Since 1485 , English ( and after British ) cultural periods have been name after the monarch or group of monarchs who occupied the throne . Each epoch celebrated triumph , witnessed tragedy , endured inequality , fought for change , made promotion in science , and saw lit heyday . Here ’s a warm guidebook to each one .
1. The Tudor Era (1485–1558): The Age of Religious Upheaval
Henry VII ’s ( reigned 1485 - 1509 ) victory at the Battle of Bosworth mark the end of the medieval Plantagenet geezerhood and raised an apart Welsh nobleman to the tip of England .
Much of the Tudor earned run average was dominated by the spiritual upheaval get by the English reformation [ PDF ] . When the Pope turn away to annul the matrimony betweenHenry VIII(reigned 1509–1547 ) and Catherine of Aragon , the king took matter into his own hands and made himself pass of the Church in England . It give up him to marryAnne Boleyn(and , as a bonus , dissolve the monasteries and seize their assets ) , but it also spread out the door to the Protestant faith in England .
Henry never in full sweep up Protestantism in its entirety , unlike his sonEdward VI(reigned 1547 - 1553 ) whose forgetful reign saw a pushing for moreradical reform . His Protestant advisors try out to hold onto power by complot to placeLady Jane Greyon the stool after his early death . But England rose up in living of Mary Tudor , and Jane ’s reign ended after only nine days . She was imprisoned in theTower of London — and might have survived had her founder not supportedThomas Wyatt ’s rebellion(an endeavor to stop Mary ’s Spanish marriage , overthrow the political science , and set Henry VIII ’s daughter Elizabeth on the throne instead ) . Mary had Jane executed in February 1554 ; she was only 16 twelvemonth sometime .
Mary I ( reigned1553–1558 ) , England ’s first Queen Regnant , set about undo her brother ’s body of work with thecounter - Protestant Reformation . She choke five years after ascending the potty , unpopular and disillusioned , and has been remembered ever since ( somewhat unfairly ) asBloody Mary .
Despite so much religious strife , the Tudor earned run average saw the birth of theEnglish Renaissance . It became common for books to be printed in the English vernacular , especially the bible , plus there was an spate in political booklet and theological treatise as more people sought to understand their changing society . There was also a development in music , and the shift aside from medieval iconography saw the wage hike in realistic portraiture , now available to anyone from the king to the burgeon mediate - form .
2. The Elizabethan Era (1558–1603): The Age of Discovery
Elizabeth Tudor ’s route to the English throne was not easy . Her female parent , Anne Boleyn , was executed when she was just a small fry ; Elizabeth was then declared the unlawful girl of a traitor , thoughHenry VIII still recognized her as his own . She was afterwards in short embroiled in — and put away for — a plot of land to put her on the potty instead of her half - sister , Mary I. She rose to magnate after Mary identify her as heir , and her sovereignty came to represent a favourable age that was so distinguishable from its predecessor , it ’s remember as an era in its own right field .
Elizabeth was a complex character , both fix , astute , and politically astute , and yet wreck by doubtfulness , procrastination , and paranoia . She reject a marriage that would have seen her husband crowned king and instead chose to show herself as the Virgin Queen and mother of her people , declaring that“I am already bound unto an Husband , namely , the Kingdome of England . ”
Elizabeth ’s great curse was her cousinMary Queen of Scots , who had her oculus on the English treetop and was immure in England for 19 years . After Mary became embroiled in theBabington Plot — which planned to make her queen — Elizabeth sign her death warrant in 1587 , admitting that “ so long as there is life in her , there is promise ; so as they hold out in Bob Hope , we populate in fear . ”
Danger also add up from abroad . In 1588 , England ’s fledgeling navy manage to campaign off theSpanish Armadathanks to a newfangled intention of ship and kindly weather condition . This prevented a Catholic intrusion and kept Elizabeth on her toilet .
The Elizabethan era see England start to look beyond Europe and toward the New World . Privateers such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh set out to touch the earlier Spanish explorers . The English were soon found newfangled settlements , including inVirginia in 1587 . It was also the beginning of Empire and the English slave trade .
Unlike her sib , Elizabeth rule a spiritual via media between the Protestant and Catholic churches , embodied in theAct of Uniformity(1559 ) . This established Protestantism as England ’s official faith but allowed individuals to find a midway way . The continued execution of Catholics was done on the grounds of their lese majesty rather than their faith , and Elizabeth made a point ofdeclaringthat she did not require to “ make windows into world ’s soul … there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a difference over trifles . ”
The era ’s relative political stability allow science , art , euphony , and literature to expand . The Elizabethan geezerhood saw the first purpose - build theater in 1576 , the innovation ofminiature portraiture , and a variety in architecture from the defensive castle to the land house . It was also the eld ofWilliam Shakespeare , whose first frolic was do sometime around 1590 .
3. The Stuart Era (1603–1714): The Age of Civil War
The Stuart family had already ruled Scotland for 232 years whenJames VIbecame James I of England ( prevail 1603–1625 ) . Their tenure of the English crown was tag by confrontation , polite war , religious intolerance , and political turmoil .
The transition was initially passive . But theGunpowder Plotin 1605 establish that religious fanaticism was still very much alive . Thirteen conspirators ( of whomGuy Fawkesis the best remembered ) undertake to blow up the Martin Luther King and sevens . Although the plot was foil , it ’s still mark in Britain every November 5 .
tearing upheaval continued in the conformation of theWars of the Three Kingdoms . James was succeeded by his son Charles I ( reigned 1625–1649 ) , whose belief in the divine right of king put him on a collision course with the turn power of Parliament . Conflict over taxation , religion , and purple power in the end erupted intocivil state of war . Charles was executed for lese majesty in 1649 .
For the next 11 days , England was a republic withOliver Cromwellat its head , baron in all but name , until Charles I ’s Word , Charles II ( rule 1649–1685 ) , was invite to return in 1660 . As well as the Restoration , the decennary saw two other important events . In 1665,theGreat Plagueswept through England , kill 68,596 people in London alone — around15 pct of the city ’s population . A year after , the upper-case letter was lay waste to by theGreat Fire of Londonwhen sparks from a bread maker ’s oven take fire a blaze that destroyed over 13,000 medieval family , the Royal Exchange , and St. Paul ’s Cathedral . English diaristSamuel Pepyswrote : “ Lord ! what sad sight it was by moone - light to see , the whole City almost on flaming … ”
spiritual unrest carry on under Charles II ’s reign . Although the throne passed peacefully to his Catholic crony , within three years James II ( reigned 1685–1688 ) was depone in theGlorious Revolution . This time the monarchy survived , and the later Stuart menses was overseen by James ’s two daughter . Mary II ( reign 1689–1694 ) co - rule with her husband , William III ( reigned 1689–1702 ) , and then Queen Anne ( dominate 1702–1714 ) became the first monarch of the land of Great Britain when theAct of Unionwas passed in 1707 .
Despite all this turbulency , the Stuart epoch featured numerous advance in science , art , and computer architecture . Sir Christopher Wrenrebuilt much of London , including St. Paul ’s Cathedral . In scientific discipline , Sir Isacc Newtonused mathematics to limit gravity , colour , and the stop number of sound;Robert Boylepioneered modern interpersonal chemistry ; andEdmond Halleycalculated the parabolical area of comets , including the one that bear his name .
4. The Georgian Era (1714–1837): The Age of Science and Reason
With the1701 Act of Settlementdetermining that only a Protestant could inherit the throne , Georg of Hanover became George I of Great Britain ( reigned 1714–1727 ) despite there being more than 50 claimants ahead of him . George II ( reigned 1727–1760 ) , George III ( predominate 1760–1820 ) , and George IV ( reigned 1820–1830 ) followed before William IV ( reigned 1830–1837 ) ended the era in 1837 .
Although the monarchy ’s repute reached an all - clip first gear during theGeorgian erathanks to uncharismatic kings , utmost gluttony , and tales of malicious gossip and murder , it was one of the most progressive . George I ’s tenacity to delegate avail prepare the role ofBritish Prime Minister ; in 1774,Ignatius Sanchobecame the first Black Briton to throw up his vote ; and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was forge in 1801 along with the current national signal flag ( the Union Jack ) .
Britain’sIndustrial Revolutionkicked off during the Georgian period . The innovation of steam locomotive engine gradually allowed for bigger , more efficient machine , public railway , and steamboat , all bear out by ember . Economic growth meant that convert to the electoral organization were inevitable as the raw and hefty middle - division emerge , resulting in theGreat Reform Act of 1832 . There was also a growing social knowingness about the hard worker barter , leading to its abolishment across the Empire in 1833 .
The Georgian catamenia revived the historic period - old tensions between England and France , resulting in two of Britain ’s most celebrated battles : the navalBattle of Trafalgar(1805 ) , at which the national hero Admiral Horatio Nelson was defeat , and theBattle of Waterloo(1815 ) , where a combination of European forces led by Arthur Wellesley , the Duke of Wellington , defeated theEmperor Napoleon Bonaparte . But Britain ’s growing military power could not prevent the loss of the American colonies by 1783 .
TheRomantic motion , which encompassed poetry , music , prowess , and philosophy , arose during the Georgian era . The first novel , Robinson Crusoewas published in 1719 , and the 18th century saw a rapid rise in the medium , including Henry Fielding’sTom Jones(1749),Jane Austen’sPride and Prejudice(1813 ) , Sir Walter Scott’sIvanhoe(1819 ) , andMary Shelley’sFrankenstein(1818 ) .
5. The Victorian Era (1837–1901): The Age of Industry and Invention
Alexandrina of Kent ’s coronation asQueen Victoriabegan one of the most transformative periods in British story .
straightlaced Britain was a place of contradiction . There were those who became super wealthy through mills , manufacturing , and trade , but there were also the passing poor , who starved in apparent pile . Wage rates increase , but human race , women , and shaver were expected to work long hour in life-threatening and overcrowded conditions . It was not unusual for a child to lose a limb from grovel under a loom . As masses flooded into the city , slums became “ crack of obscure misery . ” Sanitation was so poor thatcholerakilled thousands .
In response , social reform and philanthropic gift became key principles of straight-laced thinking . Various brotherly love and institutions that still exist today were created toalleviate poverty , care for the wan , andabolish slavery worldwide . Legislation was passed to protect child labourer , cater free Education Department , improve public health , found a professional police forcefulness , reform prison house , and introduce safety measures in mines , manufactory , and milling machinery .
Britain was now the prevailing global power . The rural area used its navy to build an empire that embrace a fourth part of the reality ’s population and allow the raw materials for manufacturing back home . mundane items such as postage seal , Christmas cards , photographs , bicycles , post box , and telephones made their first appearance in Britain during the Victorian earned run average . Scientific progress included the instauration ofanaesthesia(1846 ) andantiseptic(1865 ) during surgery , Charles Darwin’sOn the Origin of Species(1856 ) , and the employment of forensic fingerprinting ( 1901 ) .
translate underwent a immense spate thanks to increase schooling , raised literacy levels , and civil and philanthropic investment funds in library . Penny dreadfuls thrilled readers with fib of the supernatural . Many authors , includingCharles Dickens , serialize their employment in hebdomadal magazines so readers could spread the cost of buy them . prim social reform was reflected in the novel ofCharlotte Brontëand Elizabeth Gaskell , a music genre know as theCondition of England Novel . Sherlock Holmesarrived on the crime - solving shot in 1887 .
6. The Edwardian Era (1901–1914): The Age of Social Reform
Edward VII(reigned 1901–1910 ) , the first power of the House of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha , had spent the previous 59 long time as the man-about-town Prince of Wales , notable for his obstinate modus vivendi and succession of mistress . He was n’t expected to be a particularly in force king , but his reign try a noteworthy achiever . Edward was capable to re - found the popularity of the monarchy , which had ebb away away during his female parent ’s foresightful period of cloistered mourning . Although he died in 1910,it ’s generally acceptedthat the Edwardian eld endure until the outbreak of World War I in 1914 .
Political reformscontinued through the Victorian epoch , but property qualification still prevented most working - class men from having the balloting . Women also continued to be disenfranchised . The Edwardian period saw a produce call for distaff suffrage , lead by the National Union for Women ’s Suffrage Societies and the more radical and violent Women ’s Social and Political Union . In law , single women were still not recognize and marital adult female would usually fall behind detention of their children in any dispute with their husband .
The Edwardian period included some of the most authoritative social reforms in British history , which put the land on the path to thewelfare state : Between 1906 and 1914,David Lloyd George ’s determination to “ countermand the tincture of the workhouse from the homes of the poor ” oversaw legislation that introduced gratuitous school meal , the minimum wage , former years pensions , the Children ’s Charter , the National Insurance Act 1911 , and Labor Exchanges .
Britain still retained its spherical empire , but the United States and Germany threatened its situation at the cutting edge of world swap . Its previous policy of globular closing off was now abandoned , andalliancesformed with France and Germany only cemented the grow mistrust with the latter . When the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinate in 1914 , Europe ’s tangled web of accord and alliances extend to theFirst World War .
Literature saw a blossoming of fry ’s books , many still record today , such as Peter Pan inThe Little White Bird(1902),Five Children and It(1902),The Tale of Peter Rabbit(1902),The Railway Children(1906),The steer in the Willows(1908 ) , andThe Secret Garden(1910 ) .
7. The Windsor Era (1917-Present): An Age of Innovation
George V ( reigned 1910–1936 ) came to the throne as a member of the House of Saxe - Coburg - Gotha , but would end it as the founder of the House of Windsor . He select the unexampled name in 1917 when it became necessary for him to distance himself from his German ancestry .
Britain and its ally issue from World War I victorious but not unscathed . The interwar years were ones of economic imprint , mass unemployment , the General Strike ( 1926 ) , and a slump in craft . Yet the warfare played a part in progress political ideas that had stalled during the Edwardian earned run average . TheRepresentation of the People Act(1918 ) finally enshrined in police force the principle of one - mankind - one - voter turnout and the first radical of women ( those over 30 who encounter certain attribute requirement ) were enfranchise . Full female suffrage equal to man ’s was achieved in 1928 . political relation was no longer master by the affluent , landed , or aristocratic . In 1924 , the Labour Party ( gestate from working - class trade pairing movements ) formed its first government . The first female Prime Ministertook office in 1979 .
The monarchy hurt a constitutional crisis in 1936 when George V ’s firstborn son Edward VIII ( reigned 1936 ) abdicatedto hook up with his fancy woman , Wallis Simpson , provide his younger brother Albert as George VI ( prevail 1936–1952 ) .
Meanwhile , Hitler ’s fitting as German Chancellor in 1933 had begun the road to war . By the end of the decade he had annexed Austria and invaded Czechoslovakia . Despite both try at appeasement and explicit warnings , when the German regular army marched into Poland in September 1939 , Britain and Francedeclared war . By 1940,Winston Churchillwas Prime Minister , rationinghad been introduced , theHome Guardwas created , and the Blitz had begun . The post - World War IIyears brought the foundation of the National Health Service ( NHS ) in 1948
Elizabeth IIsucceeded her father in 1952 , at the age of 25 . She persist cracking Britain’slongest - prevail monarch .
Technological innovation continue to skyrocket . Within decades , science saw space exploration , nuclear powerfulness , andthe discovery of DNA . In the movie theatre we have progressed fromsilent moviesto talking motion-picture show to teem service ; euphony has proceed from vinyl radical record to CDs to streaming ; and entertainment involvesthe internet , computer games , and virtual reality .
