Timeline of British history facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a timeline of British history, showing important changes and events in the United Kingdom and the countries that came before it. It's like a quick look at the past, helping you see when big things happened. If you want to learn more about these events, you can check out the History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, History of Ireland, History of the formation of the United Kingdom, and History of the United Kingdom.

Ancient Times: Before the 1st Century

This section covers the very early history of Britain, even before the first century.

Roman Arrivals in Britain

55 BC: The Roman General Julius Caesar invades Great Britain for the first time. He lands on the coast of Kent.
54 BC: Caesar invades again. This time, he takes control of about a third of the country. These two visits are known as Caesar's invasions of Britain.

The Roman Era: 1st to 5th Centuries

This period saw the Romans take over parts of Britain and build many important things.

Roman Conquest and Rule

43 AD: Aulus Plautius leads a large Roman army to invade Great Britain. Emperor Claudius makes Britain part of the Roman Empire. This is called the Roman conquest of Britain.
50 AD: The city of London is founded.
61 AD: Boudica leads a big rebellion against the Romans, but her forces are defeated.
122 AD: Emperor Hadrian orders a huge wall to be built. It marks the northern border of Roman Britain.
197 AD: Britain is divided into two Roman areas: Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior.

Later Roman Britain

208 AD: Emperor Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla come to Britain. They take charge of the army.
211 AD: Severus dies in York. Caracalla, now Emperor, leaves the land north of Hadrian's Wall.
c. 214 AD: Britain is officially split into two provinces. London and York become their main cities.
c. 220 AD: Saxons start raiding the south-east coast. Forts are built to protect the area.
259 AD: A rebel leader named Latinus Postumus declares Britain part of his "Empire of the Gauls".
274 AD: Postumus's empire is brought back into the Roman Empire.
287 AD: Mausaeus Carausius takes power in Britain and calls himself Emperor.
296 AD: Julius Constantius defeats Carausius's successor. He brings Britain back under Roman rule.
297 AD: The Picts from the north are mentioned for the first time as attacking Britain.

Early Medieval Times: 6th to 10th Centuries

This period is often called the Dark Ages. It saw the end of Roman rule and the rise of different kingdoms.

The Middle Ages: 11th to 15th Centuries

This era includes the Norman Conquest and major wars.

The Norman Conquest and Its Impact

1017: Cnut the Great is crowned king of England in London.
1042: Harthacnut dies. Edward the Confessor becomes king of England.
1066:

* January 5: Edward the Confessor dies. His brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, becomes king. * September 28: William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, lands in Pevensey with his army. * October 14: The Battle of Hastings takes place. Harold Godwinson is killed fighting William's forces. * December 25: William the Conqueror is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey. This is the start of Norman rule.

1086: A big census begins. Its results are written in the Domesday Book.
1087: William the Conqueror dies. His son, William II of England, becomes king of England.

English and Scottish Kings

1100: William II dies while hunting. His brother, Henry I of England, becomes king.
1135: Henry I dies. Stephen, King of England is crowned king.
1154: Stephen dies. Henry II of England, Henry I's grandson, becomes king.
1164: Henry II issues the Constitutions of Clarendon. These rules say that church members accused of serious crimes should be tried in regular courts.
1170: Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.
1189: Henry II dies. His son, Richard I of England, becomes king.
1192: Richard is captured near Vienna while returning from the Crusades.
1194: Richard is released after a large payment.
1199: Richard dies. His brother, John, King of England, becomes king.

Magna Carta and Welsh Conquest

1209: The pope Pope Innocent III removes King John from the Catholic Church.
1215: King John agrees to Magna Carta. This document gives political rights to his nobles, including the right to a fair trial.
1216: King John dies. His son, Henry III of England, becomes king.
1237: Henry III and Alexander II of Scotland sign the Treaty of York. Scotland gives up its claims to English land in the north.
1272: Henry III dies. Edward I becomes the English king.
1277: England takes control of Wales. This lasts until 1283.
1283: The English conquest of Wales is complete.
1297: William Wallace and the Scots defeat the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Wars and Plagues

1305: Scottish fighter William Wallace is captured and executed by the English.
1307: Edward I dies. Edward II becomes the English king.
1314: Scotland wins a big victory over England at the Battle of Bannockburn.
1327: Edward III takes the English throne.
1328: England officially recognizes Scotland's independence in the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton.
1338: Edward III claims the throne of France. This starts the Hundred Years' War.
1348: The Black Death arrives in England. It kills about one-third of the population.
1377: Edward III dies. His grandson, Richard II, becomes the English king.
1381: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 takes place.
1399: Henry Bolingbroke takes the English throne, becoming Henry IV.

End of the Middle Ages

1413: Henry IV dies. His son, Henry V, becomes king.
1415: Henry V wins a major victory at the Battle of Agincourt in France.
1422: Henry V dies. His son, Henry VI, becomes king.
1471: Henry VI is murdered. Edward IV is restored to the English throne.
1485: The Battle of Bosworth Field ends the rule of Richard III. Henry VII begins the Tudor reign.
1487: The Battle of Stoke is fought. It is the last battle of the Wars of the Roses.

The Tudor and Stuart Eras: 16th to 17th Centuries

This period saw big changes in religion and the start of the British Empire.

Religious Changes and New Rulers

1509: Henry VIII is crowned King of England. He marries Catherine of Aragon.
1513: James IV and many Scots are killed at the Flodden.
1516: The Royal Mail is first set up.
1534: The Act of Supremacy is passed by Henry VIII. This makes him the head of the Church of England.
1542: Mary, Queen of Scots, becomes the Scottish Queen.
1547: Edward VI is crowned King of England.
1553: Mary I becomes Queen of England.
1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England.
1560: The Scottish Parliament makes the protestant reformation official for the Church of Scotland.
1567: The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, gives up her throne and leaves Scotland.
1587: Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed at Fotheringay Castle.
1588: The Spanish Armada is destroyed.

Union of Crowns and Civil War

1603: Queen Elizabeth I dies. James VI of Scotland becomes King of England as James I of England. This unites the crowns of Scotland and England.
1605: The Gunpowder plot is discovered. Guy Fawkes and others tried to blow up the king and Parliament.
1606: King James I sets up the Colony of Virginia in North America.
1625: James VI and I dies. Charles I is crowned King of England.
1642: The English Civil War begins.
1652: Tea arrives in Britain for the first time.
1666: The Great Fire of London destroys much of the city.
1688: The Glorious Revolution replaces James II with William III.
1689: The Bill of Rights 1689 is passed in England. It limits the power of the monarch.
1694: The Bank of England is created.

The Georgian and Victorian Eras: 18th to 19th Centuries

This time saw the creation of Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution, and a huge empire.

Birth of Great Britain and New Leaders

1707: The Kingdom of Great Britain is formed. Queen Anne becomes its first monarch.
1714: Queen Anne dies. George I becomes king.
1721: Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
1727: King George I dies. George II becomes king.
1755: Samuel Johnson publishes his famous A Dictionary of the English Language.
1760: King George II dies. George III becomes king.
1775: The American War of Independence begins.
1776: The Declaration of Independence is created. The United States of America is recognized as a new country.
1777-1779: The world's first iron bridge, The Iron Bridge, is built in Shropshire.
1783: The American War of Independence ends with the Treaty of Paris.
1785: The Times newspaper is first published.

The United Kingdom and Big Changes

1801: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is formed. George III becomes its first monarch.
1805: The naval Battle of Trafalgar takes place.
1807: The Slave Trade Act 1807 is passed, making the slave trade illegal.
1815: The Battle of Waterloo takes place. The Napoleonic Wars end.
1820: King George III dies. George IV becomes king.
1821: The Guardian newspaper is first published.
1825: The Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first public passenger railway, opens.
1829: The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 is passed.
1830: King George IV dies. William IV becomes king.
1832: The Great Reform Act is passed. It doubles the number of people who can vote.
1833: The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 is passed. It bans slavery across the British Empire.
1837: The reign of Queen Victoria begins.
1840: The first postage stamps, called Penny Post, start being used.
1851: The Great Exhibition opens in London.
1853-1856: The Crimean War is fought.
1854: Doctor John Snow discovers that cholera comes from dirty water.
1861: Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies.
1863: The London Underground opens. It is the oldest underground railway network in the world.
1867: The 1867 Reform Act doubles the number of voters again. The Dominion of Canada is created.
1868: The last public execution takes place.
1870: The Elementary Education Act 1870 is passed. It introduces schooling for everyone in England and Wales.
1872: The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 makes primary education compulsory in Scotland.
1886: Construction begins on Tower Bridge in London.
1887: The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes first appears in a story.
1896: The Daily Mail newspaper is first published.

The Modern Era: 20th to 21st Centuries

This period includes two World Wars, the creation of the NHS, and major social changes.

World Wars and New Beginnings

1900: The Labour Party is founded.
1901: Queen Victoria dies. Edward VII becomes king.
1904: The Entente Cordiale is signed between Britain and France.
1908: Parliament approves old age pensions.
1910: Edward VII dies. George V becomes king.
1912: The RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg. Over 1500 people die.
1914: World War I: Great Britain declares war on Germany.
1918:

* February 6: Women over 30 who own property get the right to vote for the first time. * April 1: The Royal Air Force (RAF) is founded. It is the world's first independent air force. * November 11: World War I ends.

1919: Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in Parliament.
1922: The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) is founded.
1926: The 1926 United Kingdom general strike takes place.
1928:

* July 2: Women over 21 get the right to vote on the same terms as men. * September: The first film with talking, The Jazz Singer, is shown in Britain. * September 30: Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

1934: The Flying Scotsman becomes the first steam train to reach 100 miles per hour.
1936: George V dies. Edward VIII becomes king. Later that year, Edward VIII abdicates (gives up) the throne. George VI becomes king.
1937: The 999 emergency telephone number is introduced. It is the world's first emergency service number.
1939: British entry into World War II.
1940: Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.
1945:

* May 8: World War II ends in Europe. * October 24: Britain becomes a founding member of the United Nations.

1947: India gains independence from Britain.
1948:

* July 5: The National Health Service (NHS) is founded. It provides free healthcare for everyone. * July 29 - August 14: London hosts the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Post-War Britain and Modern Times

1952: George VI dies. Elizabeth II becomes Queen.
1953: James Watson and Francis Crick publish their discovery of the structure of DNA.
1953: Coronation of Elizabeth II.
1954: Roger Bannister runs the first four-minute mile.
1955: Commercial television starts with the first ITV broadcast.
1958: The first British motorway, the M6 Preston bypass, opens.
1965: The death penalty is officially abolished.
1969: Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner, makes its first flight.
1971: Decimal Day; the United Kingdom changes its money to a decimal system.
1973: The United Kingdom joins the European Communities (now the European Union).
1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister.
1981: The Humber Bridge opens. It is the longest single-span bridge in the world at the time.
1982: The Falklands War is fought against Argentina. Britain wins and reclaims the Falkland Islands.
1989: Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.
1994: The Channel Tunnel opens. It is the first physical connection between the UK and France.
1996: A sheep named Dolly becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.
1997:

* May 2: Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister. * July 1: The United Kingdom hands Hong Kong back to China. This marks the end of the British Empire. * August 31: Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris.

1999:

* May 6: First elections are held for the new Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. * December 2: The Good Friday Agreement starts. It aims to end the conflict in Northern Ireland.

The 21st Century

2002: Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother both die.
2003: The United Kingdom, with the US, invades Iraq.
2010: David Cameron becomes Prime Minister.
2011: The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
2012: London hosts the Olympic Games for the third time.
2013: Same-sex marriage is made legal in the United Kingdom.
2014: The Scottish independence referendum takes place. Scotland votes to stay part of the United Kingdom.
2015: Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
2016:

* June 23: The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. * July 13: Theresa May becomes the second female Prime Minister.

2019: Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister.
2020:

* January 31: The United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union. * March 23: A national lockdown begins due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2021: Death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99.
2022:

* February 6: Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years on the throne. * September 8: Elizabeth II dies. * October 20: Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak becomes England's first British-Asian Prime Minister.