
1571
A plot to depose Elizabeth I, led by Florentine banker Roberto Ridolfi, is discovered.
1751
The Royal Exchange is established, acting as a centre for commerce for the City of London.
1572
Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk, is executed for his part in the Ridolfi Plot.
1572
The Treaty of Blois is signed between Catherine de' Medici of France and Elizabeth I, in which they relinquished their rivalry and agreed an alliance against Spain.
1572
Francis Drake leads raids on the Spanish-controlled Isthmus of Panama.
1572
The Vagabonds Act, a precursor to the Poor Laws, arranges support for the aged or those unable to work, and imposes punishments on unlicensed beggars.
1573 - 1652
Life of English architect, Inigo Jones.
1575 - 1635
Life of John Hall, physician and son-in-law of William Shakespeare.
1577
Francis Drake sets off on an expedition against the Spanish in the Pacific coast of the Americas; this would lead to his circumnavigation of the world in 1580.
1577
A playhouse is opened at Blackfriars, circumventing rules which forbid the existence of theatres by claiming the use of the venue for choir practice.
1579
Second Desmond Rebellion.
1580
Francis Drake returns from his circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth aboard his flagship, the Golden Hind.
1580 - 1583
War of the Portuguese Succession.
1581
Dutch United Provinces of the North declare independence from Spain.
1583
Sir Francis Throckmorton, cousin to one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, leads an unsuccessful conspiracy to depose Elizabeth and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots.
1585
With the Treaty of Nonsuch, Elizabeth I formally begins to support Dutch rebels against Philip II of Spain, leading to war between England and Spain.
1585
An English colony is established on Roanoke Island, on the east coast of America, but is abandoned shortly after.
1586
Another plot to depose Elizabeth, this time led by Anthony Babington, is discovered by Sir Francis Walsingham.
1587
Mary Queen of Scots, having been implicated in the Babington Plot, is beheaded at Fotheringay castle.
1587
Francis Drake leads an attack on the Spanish fleet at Cadiz, destroying a number of ships.
1588
The Spanish Armada sails for England, but is defeated and forced to return to Spain.
1589
William Lee invents the first stocking frame knitting machine.
1589
The English response to the Armada is defeated at Coruña and the Azores.
1593 - 1603
Irish rebellion against English rule.
1593
The Act Against Papists 1593 is issued.
1596
A series of bad harvests, coinciding with outbreaks of disease and a fall in wages, leads to a protest against enclosure in Oxfordshire.
1597
The Act for the Relief of the Poor establishes overseers for the poor.
1599
The Globe Theatre is built on Bankside in London.
1600
Elizabeth I signs a Royal Charter founding the 'Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies'.
1601
In the first voyage of the East India Company, four British ships sail for Sumatra and Java.
1601
The Poor Relief Act formalises the poor relief system.
1603
On the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland accedes to the crown and becomes James I of England.
1603
The war against Ireland ends in an English victory.
1604
The Treaty of London brings an end to the war against Spain.
1604
James I writes A Counterblaste to Tobacco and raises tobacco taxes sharply.
1605
The Gunpowder Plot, attempting murder against the king, is uncovered.
1607
Flight of the Earls and the beginning of the Protestant Plantations of Ulster.
1607
The first lasting English settlement in the new world is founded at Jamestown.
1608 - 1674
Life of John Milton.
1611
The King James Bible is published.
1612
Prince Henry, eldest son of James I, dies of smallpox, placing his younger brother Charles as heir to the throne.
1612
Sir Thomas Roe agrees terms with the Mughal Emperor Jahangir to build a trading base in Surat.
1613
Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I, marries Frederick V, Elector of the Rhine Palatinate.
1613
The Globe Theatre catches fire during a performance of Henry VIII, and is destroyed.
1614
Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
1616
John Rolfe arrives in London from the Virginia Colony with Pocahontas.
1618
Protestant revolts in Bohemia lead to the Thirty Years' War, involving several European powers including Frederick V and Elizabeth Stuart.
1620
The Pilgrim Fathers sail to America to establish a new colony.
1620 - 1706
Life of John Evelyn, English diarist.
1621
Corante, the first newspaper printed in England, reports on news from the continent.
1623
The Spanish Match' - Prince Charles and the Duke of Buckingham travel incognito to Spain in a failed effort to arrange Charles' marriage to Infanta Maria Anna, daughter of King Philip III.
1624
Under the Infanticide Statute, unmarried women whose child is found dead and who are found to have concealed the birth are to be convicted of murder.
1625
On the death of James I, Charles I accedes to the throne.
1625
The English Parliament attempts to limit Charles' ability to raise finances.
1625
Charles I marries Henrietta Maria, Catholic daughter of King Henry IV of France.
1625 - 1630
Anglo-Spanish War.
1627 - 1629
English attempts to relieve French Huguenot rebels at La Rochelle end in failure.
1627
The 'Five Knights' case finds that Charles I has a prerogative to imprison without trial those who refuse to pay forced loans.
1628
Parliament adopts the 'Petition of Right', restricting non-parliamentary taxation, martial law and imprisonment without trial.
1628
The Duke of Buckingham is assassinated.
1629
Charles I prorogues parliament and does not summon another for eleven years.
1632 - 1704
Life of John Locke.
1632
Anthony Van Dyck moves to London and becomes portrait painter at court.
1633 - 1703
Life of Samuel Pepys.
1634
In an attempt to raise funds without relying on parliament, Charles I begins to levy ship money.
1636
John Hampden, a wealthy Buckinghamshire landowner, refuses to pay ship money, prompting others to do the same.
1637
With a new Book of Common Prayer, Charles I attempts to impose Anglican practices on Scotland.
1638
Scottish Presbyterians adopt the National Convent, reaffirming their religious independence from England.
1639
War breaks out between England and Scotland as Charles I continues to assert his religious authority.
1640
In need of funds, Charles summons parliament but his demands are denied. Parliament is dismissed in a matter of weeks.
1640
After the Scottish Covenanters capture Newcastle and Durham, Charles I summons another parliament.
1640
Parliament begins impeachment proceedings against Charles' key counsellors, leading to their exile or execution.