1. Historical Timeline Of Shakespeare’s Time

2. 1492 : Columbus sails the ocean blue

3. 1509 to 1547 Henry VIII Rules England

6. 1558 : Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England

7. 1564 William Shakespeare is born in Stratford upon Avon, England Galileo is born in Pisa, Italy. Christopher Marlowe is born in Canterbury, England. Michaelangelo dies at the age of 88.

8. Psst... Here’s some examples of Michaelangelo’s work

9. 1575 : Young William enters the King’s New School, a grammar school

10. 1582 : Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway. He’s 18 and she’s 26.

11. 1583 : the Shakespeares’ first child, Susanna is born

12. 1588: Shakespeare begins to establish himself as an actor and playwright. He joins the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, an acting troupe.

13. 1585 : Twins Hamnet and Judith are born, named for neighbors in Stratford

14. 1588 : Sir Francis Drake defeats the Spanish Armada

15. 1592: Shakespeare’s first play Henry VI, Part I debuts at the Rose Theatre

16. 1593 : The Black Death, the bubonic plague, sets in again, causing all theatres to be closed

20. 1594 : The Nine Years’ War breaks out in Ireland

21. 1594 : Romeo and Juliet is performed for the first time

22. 1595: Sir Walter Raleigh sets sail for South America in search of gold

23. 1596: Hamnet dies at age 11

24. 1599 : The Globe is built across the Thames River using wood from The Theatre

25. 1600 : Hamlet debuts at the Globe

26. 1603 : Elizabeth I dies, ending her 45 year reign, and James I ascends the throne

27. 1606 : Macbeth is performed at the Globe

28. 1607: Jamestown Colony is founded in what is now Virginia

29. 1613: The Globe burns down during a performan ce of Henry VIII

30. 1616: Shakespeare dies at 52 years old on the same day he was born – April 23

31. 1620: Pilgrims set sail in the Mayflower and land in Plymouth, Massachusetts