Why Did the Globe Theatre Burn?
An archival analysis of the catastrophic 1613 theatrical fire on London’s Bankside that consumed William Shakespeare’s playhouse during a performance of Henry VIII.
The June 29, 1613 Performance of Henry VIII
On the warm afternoon of Tuesday, June 29, 1613, William Shakespeare’s playing company, the King’s Men, performed the historical spectacle Henry VIII (subtitled All Is True) at the Globe Theatre on London’s Southwark Bankside [1,3]. The playhouse was packed to its capacity of three thousand spectators, including prominent aristocrats, London merchants, and international travelers [1,2,5].
What was intended as a grand ceremonial entrance for King Henry in Act I, Scene 4 instantly escalated into one of the most famous theatrical disasters in early modern history [1,4,5].
The Pyrotechnic Misfire: Chamber Cannons & Dried Thatch
To accompany the King’s entrance at Cardinal Wolsey’s banquet, stagehands discharged two small chamber cannons mounted atop the playhouse roof [1,4]. The cannons were charged with gunpowder and compressed paper wadding [1,4].
Propelled from the barrels, smoldering paper fragments settled into the dry reed thatching covering the circular galleries [3,4]. At first, spectators assumed the curling smoke was merely theatrical atmosphere. Within minutes, however, flames engulfed the timber roof structure [1,4].
"Smoldering paper wadding from ceremonial stage cannons drifted directly into the sun-dried reed thatch roof."
Sir Henry Wotton’s Eyewitness Account & The Southwark Panic
Diplomat Sir Henry Wotton penned the definitive contemporary eyewitness account in a letter to Sir Ralph Winwood [4]. Wotton recorded that the entire amphitheatre burned to the ground in under two hours [1,4].
Despite the rapid inferno and narrow exit corridors, all three thousand spectators escaped without a single fatality—the only recorded casualty being a man whose burning breeches were extinguished with a bottle of ale [1,4,6].
Promptbook Survival & The 1614 Tile-Roofed Rebuilding
Crucially for world literature, the King’s Men successfully rescued their theatrical promptbooks, musical scores, and working wardrobe before the timber structure collapsed [2,6]. Without this quick recovery, Shakespearean masterworks such as The Tempest and Henry VIII may never have survived into the 1623 First Folio [2,6].
In spring 1614, the company rebuilt the Globe on the exact same foundations, replacing the flammable thatched roof with durable ceramic tiles [1,3]. The second Globe operated successfully until 1644 when Puritan parliamentary ordinances ordered London theatres closed and pulled down [1,3].
Key Chronology & Milestones
The original Globe Theatre is constructed on Bankside by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
The Globe burns to the ground during a performance of Henry VIII.
The second Globe opens on the same site with a fireproof tiled roof.
Publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio, preserving Henry VIII and promptbook texts.
Puritan Parliament orders the closure of all London theatres at the outbreak of the English Civil War.
The second Globe is demolished to make room for tenement housing.
Shakespeare’s Globe reconstruction opens near the original site on Bankside.
Cited Primary & Academic Sources
6 Verified RecordsBritish Library Discovering Literature · bl.uk
Primary collection records and essays on the architecture, performances, and 1613 burning of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
British Library Rare Book Collections · bl.uk
Preserved copy of the 1623 First Folio text of Henry VIII (All Is True) originally performed when the Globe caught fire.
Early Modern Theatre Archive · en.wikipedia.org
Comprehensive historical and archaeological documentation of the 1599 timber playhouse, 1613 fire, and 1614 tiled rebuilding.
Elizabethan & Jacobean Letters Archive · en.wikipedia.org
Diplomat Henry Wotton’s famous eyewitness account describing the cannon misfire during the performance of Henry VIII.
Shakespearean Studies Group · en.wikipedia.org
Dramaturgical history of Shakespeare and Fletcher’s collaborative history play performed on June 29, 1613.
Theatrical History Society · en.wikipedia.org
Archival records of the King’s Men repertory company, shareholding structure, and promptbook preservation.
Frequently Asked Inquiries
Did anyone die in the Globe Theatre fire of 1613?
No. Despite 3,000 people inside the theatre, all spectators evacuated safely in under two hours without any loss of life.
What caused the fire at the Globe Theatre?
Stage prop cannons discharged to announce the King’s entrance in Shakespeare’s Henry VIII fired burning paper wadding into the dry thatched roof.
Have another inquiry to investigate?
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