| 1457 | 28 JAN | Henry VII born |
| 1485 | 15 DEC | Catherine of Aragon born |
| 1486 | 19 SEPT | Arthur, Prince of Wales, born |
| 1489 | 29 NOV | Margaret Tudor born (grandmother of Mary Queen of Scots) |
| 1491 | 28 JUNE | Henry VIII born |
| 1501 | 14 NOV | Catherine of Aragon marries Arthur, Prince of Wales |
| 1501 | | Possible year of Anne Boleyn’s birth |
| 1502 | 2 APRIL | Arthur, Prince of Wales, dies (aged 15) |
| 1509 | 22 APRIL | Henry VII dies (aged 52); Henry VIII ascends t the throne (aged 17) |
| | 11 JUNE | Catherine of Aragon marries Henry VIII |
| 1512 | 10 APRIL | James V of Scotland born |
| 1515 | 20 NOV | Mary of Guise born |
| 1516 | 18 FEB | Mary I born |
| 1520 | 13 SEPT | William Cecil, Lord Burghley, born |
| 1532 | 1 SEPT | Anne Boleyn becomes Countess of Pembroke |
| 1533 | 25 JAN | Anne Boleyn marries Henry VIII |
| | 23 MAY | Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, pronounces marriage between Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII invalid |
| | 28 MAY | Cranmer pronounces Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn married |
| | 1 JUNE | Anne Boleyn crowned |
| | 11 JULY | Henry VIII excommunicated |
| | 7 SEPT | Elizabeth I born; possible date of birth of Robert Dudley |
| | 10 SEPT | Elizabeth baptized at Greenwich |
| 1534 | 20 APR | Elizabeth Barton, ‘Maid of Kent’, executed |
| 1535 | 22 JUNE | Bishop John Fisher executed |
| | 6 JULY | Sir Thomas More executed |
| 1536 | 7 JAN | Catherine of Aragon dies (aged 50) |
| | 29 JAN | Anne Boleyn miscarries a son |
| | 17 MAY | George Boleyn, Anne’s brother, executed |
| | 19 MAY | Anne Boleyn executed (Elizabeth aged 2 years 8 months) |
| | 20 MAY | Henry VIII betrothed to Jane Seymour |
| | 30 MAY | Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour |
| | 1 JULY | Mary Tudor and Elizabeth declared illegitimate |
| 1537 | 5 JULY | Queen Madeleine, wife of James V of Scotland, dies |
| | 12 OCT | Edward VI born |
| | 24 OCT | Jane Seymour dies (aged 28) |
| 1538 | 9 MAY | James V of Scotland marries Mary of Guise |
| 1540 | 22 MAY | James, Prince of Scotland, born |
| | 28 JULY | Thomas Cromwell executed |
| 1541 | APR | Robert, Duke of Albany, James V and Mary of Guise’s second son, born |
| | 29 APR-MAY | Both Scottish princes, Robert and James, die within days of each other |
| 1542 | 24 NOV | Scottish forces routed by English at Solway Moss |
| | 8 DEC | Mary Queen of Scots born |
| | 13 DEC | James V dies (aged 30) and Mary becomes Queen of Scotland (aged 5 days) |
| 1543 | JUNE | Mary Tudor and Elizabeth reinstated in the succession |
| | JULY | Treaties of Greenwich; allowing for marriage of Mary to Prince Edward, Henry VIII’s heir |
| | 12 JULY | Catherine Parr marries Henry VIII |
| | 9 SEPT | Mary Queen of Scots crowned at Stirling Castle |
| 1544 | 19 JAN | Francois II of France born |
| | 14 SEPT | Henry VIII’s forces capture Boulogne |
| 1545 | 7 DEC | Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, born |
| 1547 | 28 JAN | Henry VIII dies (aged 55); Edward VI ascends to throne (aged 9) |
| | 20 FEB | Edward VI crowned, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector |
| | 3 MAR | Francois I dies (aged 52); Henri II succeeds to French throne; Thomas Seymour and Catherine Parr betrothed |
| | 10 SEPT | English rout of the Scots at Pinkie Cleugh |
| 1548 | 7 JULY | Marriage contract between Mary Queen of Scots and the Dauphin Francois |
| | 29 JULY | Mary Queen of Scots sails to France |
| | 5 SEPT | Catherine Parr dies (aged 36) |
| 1549 | 16 JAN | Arrest ordered of Sir Thomas Seymour, Lord Sudeley |
| | 20 MAR | Sir Thomas Seymour executed |
| 1550 | | Mary of Guise visits her daughter Mary Queen of Scots |
| | 4 JUNE | Lord Robert Dudley marries Amy Robsart |
| 1551 | 2 MAY | William Camden born (died 1623) |
| 1552 | 22 JAN | Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, executed; John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, new Protector |
| 1553 | 21 MAY | Lady Jane Grey marries Guildford Dudley |
| | 6 JULY | Edward VI dies (aged 15), succeeded by Mary I |
| | 10 JULY | Lady Jane Grey proclaimed Queen of England |
| | 20 JULY | Mary Tudor proclaimed Queen of England |
| | 3 AUG | Mary I and Elizabeth enter London |
| | 21 AUG | John Dudley, Earl of Northumberland, beheaded |
| | 30 OCT | Mary I crowned |
| 1554 | FEB | Wyatt Rebellion |
| | 12 FEB | Lady Jane Grey executed (aged 16) |
| | 18 MAR | Elizabeth in Tower |
| | 11 APR | Sir Thomas Wyatt executed |
| | 19 MAY | Elizabeth released from Tower and goes to Woodstock |
| | 25 JULY | Mary I marries Philip II of Spain |
| | 16 OCT | Bishops Ridley and Latimer burnt at stake at Oxford |
| | 30 NOV | Philip Sidney born |
| 1555 | 18 OCT | Elizabeth goes to Hatfield |
| | 25 OCT | Holy Roman Emperor Charles V hands on his imperial position to brother Ferdinand, and sovereignty of the Low Countries to son Philip II |
| 1556 | 21 MAR | Archbishop Thomas Cranmer burnt at stake |
| 1557 | 7 JULY | Mary I declares war on France to support Philip II |
| 1558 | 5 JAN | Calais lost to the French |
| | 24 APR | Mary Queen of Scots marries Francois, Dauphin of France |
| | 21 SEPT | Charles V dies |
| | 17 NOV | Mary I dies (aged 42); Elizabeth I succeeds to the throne |
| | | Henri II declares Mary Queen of Scots Queen of England and Ireland |
| 1559 | 15 JAN | Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England and Ireland |
| | 2 APRIL | Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis between England and France |
| | 2 MAY | John Knox returns to Scotland |
| | 8 MAY | Elizabeth’s Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity passed, implementing the Elizabethan religious settlement |
| | 10 MAY | Scottish Lords of Congregation rebel against Mary of Guise’s regency |
| | 20 JUNE | Henri II seriously injured in jousting tournament |
| | 22 JUNE | Elizabeth’s prayer book issued |
| | 10 JULY | Henri II dies; Francois II becomes King of France and Mary his queen, |
| | 18 SEPT | Francois II crowned; he and Mary claim they are King and Queen of England and Ireland too |
| | 21 OCT | Mary of Guise deposed for allowing French to fortify Leith |
| | 18 DEC | Elizabeth sends aid to Scottish rebel lords |
| 1560 | 27 FEB | Treaty of Berwick |
| | MAR | Tumult of Amboise, failed coup d’état against Guise domination and French persecution of Protestants |
| | 11 JUN | Mary of Guise dies (aged 44) |
| | 6 JUL | Treaty of Edinburgh between Scotland and England, Mary’s claims on English throne nullified, but Mary refuses to sign treaty |
| | 11 AUG | Scottish Parliament establishes the reformed Protestant religion in Scotland |
| | 8 SEPT | Lady Dudley (Amy Robsart), Lord Robert’s wife, found dead |
| | 5 DEC | Francis Bacon born |
| 1561 | 22 JAN | Francois II dies (aged 15) Mary becomes dowager queen of France; Charles IX King of France, Catherine de Medici as regent |
| | 14 AUG | Mary leaves France |
| | 19 AUG | Mary Queen of Scots returns to Scotland (aged 18) |
| 1562 | 1 MAR | Massacre of Protestants at Vassy, instigated by Duc de Guise, beginning of French wars of religion |
| | 26 MAY | Shane O’Neill leads a rebellion in Ireland |
| | OCT | Elizabeth seriously ill with smallpox |
| | 28 OCT | Mary victorious over Earl of Huntly and his men at Corrichie |
| 1563 | 22 FEB | Pierre de Chastelard executed |
| | 24 FEB | François, Duc de Guise, assassinated (aged 44) |
| | JUNE | Mary’s first Parliament |
| | 27 JUL | Havre surrendered to French |
| 1564 | 6 FEB | Christopher Marlowe born |
| | 23 APRIL | Reputed birthday of William Shakespeare |
| | 25 JULY | Maximilian I succeeds as Holy Roman |
| | | Emperor, as King of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary on death of Ferdinand I. Rest of Hapsburg dominions to Archduke Charles |
| | 29 SEPT | Lord Robert Dudley created Earl of Leicester |
| 1565 | 29 JULY | Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, enters Scotland |
| | FEB | Mary Queen of Scots marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (she is 22, he 19) |
| | AUG-OCT | The Chaseabout Raid when Mary suppresses Moray’s rebellion |
| 1566 | 1 JAN | Mary’s pregnancy announced |
| | 9 MAR | David Rizzio murdered |
| | 19 JUN | James, Mary’s son, born (James VI and I 1566–1625) |
| | NOV | Mary at Craigmillar Castle where she discusses the Darnley problem |
| | 10 NOV | Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, born |
| | 17 DEC | Prince James of Scotland baptized at Stirling Castle |
| 1567 | 10 FEB | Darnley murdered at Kirk o’ Field, just outside Edinburgh (aged 21) |
| | 19 APRIL | Ainslie Bond signed by Scottish nobles accepting Bothwell’s suit of Mary |
| | 24 APR | Mary ‘abducted’ by James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell |
| | 7 MAY | Lord and Lady Bothwell granted a divorce |
| | 15 MAY | Mary marries Bothwell as her third husband |
| | 15 JUNE | Mary surrenders to Confederate Lords at Carberry; Bothwell escapes |
| | 17 JUNE | Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle |
| | 24 JULY | Mary forced to abdicate, James is declared King of Scotland (aged 13 months) |
| | 29 JULY | James VI crowned at Stirling, James Stewart, Earl of Moray, becomes regent |
| 1568 | 17 JAN | Lady Catherine Grey (Lady Catherine Seymour), Countess of Hertford, dies (aged 29) |
| | 2 MAY | Mary escapes from Loch Leven |
| | 13 MAY | Mary and supporters defeated at Langside |
| | 18 MAY | Mary lands in Cumbria and conducted to Sheffield Castle |
| | 23 MAY | Prince William of Orange defeats Spanish at the start of revolt in Low Countries |
| | 15 JULY | Mary moved to Bolton Castle |
| | OCT | York conference to investigate Mary’s part in Darnley’s murder |
| | 25 NOV | Enquiry moves to Westminster |
| 1569 | 26 JAN | Mary moved into custody of Earl of Shrewsbury at Tutbury Castle |
| | APRIL | Elizabeth decides Mary must be returned to Scotland |
| | JULY | Moray declines to have Mary back |
| | 10 OCT | Duke of Norfolk arrested |
| | 14 NOV | Northern earls take possession of Durham Cathedral in Northern Rebellion |
| | 22 NOV | Mary moved south to Coventry |
| | 16 DEC | Northern earls flee to Scotland |
| 1570 | 21 JAN | James Stewart, Earl of Moray and regent, assassinated |
| | 25 FEB | Elizabeth excommunicated by Pope Pius V |
| | AUG | Norfolk released from Tower |
| 1571 | FEB | William Cecil created Baron Burghley |
| | APRIL | Ridolphi Plot revealed |
| | SEPT | Darnley’s father, Earl of Lennox and Regent of Scotland, assassinated |
| 1572 | JAN | Duke of Norfolk’s trial |
| | 2 JUNE | Duke of Norfolk executed |
| | 24 AUG | St Bartholomew’s Massacre |
| 1574 | 30 MAY | Charles IX dies, succeeded by Henri III |
| 1577 | 13 DEC | Francis Drake leaves Plymouth to attempt circumnavigation of the globe |
| 1578 | 14 APRIL | Earl of Bothwell dies in Danish prison |
| 1579 | JAN | Jehan de Simier arrives in London to conduct courtship between Elizabeth and his master, François, Duc d’Alençon |
| 1580 | 26 SEPT | Francis Drake enters Plymouth having completed his circumnavigation |
| 1581 | 4 APRIL | Sir Francis Drake knighted |
| | 6 JUNE | Execution of Regent Morton |
| | 1 DEC | English Jesuit Edmund Campion executed |
| 1582 | 5 OCT | Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholic countries when 5 Oct becomes 15 |
| 1583 | NOV | Throckmorton Plot revealed |
| 1584 | 10 JULY | William, Prince of Orange, assassinated |
| | OCT | Bond of Association |
| | NOV | Act of Association |
| 1585 | APRIL | Sir Amyas Paulet becomes Mary’s jailer |
| | 8 DEC | Leicester sails for Low Countries as Elizabeth’s Lieutenant General |
| 1586 | 24 JAN | Leicester accepts title of Governor of the Provinces |
| | JULY | Babington Plot |
| | 1 JULY | Treaty of Berwick between Elizabeth I and James VI of Scotland |
| | 14 AUG | Sir Antony Babington arrested |
| | 20 SEPT | Babington executed |
| | 25 SEPT | Mary brought to Fotheringhay Castle |
| | 15–16 OCT | Trial of Mary Queen of Scots |
| | 25 OCT | Mary pronounced guilty of conspiring to murder Elizabeth I in Star Chamber at Westminster |
| 1587 | 1 FEB | Elizabeth signs Mary’s death warrant |
| | 8 FEB | Mary executed at Fotheringhay Castle (aged 44) |
| 1588 | end JUL-8 AUG | Defeat of Spanish Armada |
| 1603 | 24 MAR | Death of Elizabeth I |
