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The Globe burns during a performance of Henry VIII on 29 June 1613

On 29 June 1613, during a performance of All Is True (Henry VIII), cannon wadding ignited the Globe's thatch. In the causal graph this event weakens Social Cohesion, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

On 29 June 1613, during a performance of All Is True (Henry VIII), cannon wadding ignited the Globe's thatch. The house burned. Contemporary letters describe the event. The company rebuilt in 1614. Shakespeare is a housekeeper, not the man who lit the fuse.

Context

Indoor effects at an open thatch theatre were a known risk. The play is partly Fletcher's in later authorship work; the staging is the company's. Loss of the yard is a public cultural interruption, not a fatality event in the surviving letters.

Why it matters

Cohesion weakens when the main public house disappears, even if rebuilt. Weight is for the interruption, not for arson.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • William Shakespeare

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.45 · verified

    The King's Men staged All Is True/Henry VIII with cannon effects; the thatch caught fire. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

    1. FactThe Globe burns during a performance of Henry VIII on 29 June 1613
    2. weakensDriverSocial Cohesion
    3. strengthensIndicators (2)Having a say in government
    Worsening path

    impact weight 0.4 · Effect from 29 June 1613 · verified

    Destruction of the principal public playhouse interrupted the main shared-performance machine for a year.

    • Having a say in government

      via Social Cohesion

      Worse

      Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.18 (weight 0.4 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      29.8% of population aged 16-65 years · 8.13 below the normal line (2023)

      Worse than normal

      Two readings: 30.2% of population aged 16-65 years (2021) and 29.8% of population aged 16-65 years (2023).

      20212023

      Above normal = better

    • Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

      via Social Cohesion

      Worse

      Weakens · Relationship strength 0.18 (weight 0.4 × strength 0.45)

      Observed

      43.9 Score · 43.9 above the normal line (2024)

      Worse than normal

      26 readings, 1996–2024: rose from 43 Score to 43.9 Score.

      Normal is zero · any amount = worse

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Shakespeare Birthplace Trust — Globe TheatreShakespeare Birthplace Trust · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Shakespeare's Globe — history of the first GlobeShakespeare's Globe · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Globe and Birthplace Trust pages rest on dated 1613 correspondence (Wotton and others) describing the fire. Those letters establish day, play, and cause. They do not establish Shakespeare's physical presence. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

Established: 29 June 1613 fire during Henry VIII. Not established: deaths; that Shakespeare ordered the cannon. Confidence high on the fire, medium on personal staging responsibility.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men staged All Is True/Henry VIII with cannon effects; the thatch caught fire. Shakespeare was a housekeeper. Destruction of the principal public playhouse interrupted the main shared-performance machine for a year. Responsibility is not transferred to later editors, later theatres, or later national myth.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare's documented role is: The King's Men staged All Is True/Henry VIII with cannon effects; the thatch caught fire. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

The event remains dated 1613-06-29. Shakespeare was a housekeeper.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorWilliam Shakespeare
  2. contributed toFactThe Globe burns during a performance of Henry VIII on 29 June 1613
  3. weakensDriverSocial Cohesion
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). The Globe burns during a performance of Henry VIII on 29 June 1613. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-globe-fire-1613

https://factrail.ai/facts/shakespeare-globe-fire-1613

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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