Time line of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century English History

DATE POLITICAL/SOCIAL WRITERS THEATRE WORKS

1604 James I of England restores Recussancy Acts, with more persecution and the expulsion of priests. Pope Clement VIII requests that English Catholics refrain from rebellion. A peace treaty with Catholic Spain is signed.

1616 William Shakespear dies

1628 Charles I of England signs the Petition of Right promising not to collect forced loans or levy taxes without parliaments consent George Villiers born

1640 Charles I of England calls the Long Parliament. Aphra Behn born.

1642 English Civil war begins.

1645 Oliver Cromwell reorganises Parliaments armies and (eventually) captures Charles I. Alexis I second Russian czar of the house of Romanov succeeds his father Michael.

1649 Charles I is executed. The establishment of republican government caps the English Civil War. This change leads many Europeans to question the validity of divine right monarchy.

1651 Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan. Hobbes theorizes on the evil nature of man and justifies absolutist rule to keep this evil nature in check.

1653 Cromwell dissolves parliament and establishes a Protectorate. Dies in 1658.

1659 Samuel Pepys begins keeping his journals. Continues until 1669. Thomas Southerne born

1660 The Monarchy is restored in England, Charles II agrees to respect the Magna Carta and Petition of Rights. The Royal Society founded. Theatres are re-opened. December 8, first public appearance of a woman on the stage in Killigrew's production of Othello

D'Avenant's Duke's Company moves into theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields

1663 Aphra Behn's trip to Suriname; returns to London ca. May 1664 Killigrew's King's Company moves into Theatre Royal near Drury Lane

1664 Aphra's marriage to Mr. Behn.

1665 Plague in London

1666 Great Fire of London Aphra Behn goes to Antwerp as a spy for Charles II; returns in 1667

1667 Milton's Paradise Lost published

1668 Aphra Behn imprisoned for debt Dryden's "Of Dramatic Posie" published

1670 - Aphra Behn's literary debut - The Forced Marriage produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields

1671 Duke's Company moves into Dorset Garden Theatre. Villiers' The Rehearsal produced

1672 New Theatre Royal built in Bridges Street to replace the first one destroyed by fire.

1675 Wycherly's The Country Wife produced

1677 Dryden's All for Love produced

1678 The Popish Plot panic begins Behn's Sir Patient Fancy produced John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

1682 Duke's Company and King's Company merge to form the United Company when King's Company fails. Both playhouses kept open. Otway's Venice Preserv'd produced

1685 Death of Charles II, accession of James II. The attempt to seize power by James, Duke of Monmouth is defeated. Monmouth is executed and his followers are punished at the "Bloody Assizes" Thomas Otway dies, in poverty, at 33

1687 George Villiers dies

1688 "The Glorious Revolution" - James II flees, William of Orange accepts the throne

1689 Aphra Behn dies April 16

1690 Dryden dies Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

1693 Rymer's A Short View of Tragedy published

1695 United Company splits. Betterton forms new company at Lincoln's Inn Fields. Their first production is Congreve's Love for Love

1696 Southerne's Oroonoko produced.

1698 Collier's A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage is published

1700 Congreve's The Way of the World produced

1701 War of the Spanish Succession (with France) begins

1702 William III dies after falling from his horse. James II's daughter Anne succeeds him. Farquhar's "A Discourse Upon Comedy" published

1703 Samuel Pepys dies

1707 Act of Union unites England and Scotland George Farquhar dies Farquhar's Beaux Stratagem produced

1708 Centlivre's The Busie Body produced

1710 Thomas Betterton dies.

1713 War with France ended by the Treaty of Utrecht Thomas Rymer dies

Aphra Behn 1671 - The Amorous Prince 1672 - The Covent Garden Drollery - a collection of poems 1673 - The Dutch Lover 1676 - Abdelazer; The Town Fop .. 1677 - The Debauchee; The Counterfeit Bridegroom 1679 - The Feigned Curtezans; The Young King 1680 - The Revenge; Earl of Rochester dies 1681 - The Rover II; The False Count; The Roundheads 1682 - Like Father, Like Son; The City Heiress; Aphra arrested for her epilogue to Romulus and Hersilia, in which she attacked the Duke of Monmouth; King's Company and Duke's Company merge to form the United Co. 1684 - Poems upon Several Occasions; Love Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister 1685 - Death of Charles II, accession of James II. Thomas Otway dies. Miscellany; and several state poems 1686 - The Lucky Chance; La Montre, or the Lover's Watch (translation) 1687 - The Emperor of the Moon; A Pindaric to Christopher, Duke of Albemarle; To the Memory of. ._ George, Duke of Buckingham; Love Letters (Part III) 1688 - Oroonoko; The Fair Jilt; Agnes de Castro; "novels"; Poems to the Royalty; several French translations 1689 - The History of the Nun; The Lucky Mistake; "novels"; dies April 16 `h and is buried in Westminster Abbey Posthumous: The Widow Ranter (1689); The Younger Brother (1696); Novels: The Adventure of the Black Lady, The Unfortunate Happy Lady, The Wandering Beauty, The Nun or the Perjured Beauty, The Court of the King of Bantam, The Unfortunate Bride, the Dumb Virgin, The Unhappy Mistake

DATE	POLITICAL/SOCIAL	WRITERS	THEATRE	WORKS
1604	James I of England restores Recussancy Acts, with more persecution and the expulsion of priests. Pope Clement VIII requests that English Catholics refrain from rebellion. A peace treaty with Catholic Spain is signed.
1616		William Shakespear dies
1628	Charles I of England signs the Petition of Right promising not to collect forced loans or levy taxes without parliaments consent	George Villiers born
1640	Charles I of England calls the Long Parliament.	Aphra Behn born.
1642	English Civil war begins.
1645	Oliver Cromwell reorganises Parliaments armies and (eventually) captures Charles I. Alexis I second Russian czar of the house of Romanov succeeds his father Michael.
1649	Charles I is executed. The establishment of republican government caps the English Civil War. This change leads many Europeans to question the validity of divine right monarchy.
1651				Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan. Hobbes theorizes on the evil nature of man and justifies absolutist rule to keep this evil nature in check.
1653	Cromwell dissolves parliament and establishes a Protectorate. Dies in 1658.
1659		Samuel Pepys begins keeping his journals. Continues until 1669. Thomas Southerne born
1660	The Monarchy is restored in England, Charles II agrees to respect the Magna Carta and Petition of Rights. The Royal Society founded.		Theatres are re-opened. December 8, first public appearance of a woman on the stage in Killigrew's production of Othello
			D'Avenant's Duke's Company moves into theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields
1663		Aphra Behn's trip to Suriname; returns to London ca. May 1664	Killigrew's King's Company moves into Theatre Royal near Drury Lane
1664		Aphra's marriage to Mr. Behn.
1665	Plague in London
1666	Great Fire of London	Aphra Behn goes to Antwerp as a spy for Charles II; returns in 1667
1667				Milton's Paradise Lost published
1668		Aphra Behn imprisoned for debt	Dryden's "Of Dramatic Posie" published
1670 -			Aphra Behn's literary debut - The Forced Marriage produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields
1671			Duke's Company moves into Dorset Garden Theatre. Villiers' The Rehearsal produced
1672			New Theatre Royal built in Bridges Street to replace the first one destroyed by fire.
1675			Wycherly's The Country Wife produced
1677			Dryden's All for Love produced
1678	The Popish Plot panic begins		Behn's Sir Patient Fancy produced	John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
1682			Duke's Company and King's Company merge to form the United Company when King's Company fails. Both playhouses kept open. Otway's Venice Preserv'd produced
1685	Death of Charles II, accession of James II. The attempt to seize power by James, Duke of Monmouth is defeated. Monmouth is executed and his followers are punished at the "Bloody Assizes"	Thomas Otway dies, in poverty, at 33
1687		George Villiers dies
1688	"The Glorious Revolution" - James II flees, William of Orange accepts the throne
1689		Aphra Behn dies April 16
1690		Dryden dies		Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
1693			Rymer's A Short View of Tragedy published
1695			United Company splits. Betterton forms new company at Lincoln's Inn Fields. Their first production is Congreve's Love for Love
1696			Southerne's Oroonoko produced.
1698			Collier's A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage is published
1700			Congreve's The Way of the World produced
1701	War of the Spanish Succession (with France) begins
1702	William III dies after falling from his horse. James II's daughter Anne succeeds him.		Farquhar's "A Discourse Upon Comedy" published
1703		Samuel Pepys dies
1707	Act of Union unites England and Scotland	George Farquhar dies	Farquhar's Beaux Stratagem produced
1708			Centlivre's The Busie Body produced
1710			Thomas Betterton dies.
1713	War with France ended by the Treaty of Utrecht	Thomas Rymer dies