istoryworld
London timeline
After tentative beginnings in the three parts of Henry VI, Shakespeare achieves his first masterpiece on stage with Richard III
A flush toilet is illustrated in an English pamphlet, The Metamorphosis of Ajax by John Harrington
A manuscript, the Guildford Book of Court, uses the word 'creckett' for a game played in a Guildford school
The Globe, where many of Shakespeare's plays are first performed, is built on Bankside in London
William Gilbert, physician to Queen Elizabeth, concludes that the earth is a magnet and coins the term 'magnetic pole'
Britain's East India Company is established when Elizabeth I grants a charter to a 'Company of Merchants trading into the East Indies'
Electricity is given its name (in the Latin phrase vis electrica) by the English physician, William Gilbert
Shakespeare's central character in Hamlet expresses both the ideals of the Renaissance and the disillusion of a less confident age
Queen Elizabeth I dies at the age of 69 in Richmond Palace
James VI of Scotland inherits peacefully the crown of his English cousin Elizabeth, and becomes James I of England
The accession of James I and VI to the throne of England brings the union of the crowns of England and Scotland
The British king James I launches a blistering attack on the smoking of tobacco, which he considers a loathsome custom
James I commissions the Authorized version of the Bible, which is completed by forty-seven scholars in seven years
Bushy Park has by now acquired its familiar name, from the thorn bushes planted to protect the sapling oaks from the deer
Ben Jonson writes The Masque of Blackness, the first of his many masques for the court of James I
The Gunpowder Plot, attempting murder and treason, severely damages the Catholic cause in Britain
The satirical voice of the English playwright Ben Jonson is heard to powerful effect in Volpone
The earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnel sail from Ireland with their families, in the event known as the Flight of the Earls
A shipload of Puritans, among them some of the future Pilgrim Fathers, sail from Boston in Lincolnshire to seek religious freedom in Holland
Shakespeare's sonnets, written ten years previously, are published
Sir Thomas Vavasour builds Ham House
A 3 storey brick mansion set in 74 acres, later known as Cambridge Park, is built by Sir Humphrey Lynd.
Shakespeare's last completed play, The Tempest, is performed
The establishment of a Baptist church in London is a defining moment for the Baptist sect within Christianity
The Globe catches fire during a performance of Shakespeare's last play, Henry VIII
