17th November 1558: Elizabeth I succeeds her half-sister Mary to become Queen of England

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and, despite being declared illegitimate following the annulment of her parents’ marriage, came to the throne as the next in line behind her Catholic half-sister under the terms of the Third Act of Succession.

11th October 1521: King Henry VIII of England given the title Defender of the Faith by Pope Leo X

The Pope granted the Latin title Fidei defensor to Henry after he published a book in which he defended Catholic doctrine against the criticisms levelled at it by Martin Luther in his Ninety-five Theses during the early stages of the Protestant Reformation.

19th May 1536: The execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of the future Elizabeth I

Although found unanimously guilty by a jury of 27 peers, the evidence against Anne was questionable. Only the Flemish musician Mark Smeaton admitted to having an affair with her, and this confession is reputed to have been extracted under torture.

23rd March 1540: Waltham Abbey in Essex became the last abbey to be dissolved under Henry VIII

Abbot Robert Fuller surrendered the abbey and its property on 23 March 1540, and within just a few years all the buildings except for the parish nave had been demolished or had collapsed due to neglect.

10th July 1553: Lady Jane Grey becomes queen of England

On the 10th July 1553, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen of England after her first cousin once removed, the 15-year-old King Edward VI, died of an unknown respiratory problem.

11th October 1521: Henry VIII becomes ‘Defender of the Faith’

On the 11th October 1521, Pope Leo X granted the title “Defender of the Faith” to King Henry VIII of England.

19th May 1536: Execution of Anne Boleyn in the Tower of London

On the 19th May 1536, Anne Boleyn – Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of the future Elizabeth I – was beheaded in the Tower of London, having been found guilty of adultery, treason, and incest.