1000 Years of History: 17th Century
- A Thousand Years of History is off air
- Remind me
The 17th century was a fascinating century of transition for Britain. Apart from the upheavals of plague and civil war, the country also began to take its first steps towards the industrial revolution that would modernise not just the UK, but the entire world.
The reign of the Stuarts
At the turn of the century, with the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland (son of Mary, Queen of Scots) succeeded her to become James I of England in 1603. He consequently united the crowns, but not the governments, of both countries and began the reign of the Stuarts. James was a great patron of the arts and sciences and brought stability to the nation, not least through bringing to an end the long war with Spain - a move much appreciated by the country's depleted treasury!
The Gunpowder Plot 1605
One of the most famous events of the 1600s was of course the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On 5th November, a plot to blow up parliament was discovered through the discovery of a stash of gunpowder under the House of Lords. Despite us now remembering this as Guy (Guido) Fawkes night, it was in fact Robert Catesby who was leader of the Catholic conspirators involved in the attempted coup. James I had already escaped previous assassination attempts in Scotland and soon declared 5th November a day of national celebration - a non-event we still of course remember today!
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time, Shakespeare's plays live on today around the world but sadly, we know little about his life. From 1594, Shakespeare spent his acting career with the Lord Chamberlain's Company, which was renamed the King's Company in 1603 when James I succeeded to the throne, and it was during this time, performing his plays at the Globe Theatre in London, that Shakespeare's fame grew. The first collected edition of his works was published posthumously in 1623 and many of his plays offer complex portrayals of a world which at the time found itself in great transition.
The English Civil War
After the relatively peaceful rule of James, Charles I was an unpopular monarch unable to work with Parliament - and so he attempted to rule without it. When the Commons stood firm against his demands in 1642, the King raised his standard at Nottingham and the English Civil War began. Eventually, the Roundheads prevailed and the King was beheaded in 1649. Oliver Cromwell ruled the land as Lord Protector through a period of puritanism and general misery until his death in 1858. By 1860, Parliament had accepted the restoration of the monarchy, paving the way for the triumphant return of Charles II on 8th May.
The Great Fire of London and Christopher Wren
In September 1666, a fire broke out at night in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane, near the present day Bank of England in London. Fanned by a high wind, the fire quickly became uncontrollable and within four days, most of the city and centuries-worth of historic architecture was reduced to ashes - although the slums outside the city walls remained untouched. While on a positive note, the fire helped finally flush out the plague that had swept through the city the previous year, it also presented the perfect opportunity for a young architect named Christopher Wren to rebuild the city: which he did with the construction of over fifty of London's churches, including St Paul's Cathedral.
Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727
Alongside Shakespeare, Isaac Newton stands tall as the other great British figure of the 17th century. Despite being a small sickly child, Newton went on to live until he was 84, by which time he was perhaps the most acclaimed scientist in the world. Allegedly inspired by the fall of an apple, he derived the inverse square law of gravity via a new mathematical technique called differential calculus, as well as discovering and naming the spectrum and inventing the reflecting telescope - a design still in much use today. This man was truly a one off, as Alexander Pope so beautifully put it: "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! and all was light."
At the turn of the century, with the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland (son of Mary, Queen of Scots) succeeded her to become James I of England in 1603. He consequently united the crowns, but not the governments, of both countries and began the reign of the Stuarts. James was a great patron of the arts and sciences and brought stability to the nation, not least through bringing to an end the long war with Spain - a move much appreciated by the country's depleted treasury!
The Gunpowder Plot 1605
One of the most famous events of the 1600s was of course the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On 5th November, a plot to blow up parliament was discovered through the discovery of a stash of gunpowder under the House of Lords. Despite us now remembering this as Guy (Guido) Fawkes night, it was in fact Robert Catesby who was leader of the Catholic conspirators involved in the attempted coup. James I had already escaped previous assassination attempts in Scotland and soon declared 5th November a day of national celebration - a non-event we still of course remember today!
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time, Shakespeare's plays live on today around the world but sadly, we know little about his life. From 1594, Shakespeare spent his acting career with the Lord Chamberlain's Company, which was renamed the King's Company in 1603 when James I succeeded to the throne, and it was during this time, performing his plays at the Globe Theatre in London, that Shakespeare's fame grew. The first collected edition of his works was published posthumously in 1623 and many of his plays offer complex portrayals of a world which at the time found itself in great transition.
The English Civil War
After the relatively peaceful rule of James, Charles I was an unpopular monarch unable to work with Parliament - and so he attempted to rule without it. When the Commons stood firm against his demands in 1642, the King raised his standard at Nottingham and the English Civil War began. Eventually, the Roundheads prevailed and the King was beheaded in 1649. Oliver Cromwell ruled the land as Lord Protector through a period of puritanism and general misery until his death in 1858. By 1860, Parliament had accepted the restoration of the monarchy, paving the way for the triumphant return of Charles II on 8th May.
The Great Fire of London and Christopher Wren
In September 1666, a fire broke out at night in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane, near the present day Bank of England in London. Fanned by a high wind, the fire quickly became uncontrollable and within four days, most of the city and centuries-worth of historic architecture was reduced to ashes - although the slums outside the city walls remained untouched. While on a positive note, the fire helped finally flush out the plague that had swept through the city the previous year, it also presented the perfect opportunity for a young architect named Christopher Wren to rebuild the city: which he did with the construction of over fifty of London's churches, including St Paul's Cathedral.
Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727
Alongside Shakespeare, Isaac Newton stands tall as the other great British figure of the 17th century. Despite being a small sickly child, Newton went on to live until he was 84, by which time he was perhaps the most acclaimed scientist in the world. Allegedly inspired by the fall of an apple, he derived the inverse square law of gravity via a new mathematical technique called differential calculus, as well as discovering and naming the spectrum and inventing the reflecting telescope - a design still in much use today. This man was truly a one off, as Alexander Pope so beautifully put it: "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! and all was light."
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