There was no concept of "British history" in the 1500s, except that the word "British" was used to refer to the ancient Britons and the Welsh.

This page presents a timeline of events in the history of England and Scotland from 1500 until 1599.

• 1509 England – Henry VIII crowned and married to Catherine of Aragon
• 1513 England and Scotland – James IV and thousands of Scots killed in defeat at Flodden
• 1521 England – Lutheran writings begin to circulate.
• 1525 England – Henry VIII seeks an annulment of his marriage, which is refused.
• 1526 England – Cardinal Wolsey orders the burning of Lutheran books.
• 1529 England – Henry VIII severs ties with Rome and declares himself head of the English church.
• 1532 Scotland – Creation of the College of Justice and the Court of Session.
• 1534 England – Act of Supremacy passed by Henry VIII
• 1534 England – Treasons Act 1534
• 1535 England – Execution of Thomas More and Cardinal John Fisher.
• 1536 England – Execution of William Tindale in Antwerp
• 1542 Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots, accedes to the Scottish throne
• 1547 England – Edward VI crowned King
• 1549 England – Prayer Book rebellion in south-west.
• 1553 England – Mary I accedes to the throne.
• 1558 England – Queen Elizabeth I accedes to the throne
• 1559 England – Act of Supremacy 1559

Scotland – John Knox returns from Geneva to promote Calvinism.

• 1560:Scotland – Parliament legislates protestant reformation of the Church of Scotland.
• 1567 Scotland – The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates and flees Scotland after an uprising by Protestant lords
• 1571 England – Treasons Act 1571
• 1579 Scotland – James VI takes over government from his regent, James Douglas.
• 1582 Scotland – Establishment of the University of Edinburgh by Royal Charter.
• 1587 England and Scotland – Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire on 8 February
• 1588 England – Spanish Armada destroyed on 8 August
• 1592 Scotland – James VI enacts the "Golden Act" recognising the power of Presbyterianism within the Scottish church

See also

• Timeline of British history
• Timeline of British history (1000-1499)
• Timeline of British history (1600-1699)
• Early Modern Britain
• History of the British Isles
• History of England
• History of Ireland
• History of Northern Ireland
• History of Scotland
• History of Wales
• History of the United Kingdom