english history timeline.

Period: 6000 BCE to 6000 BCE

The British Isles are formed as water levels rise separating them from mainland Europe.
Period: 3000 BCE to 3000 BCE

New Stone Age begins: farming people arrive from Europe. First stone circles erected.
Period: 2800 BCE to 2800 BCE

First phase of building Stonehenge
Period: 2700 BCE to 2700 BCE

Tools and weapons made from copper
Period: 2200 BCE to 2200 BCE

The construction of Stonehenge is completed.
Period: 2100 BCE to 2100 BCE

Bronze Age begins First metal workers People learn to make bronze weapons and tools. Introduction of cremation of the dead and burials in round barrows.
Period: 2100 BCE to 2100 BCE

Beaker culture - their name is thought to originate from the distinctive beakers that accompanied their burials. They were farmers and archers.
Period: 2000 BCE to 2000 BCE

Stonehenge completed
Period: 1650 BCE to 1650 BCE

Trade routes began to form
Period: 1200 BCE to 1200 BCE

Small Villages were first formed
Period: 750 BCE to 750 BCE

Iron Age began Iron replaces bronze as most useful metal. Population about 150,000.
Period: 600 BCE to 600 BCE

The Celtic peoples begin to arrive and establish their culture.
Period: 500 BCE to 500 BCE

The Celtic people arrive from Central Europe. The Celts were farmers and lived in small village groups in the centre of their arable fields. They were also warlike people. The Celts fought against the people of Britain and other Celtic tribes.
Period: 55 BCE to 55 BCE

Roman leader Julius Caesar invades Britain, but withdraws.
Period: 43 to 43

The Roman Empire invades Britain and makes Britannia a Roman province.
Period: 50 to 50

The Romans found the city of Londinium (which later becomes London).
Period: 122 to 122

Roman Emperor Hadrian orders the construction of Hadrian's Wall.
Period: 410 to 410

The last of the Romans leave Britain.
Period: 450 to 450

The Anglo-Saxons begin to settle in Britain. They rule much of the land until the Vikings arrive.
Period: 597 to 597

Christianity is introduced by Saint Augustine.
Period: 617 to 617

The kingdom of Northumbria is established as the dominant kingdom.
Period: 793 to 793

The Vikings first arrive.
Period: 793 to 793

First recorded Viking attack happens in Dorset
Period: 793 to 793

Vikings attack the monastery of Lindisfarne, Northumbria
Period: 795 to 795

Vikings attack the island monastery of Iona, Scotland Iona was attacked in 795 AD, in 802 AD and again in 806 AD
Period: 802 to 802

The kingdom of Wessex becomes the dominant kingdom.
Period: 829 to 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.
Period: 843 to 843

Kingdom of Scotland formed 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'.
Period: 851 to 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.
Period: 866 to 866

The Vikings invade Britain with a large army. They defeat Northumbria in 867.
Period: 871 to 871

Alfred the Great becomes king of the Wessex.
Period: 878 to 878

Alfred is nearly defeated by the Vikings. He narrowly escapes. Alfred gathers an army and defeats the Vikings at the Battle of Edington.
Period: 926 to 926

The Saxons defeat the Vikings and retake the Danelaw.
Period: 926 to 926

Eastern England (Danelaw) is conquered by the Saxons
Period: 927 to 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.
Period: 939 to 939

Athelstan, first king of all England, dies
Period: 954 to 954

Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king in England, is forced out of Yorvik (York) Eric Bloodaxe was invited to take over the kingdom of Yorvik (York) around 946 AD.
Period: 960 to 960

Dunstan becomes archbishop of Canterbury
Period: 973 to 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.
Period: 975 to 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.
Period: 978 to 978

Edward's half-brother Æthelred becomes the new king.
Period: 1013 to 1013

Swein Forkbeard, son of the Danish king Harold Bluetooth,forces Æthelred the Unready into exile England now under Danish control.
Period: 1016 to 1016

The Danish conquer England and King Canute of Denmark becomes King of England.
Period: 1016 to 1016

King Canute of Denmark captures the English Crown
Period: 1042 to 1042

August: Edward the Confessor (Edward II) becomes king of England
Period: 1055 to 1055

Westminster Abbey is completed
Period: 1055 to 1055

6 January: Edward the Confessor dies and is succeed by Harold Godwinson Harold, earl of Wessex, was crowned king of England on 6 January 1066.
Period: 1066 to 1485

the normans
Period: 1066 to 1066

The Norman Conquest occurs. William of Normandy becomes king.
Period: 1078 to 1078

William begins the construction of the Tower of London.
Period: 1086 to 1086

A survey of all England called the Domesday Book is completed.
Period: 1154 to 1154

Henry II becomes king. This is the start of the Plantegenet line of rulers.
Period: 1170 to 1170

Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is put to death by Henry II
Period: 1215 to 1215

King John is forced to sign the Magna Carta.
Period: 1297 to 1297

William Wallace leads the Scotts in their defeat of the English. He is defeated a year later at the Battle of Falkirk.
Period: 1337 to 1337

The Hundred Years' War with France begins. It will last until 1453.
Period: 1349 to 1349

The Black Death hits England killing a large portion of the English population.
Period: 1415 to 1415

The English defeat the French at the Battle of Agincourt.
Period: 1453 to 1453

The Hundred Years' War comes to an end.
Period: 1455 to 1455

The War of the Roses begins between the families of the Plantagenets and the Lancastrians for the right to rule England.
Period: 1485 to 1485

The War of the Roses ends with the crowning of Henry Tudor as King Henry VII. The House of Tudor begins its reign.
Period: 1508 to 1508

Henry VIII is crowned king.
Period: 1534 to 1534

Henry VIII forms the Church of England.
Period: 1536 to 1536

England and Wales are joined by the Act of Union.
Period: 1558 to 1558

Elizabeth I becomes Queen. The Elizabethan Era begins.
Period: 1580 to 1580

Explorer Sir Francis Drake completes his journey around the globe
Period: 1588 to 1588

The English fleet led by Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada.
Period: 1591 to 1591

William Shakespeare begins writing and performing plays.
Period: 1600 to 1600

The East India Company is established.
Period: 1602 to 1602

James I becomes king and rules over England and Scotland. He is the first of the Stuart family to rule.
Period: 1605 to 1605

Guy Fawkes fails in his attempt to blow up Parliament.
Period: 1620 to 1620

The Pilgrims set sail for America aboard the Mayflower
Period: 1666 to 1666

The Great Fire of London destroys much of the city.
Period: 1686 to 1686

The English Bill of Rights is established giving more power to the parliament.
Period: 1707 to 1707

England and Scotland are united as one country called Great Britain
Period: 1756 to 1756

The Seven Year's War begins.
Period: 1770 to 1770

The Industrial Revolution begins in England.
Period: 1776 to 1776

The American colonies declare their independence from Britain.
Period: 1801 to 1801

The British and Irish parliaments are joined by the Act of Union to create the United Kingdom.
Period: 1805 to 1805

The British fleet defeats Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Period: 1837 to 1837

Queen Victoria is crowned queen. The Victorian Era begins.
Period: 1854 to 1854

The Crimean War is fought against Russia.
Period: 1866 to 1877

Invasion of the Great danish flag Danish (Viking) Army.
Period: 1867 to 1867

The Vikings kill rival kings of Northumbria and capture York The city became Yorvik, the Viking capital in England.
Period: 1869 to 1869

Edmund, King of the East Angles, is killed by the Vikings He was beheaded and his head thrown away to prevent proper burial.
Period: 1877 to 1877

Welsh king Rhodri Mawr is defeated by the Vikings and flees to Ireland
Period: 1878 to 1878

Wessex is overrun by Vikings and King Alfred goes into hiding in the marshes of Athelney (Somerset). After Easter, he called up his troops and defeated the Viking king Guthrum, who he persuaded to be baptised.
Period: 1886 to 1886

England is Divided 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' -
Period: 1889 to 1889

The Anglo Saxon Chronicle starts
Period: 1914 to 1914

World War I begins. The United Kingdom fights with Allies against the Central Powers led by Germany.
Period: 1918 to 1918

World War I ends.
Period: 1921 to 1921

Ireland is granted independence.
Period: 1928 to 1928

Women gain equal rights to vote.
Period: 1939 to 1939

World War II begins. The United Kingdom joins the Allies against the Axis Powers.
Period: 1940 to 1940

The United Kingdom is bombed by the Germans for months during the Battle of Britain.
Period: 1945 to 1945

World War II ends.
Period: 1952 to 1952

Elizabeth II is crowned queen.
Period: 1979 to 1979

Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Period: 1981 to 1981

Prince Charles marries Lady Diana.
Period: 1982 to 1982

The Falklands War occurs.
Period: 1991 to 1991

The United Kingdom joins the United States in the Gulf War.
Period: 1997 to 1997

1Princess Diana dies in a car crash. Britain gives control of Hong Kong to China.
Period: 2003 to 2003

The Iraq War occurs.
Period: 2011 to 2011

Prince William marries Catherine Middleton.

The British Isles are formed as water levels rise separating them from mainland Europe.

New Stone Age begins: farming people arrive from Europe. First stone circles erected.

First phase of building Stonehenge

Tools and weapons made from copper

The construction of Stonehenge is completed.

Bronze Age begins First metal workers People learn to make bronze weapons and tools. Introduction of cremation of the dead and burials in round barrows.

Beaker culture - their name is thought to originate from the distinctive beakers that accompanied their burials. They were farmers and archers.

Stonehenge completed

Trade routes began to form

Small Villages were first formed

Iron Age began Iron replaces bronze as most useful metal. Population about 150,000.

The Celtic peoples begin to arrive and establish their culture.

The Celtic people arrive from Central Europe. The Celts were farmers and lived in small village groups in the centre of their arable fields. They were also warlike people. The Celts fought against the people of Britain and other Celtic tribes.

Roman leader Julius Caesar invades Britain, but withdraws.

The Roman Empire invades Britain and makes Britannia a Roman province.

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

Roman Emperor Hadrian orders the construction of Hadrian's Wall.

The last of the Romans leave Britain.

The Anglo-Saxons begin to settle in Britain. They rule much of the land until the Vikings arrive.

Christianity is introduced by Saint Augustine.

The kingdom of Northumbria is established as the dominant kingdom.

The Vikings first arrive.

First recorded Viking attack happens in Dorset

Vikings attack the monastery of Lindisfarne, Northumbria

Vikings attack the island monastery of Iona, Scotland Iona was attacked in 795 AD, in 802 AD and again in 806 AD

The kingdom of Wessex becomes the dominant kingdom.

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.

Kingdom of Scotland formed 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, 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.

The Vikings invade Britain with a large army. They defeat Northumbria in 867.

Alfred the Great becomes king of the Wessex.

Alfred is nearly defeated by the Vikings. He narrowly escapes. Alfred gathers an army and defeats the Vikings at the Battle of Edington.

The Saxons defeat the Vikings and retake the Danelaw.

Eastern England (Danelaw) is conquered by the Saxons

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

Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king in England, is forced out of Yorvik (York) Eric Bloodaxe was invited to take over the kingdom of Yorvik (York) around 946 AD.

Dunstan becomes archbishop of Canterbury

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, 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.

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

The Danish conquer England and King Canute of Denmark becomes King of England.

King Canute of Denmark captures the English Crown

August: Edward the Confessor (Edward II) becomes king of England

Westminster Abbey is completed

6 January: Edward the Confessor dies and is succeed by Harold Godwinson Harold, earl of Wessex, was crowned king of England on 6 January 1066.

the normans

The Norman Conquest occurs. William of Normandy becomes king.

William begins the construction of the Tower of London.

A survey of all England called the Domesday Book is completed.

Henry II becomes king. This is the start of the Plantegenet line of rulers.

Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is put to death by Henry II

King John is forced to sign the Magna Carta.

William Wallace leads the Scotts in their defeat of the English. He is defeated a year later at the Battle of Falkirk.

The Hundred Years' War with France begins. It will last until 1453.

The Black Death hits England killing a large portion of the English population.

The English defeat the French at the Battle of Agincourt.

The Hundred Years' War comes to an end.

The War of the Roses begins between the families of the Plantagenets and the Lancastrians for the right to rule England.

The War of the Roses ends with the crowning of Henry Tudor as King Henry VII. The House of Tudor begins its reign.

Henry VIII is crowned king.

Henry VIII forms the Church of England.

England and Wales are joined by the Act of Union.

Elizabeth I becomes Queen. The Elizabethan Era begins.

Explorer Sir Francis Drake completes his journey around the globe

The English fleet led by Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada.

William Shakespeare begins writing and performing plays.

The East India Company is established.

James I becomes king and rules over England and Scotland. He is the first of the Stuart family to rule.

Guy Fawkes fails in his attempt to blow up Parliament.

The Pilgrims set sail for America aboard the Mayflower

The Great Fire of London destroys much of the city.

The English Bill of Rights is established giving more power to the parliament.

England and Scotland are united as one country called Great Britain

The Seven Year's War begins.

The Industrial Revolution begins in England.

The American colonies declare their independence from Britain.

The British and Irish parliaments are joined by the Act of Union to create the United Kingdom.

The British fleet defeats Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar.