← Explore on the interactive map

Massachusetts Bay Charter (1629)

Type Event Region North America Time 1629

On March 4, 1629, King Charles I granted the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter to colonize, self-govern, and trade in New England, enabling settler…

Timeline

  1. 1628–1629London · EnglandA group of Puritan merchants obtained a patent for the Massachusetts Bay region from the New England Company in 1628, and in early 1629 applied to Charles I for a full charter, their core demand being to move the company's management and colonial government to America.
  2. 1629London · EnglandThe charter granted the company colonization rights within roughly 200 miles between the Charles River and the Merrimack River, allowed it to establish a governor, assistants, and a general assembly of freemen, and did not require the company's organs to be based in London—this loophole enabled the Puritans to establish a highly autonomous religious-political community in America.
  3. 1629–1630Massachusetts Bay · MassachusettsAfter the charter was approved, Winthrop led a fleet including the Arbella in a large-scale migration to America in 1629–1630; about 1,000 Puritans arrived and founded towns such as Boston, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony began operating formally as a self-governing entity.

Sources