British History

Celtic Migrations

Period: 1000 BCE to 200 BCE

The Celtic people begin to arrive at the islands and establish their culture

First Roman Invasion

Period: 55 BCE to 54 BCE

Julius Caesar arrived on the shores of Britain, but thanks to guerrilla resistance and bad weather, his conquest was not successful (At 44 BC Julius Caesar is murdered in Rome).

Britain’s Roman era begins

43

For almost a century afterwards the kingdoms of Britain were kept quiet with gifts and diplomacy. But when anti-Roman rulers came to power, the emperor Claudius launched a full-scale invasion, and makes Britannia a Roman province (Britain’s Roman era began).

London's Foundation

50

The Romans found the city of Londinium (which later becomes London).

First advance of the Romans

70

Romans conquer Wales and the North

Hadrian's Wall

122

Roman Emperor Hadrian orders the construction of a wall on the Scottish Border (Hadrian's Wall)

Advance of the Romans

140

Romans conquer Scotland

Roman Empire (Division)

305

Constantine the Great

306

Constantine the Great declared Emperor at York (Emperor Constantius I, his father, died in AD 306 after a campaign against the Picts)

The Picts and Scots attack the border

306

The last of Britain's Roman Era

410

The last of the Romans leave Britain

Anglo-saxons invasion

450

Anglo Saxons (Angle, Saxon and Jute tibes) migrants begin to Settle. They left their homelands in northern Germany, Denmark and northern Holland and rowed across the North Sea in wooden boats. Britain is divided up into the Seven Kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, Anglia, Wessex, Essex, Sussex and Kent.

Anglo-Saxon Britain

Period: 450 to 793

Christianity

597

Christianity is introduced by Saint Augustine from Rome

Christian Anglo-Saxon King

597

King Æthelberht of Kent gave him land in Canterbury to build a church. Æthelberht became the first Anglo-Saxon king to turn his back on paganism and become Christian.

Northumbria: Supreme kingdom

617

The kingdom of Northumbria is established as the dominant kingdom.

Chistian king

627

Edwin of Northumbria becomes the first Christian king in the north of England

Other supreme Kingdom

779

Mercia becomes the Supreme Kingdom and King Offa builds a Dyke along the Welsh Border

First Viking attack

793

First recorded Viking attack happens in Dorset

Vikings attacks

793

Vikings attack the monastery of Lindisfarne, Northumbria

Wessex becomes the Supreme Kingdom

829

Wessex becomes the Supreme Kingdom Egbert, King of the West Saxons, conquers Mercia and forces the Northumbrians to submit as well. From then on, Wessex retained its dominance in England. Egbert's grandson, Alfred, initiated the creation of the single kingdom of England.

Kingdom of Scotland formed

843

Some sources suggest that around 843 AD the kingdom of the Scots and the Picts was amalgamated, and that from this date historians can speak of a 'kingdom of Scotland'.

Athelstan: King of Kent

851

Athelstan, son of the king of Wessex, defeats a Viking fleet in battle
Egbert, king of Wessex, had made his second son Athelstan king of Kent

Yorvik: Viking Capital

867

The Vikings kill rival kings of Northumbria and capture York
The city became Yorvik, the Viking capital in England

Edmund, King of the East Angles, is killed by the Vikings

869

England is Divided

886

Alfred, King of Wessex, agrees a treaty with Vikings to divide England The Saxons retain the west, while the east (between the Thames and Tees rivers) was to be Viking territory - later known as the 'Danelaw' - where English and (Danish) Vikings were equal in law.

Eastern England (Danelaw) is conquered by the Saxons

926

Athelstan: King of all England

927

Athelstan, king of Wessex, takes York (Yorvik) from the Vikings, and forces the submission of Constantine of the Scots and of the northern kings.

Athelstan, first king of all England, dies

939

Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king in England

954

Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king in England, is forced out of Yorvik (York). He was welcomed by Athelstan, king of Wessex, who wanted Eric to protect his kingdom from Scots and Irish invaders.

Edgar is crowned king of England at Bath

973

Edgar is crowned king of England at Bath, 14 years after taking power Edgar ruled England from 959 to 975 AD, but it was not until 973 AD - two years before his death - that he organised a solemn coronation and anointing.

Edward: Short term reign

975

Edward, oldest son of Edgar crowned King of England. He was not popular and was treacherously murdered at Corfe in Dorset three years later.

Edward's half-brother Æthelred becomes the new king.

978

Danish control

1013

Swein Forkbeard, son of the Danish king Harold Bluetooth,forces Æthelred the Unready into exile England now under Danish control.

King Canute of Denmark captures the English Crown

1016

Edward II, The Confessor

Aug 1, 1042

Edward the Confessor (Edward II) becomes king of England

Edward II died

Jan 6, 1055

Battle of Stamford Bridge

1066

Saxon victory over invading Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Harold II defeats and kills Harald Hardrada

Norman Britain - The Middle Ages

Period: 1066 to 1485

King Harold of Wessex

Jan 6, 1066

Harold, earl of Wessex, was crowned king of England. He was immediately faced with powerful threats from William, duke of Normandy, and Harold Hardrada, king of Norway, both of whom laid claim to the English throne.

Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invades England

Sep 1, 1066

Harald Hardrada

Sep 20, 1066

He defeats the English at the Battle of Fulford

William of Normandy lands at Pevensey on the south coast of England

Sep 28, 1066

William of Normandy, King of England - Norman Conquest

Oct 14, 1066

The invading Normans defeat the Saxons at the The Battle of Hastings William of Normandy defeats and kills Harold II with a lucky shot and becomes King of England - Norman Conquest (25 December: William of Normandy is crowned king William I of England)

First Norman stone castle is built in Wales

1070

William begins the construction of the Tower of London.

1078

William the Conqueror dies at Rouen, Normandy

Sep 9, 1087

William II is crowned at Westminster Abbey

Sep 26, 1087

Malcolm Canmore invades England

Jul 1, 1091

Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland, unsuccessfully invades England Malcom was killed in an ambush by Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, in 1093.

Margaret, Queen of Scotland, dies at Edinburgh Castle

Nov 16, 1093

William II is killed while hunting in the New Forest

Aug 2, 1100

Henry I is rapidly crowned in Westminster Abbey

Aug 5, 1100

Henry I of England marries his daughter Matilda

Jul 25, 1110

Henry I of England marries his daughter Matilda to the German emperor, Henry V. She was only eight years old.

The succession is thrown into crisis.

Nov 25, 1120

Henry I's only son, William, drowns while returning from Normandy to England on the 'White Ship'.

Henry I settles the accession on his daughter, Matilda

Dec 25, 1126

Stephen is crowned king after the death of Henry I

Dec 22, 1135

Stephen (Henry's nephew) is crowned king after the death of Henry I in Normandy instead of Matilda. Many considered a woman unfit to rule and further resentment was generated by her marriage into the Anjou family in 1127.

Long Civil war

Sep 30, 1139

Matilda lands at Arundel, West Sussex, to claim the throne of England (Neither side was strong enough for outright victory).

Matilda withdrew to France, leaving Stephen as king.

1148

With only nominal control over a country where lawlessness was rife.

David I, King of Scotland, died

May 24, 1153

Henry II, the first 'Plantagenet' king, accedes to the throne

Dec 19, 1154

He was not only king of England, but also ruled over most of Wales, Normandy, Anjou, Gascony and other parts of France (acquired through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine). Henry, son of Matilda, established stability after civil war between his mother and her rival Stephen.

Population of London exceeds 30,000 for the first time

1170

Henry II dies and is succeeded by his son Richard I

Jul 6, 1189

Richard I joins the Third Crusade

1190

The Crusades were a series of nine religious wars waged from 1095 to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Islamic rule.

Richard I died and is succeeded by his brother John

1199

Civil War

1215

Henry III is crowned king of England

Oct 29, 1216

Henry III begins to rebuild Westminster Abbey

1245

Edward I, son of Henry III, was crowned

Aug 1, 1272

Henry III died

Nov 20, 1272

Edward I conquers Wales.

Period: 1282 to 1283

Edward I invades Scotland

1296

He takes the Stone of Destiny from Scone to Westminster

The Battle of Stirling Bridge

Sep 11, 1297

The Scots under William Wallace defeat the English

Scottish rebel William Wallace is executed by the English

Aug 23, 1305

Robert Bruce crowned King of the Scots

1306

Edward I died and is succeeded by his son Edward II

Jul 7, 1307

He married Isabella, daughter of the French king.

Civil War

Period: 1321 to 1322

Edward II is murdered and Edward III becomes king

Jan 20, 1327

Edward II abdicated in favour of his son and then, he was murdered.

Isabella invades England and overthrows Edward II

Sep 1, 1336

King Edward claims the Throne of France

1337

Hundred Years' War with France

Period: 1337 to 1453

The 'Hundred Years' War' is the name historians have given to a series of related conflicts fought over the course of more than a century between England and France.

The Black Death (bubonic plague)

Period: 1348 to 1349

The Black Death (bubonic plague) arrives in England flag England and kills nearly half of the population

Edward the 'Black Prince'

Sep 19, 1356

Edward the 'Black Prince' (Edward III's son) defeats and captures John II, King of France

Edward III died and is succeeded by Richard II

Jun 22, 1377

Edward III's eldest son, Edward the 'Black Prince', had died in 1376, so the succession passed to Edward's grandson, Richard II, who was only 10 years old In the first part of his reign, because he was so young, the country was ruled by his uncle, John of Gaunt whose son Henry Bolingbroke eventually murdered Richard and became king as Henry IV.

Peasants' Revolt

Jun 15, 1381

In the aftermath of the catastrophic Black Death, agricultural workers were in demand but landlords were reluctant to pay higher wages or allow migration for work. Reprisals followed instead.

Henry IV is proclaimed king of England

Sep 30, 1399

Henry V dies suddenly

Aug 31, 1422

Henry V dies suddenly, leaving his son Henry VI, who was less than a year old and now king of England and France.

Henry VI assumes power as king of England

1437

Henry VI, who had acceded to the throne before his first birthday, was now considered old enough to rule for himself.

Civil War: The War of the Roses

Period: May 22, 1455 to Jun 16, 1487

York was then driven out by Henry VI's wife, Margaret. York marched on London and defeated Henry's supporters (the Lancastrians) at St Albans. This relatively small battle marks the beginning of a civil war between two branches of the royal family - York and Lancaster.

Edward IV is proclaimed king

1461

Lancastrians are defeated at Towton and Edward IV (Duke of York's son) is proclaimed king. Henry VI and Margaret flee to Scotland. Edward was crowned in June 1461.

Henry VI is briefly restored to the throne

Oct 30, 1470

Edward IV was king of England again.

May 4, 1471

Yorkists defeat the Lancastrians and kill Edward, Prince of Wales
and heir of Henry VI. Henry VI himself survived little more than a fortnight after the battle. He was murdered, probably in the Tower of London (21 May 1471).

Edward IV died and is succeeded by his 12-year-old son, Edward V

1483

Richard III becomes king

Jul 1, 1483

Both his nephews, the 12-year-old Edward V and his brother, were not seen alive after this time and were presumed murdered

Tudor Britain (Tudor Dynasty)

Period: 1485 to 1603

Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth

Aug 22, 1485

Henry Vll crowned at Westminster Abbey

Oct 30, 1485

Henry VII marries Elizabeth of York

Jan 1, 1486

Henry VII marries Elizabeth of York, uniting the two houses and ending the Wars of the Roses.

Henry became first in line to the throne.

Apr 2, 1502

Arthur, Prince of Wales dies, leaving his widow, Catherine of Aragon
With the heir to the throne now dead, the 11-year old Henry, Duke of York, became first in line to the throne.

Others descendents

Aug 8, 1503

James IV of Scotland marries Margaret, daughter of Henry VII of England. Although this meant peace between the two countries, the marriage also gives James IV's descendents a claim to the English throne.

Henry VII died and is succeeded by his younger son Henry VIII

Apr 21, 1509

Two months after he became king, he married his brother's Spanish widow, Catherine of Aragon.

Edward VI dies and is succeeded by Lady Jane Grey

1533

Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn

Jan 25, 1533

Henry VIII appeals to the pope to annul his marriage (following divorce from Catherine of Aragon)

Anne Boleyn gives birth to Elizabeth

Sep 1, 1533

Act of Union joined England and Wales

1536

Henry VIII's second wife Anne Boleyn is executed

1536

Eleven days after the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour.

Mary, Queen of Scots laid claim to the English throne

1542

Henry VIII dies and is succeeded by nine-year-old Edward VI

Jan 28, 1547

Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, becomes queen

Jul 19, 1553

Mary died and Elizabeth I accedes to the throne

Nov 17, 1558

Mary Stuart (Mary I of Scotland) is executed

1587

When found guilty of treason to kill Elizabeth

First British involvement in the Indian continent - East India Company formed.

1600

Stuart Britain (Stuart Dinasty)

Period: 1603 to 1714

James VI of Scotland crowned James I of England uniting the two kingdoms

Mar 24, 1603

James's accession meant that the three separate kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were now united, for the first time, under a single monarch.

First permanent British colony in North America.

1607

Jamestown in Virginia, founded by Captain John Smith

War with Spain

Period: 1624 to 1630

James I dies and his son Charles I accedes to the throne

Mar 27, 1625

War with France

Period: 1626 to 1629

Charles I dissolves parliament and begins 11 years of personal rule

1629

'Long Parliament' opens at Westminster

1640

'Short Parliament' opens at Westminster

1640

Rebellion breaks out in Ireland

1641

Charles I tries to arrest five leading members of parliament

Jan 4, 1642

Royalist and Parliamentarian armies clash at Edgehill, Warwickshire

Oct 23, 1642

No Monarch

Period: 1649 to 1660

England became a Republic for eleven years

Charles I is executed at Whitehall, London

Jan 30, 1649

Tea was first introduced to England.

1650

It first arrived in Britain in the 1650s, when it was served as a novelty in London's coffee houses. Back then, tea was a rare drink that very few consumed.

Restoration of the Monarchy under King Charles II

1660

Mary Stuart marries William of Orange, Charles I's grandson

Nov 4, 1677

James II suspends parliament indefinitely

1685

Charles II dies and his brother James II accedes to the throne

Feb 6, 1685

James II attempts to re-catholicize England

Period: 1687 to 1688

William of Orange (William II) and his wife Mary II proclaimed king and queen

1689

After of The Glorious Revolution - the overthrow of King James the II, the crowning of William of Orange and his wife Mary II, and the final recognition of parliament supremacy.

Mary dies, leaving William III to rule alone

Dec 1, 1694

Succesion

1701

English Act of Settlement secures the Postestant Succession placing the House of Hanover in line for the English throne

William III dies and his sister-in-law Anne accedes to the throne

Mar 8, 1702

William III died two weeks after being thrown from his horse when it tripped over a molehill

England and Scotland officially became one country - Great Britain

1707

The Scottish parliament was dissolved and England and Scotland became one country - Great Britain

Georgian Britain (Hanovarian)

Period: 1714 to 1837

Anne dies and George I accedes to the throne

Aug 1, 1714

Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister

Period: 1721 to 1742

George I dies and is succeeded by his son George II

Jan 11, 1727

Britain declares war on Spain

1739

The Seven Year War with France begins

1756

George III succeeds his grandfather George II

1760

America declares independence from Britain on July 4 1776

1776

Industrial Revolution begins

1780

French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille

1789

Act of Union creates the United Kingdom

Jan 1, 1800

Great Reform Act changes parliamentary representation

1832

Victoria becomes Queen at the age of 18

1837

After the death of her uncle, William IV.

Victorian Britain

Period: 1837 to 1901

Slavery is abolished in the British empire

Aug 1, 1838

Crimean War

Period: 1854 to 1856

India- British Government

1858

India came under direct British government control when the remaining authority of the East India Company was dissolved.

Modern Britain

Period: 1901 to 2022

Victoria dies and is succeeded by Edward VII

Jan 22, 1901

Edward VII dies and is succeeded by George V

1910

First World War

Period: 1914 to 1918

4 August 1914: Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium Compulsory military service and food rationing introduced

Republic of Ireland gains independence

1920

All women over the age of 21 get the vote

May 7, 1928

George V dies and is succeeded by Edward VIII

Jan 20, 1936

George VI, Edward VIII's younger brother, the Duke of York, is crowned king

May 12, 1937

Edward VIII abdicates in order to marry Wallace Simpson

New constitution makes Ireland a republic in all but name

Dec 29, 1937

Second World War

Period: 1939 to 1945

3 September 1939: Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Poland

Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of the coalition government

May 10, 1940

India gains independence from Britain

Oct 15, 1947

Republic of Ireland comes into being

Apr 18, 1948

Elizabeth II succeeds her father, George VI

Feb 6, 1952

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Jun 2, 1953

Death penalty is abolished

Nov 8, 1965

Abortion and homosexuality are legalised

1967

Britain joins the European Economic Community

Jan 1, 1973

Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman prime minister

May 3, 1979

Malvinas War

Apr 2, 1982

Argentina invades the islands claiming its sovereignty

Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris

Aug 31, 1997

The Second Gulf War

2003

Queen Elizabeth II dies and her son Charles III ascends to the throne

Sep 8, 2022