Timeline of English history facts for kids

This is a timeline of important events in the history of England. It covers big changes in laws, land, and politics. To learn more about these events, check out History of England.

Ancient Times: Before the 1st Century

Early Invaders and Roman Rule

• 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, taking control of about a third of the country. These are known as Caesar's invasions of Britain.

The Roman Era: 1st to 5th Centuries

Rome Takes Control

• Around 10–40 AD: Cunobelinus rules as an important king in southern England before the Romans fully take over.
• 43 AD: A Roman army led by Aulus Plautius invades Britain. Emperor Claudius makes Britain part of the powerful Roman Empire.
• Around 47–50 AD: The Romans settle London, calling it Londinium.

Building Walls and Changing Times

• 122–128 AD: Emperor Hadrian builds a huge wall, Hadrian's Wall, to protect the Roman part of Britain from tribes in the north (Scotland).
• 401 AD: The Romans start to leave Britain.
• 449 AD: The Angles begin to invade England, setting up their own kingdoms along the east coast.

The Anglo-Saxon Age: 8th to 10th Centuries

Kings and Vikings

• 740–756 AD: Cuthred rules as King of Wessex.
• 757 AD: Offa becomes King of Mercia, a powerful kingdom.
• 793 AD: On June 8, Vikings attack a monastery in Lindisfarne. This event is often seen as the start of the Viking Age in England.

The Great Army and Alfred the Great

• 865 AD: The Great Heathen Army, a large group of Viking warriors, arrives in England.
• 871 AD: In April, Alfred the Great becomes King of the West Saxons after his brother Æthelred dies. Alfred is famous for fighting the Vikings.
• 992 AD: Earl Byrhtnoth and his warriors lead the English against a Viking invasion in the Battle of Maldon in Essex.

The Norman Conquest and Medieval Times: 11th to 14th Centuries

New Kings and Big Changes

• 1016: Cnut the Great from Denmark becomes king of all England.
• 1043: Edward the Confessor becomes king of all England.
• 1066: This is a very important year!
  • Battle of Fulford: English forces are defeated by Norse invaders in the northeast.
  • Battle of Stamford Bridge: The English army, led by its king, defeats the remaining Norse invaders.
  • Battle of Hastings: Invaders from Normandy, led by William the Conqueror, defeat the English. William becomes king of England in what is known as the Norman Conquest.
• 1086: Work begins on the Domesday Book, a huge survey of land and wealth in England ordered by William the Conqueror.

Civil War and Church Power

• 1135: The Anarchy begins. This was a civil war over who should be king, lasting until 1153.
• 1164: The Constitutions of Clarendon are issued. These were laws about how members of the Catholic Church in England would be judged.
• 1170: Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is killed.
• 1192: During the Crusades, King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) is captured by an Austrian Duke while returning from the Holy Land.
• 1194: Richard is freed after a ransom is paid and returns to England.

Magna Carta and Scottish Battles

• 1209: King John is removed from the Catholic Church by Pope Innocent III.
• 1215: The Magna Carta is signed. This important document limited the power of the king and protected the rights of some people.
• 1237: The Treaty of York is signed, setting the border between Scotland and England.
• 1264: In the Battle of Lewes, rebel English barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester defeat King Henry III.
• 1277: England takes control of Gwynedd in Wales.
• 1297: In the Battle of Stirling Bridge, the Scots, led by William Wallace, defeat the English.

Independence and the Black Death

• 1305: On August 23, William Wallace is killed by the English for treason.
• 1314: On June 23–24, in the Battle of Bannockburn, Scotland wins a major victory over England.
• 1328: On May 1, the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton is signed. England officially recognizes Scottish independence.
• 1348: The Black Death, a terrible plague, arrives in England, causing many deaths.
• 1373: On June 16, the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1373 is signed, creating an alliance between England and Portugal. This alliance is still active today!
• 1381: From May to June, the Peasants' Revolt takes place. This was a large uprising across England led by Wat Tyler.

Wars and New Dynasties: 15th Century

Roses and New Kings

• 1403: On July 21, the Battle of Shrewsbury is fought between King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy.
• 1415: On October 25, the Battle of Agincourt is a big English victory in the Hundred Years' War against France.
• 1455: On May 22, the Wars of the Roses begin. This was a civil war for control of the English throne between two families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster.
• 1485: On August 22, the Battle of Bosworth Field is the last major battle of the Wars of the Roses. King Richard III is killed, and Henry VII becomes king, starting the Tudor dynasty.
• 1491: On June 28, King Henry VIII is born.

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

Breaking with Rome and New Queens

• 1513: In the Battle of Flodden Field, King James IV of Scotland and many Scots are killed while invading England.
• 1533: King Henry VIII breaks away from the Catholic Church and declares himself the head of the church in England.
• 1533: On September 7, Henry's wife Anne Boleyn gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, who will become Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.
• 1534: Henry VIII issues the Act of Supremacy, confirming his role as head of the English Church.
• 1536: Henry VIII begins the Dissolution of the Monasteries, closing down many religious houses.
• 1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England and rules until 1603.
• 1588: On August 8, the Spanish Armada, a huge Spanish fleet, is defeated by the English navy.

Uniting Crowns and Civil War

• 1603: King James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England, uniting the crowns of the two kingdoms.
• 1605: On November 5, the Gunpowder Plot is discovered. Guy Fawkes and other Catholics planned to blow up King James I and the Parliament.
• 1607: On May 14, Jamestown is founded in America. It is the first permanent English colony there.
• 1642: The English Civil War begins. This was a conflict between King Charles I and Parliament.
• 1649: In January, King Charles I is put on trial and executed.
• 1649: The Interregnum begins, a period when England is a republic (the First Commonwealth) instead of a monarchy.
• 1653–1659: Oliver Cromwell and later his son Richard Cromwell rule England as the Protectorate.
• 1660: The monarchy is brought back. Charles II becomes king, in what is known as the Restoration.
• 1666: From September 2–5, the Great Fire of London sweeps through the city, destroying much of it.
• 1688: The Glorious Revolution takes place. King James II is overthrown, and William III and Mary II become joint rulers.
• 1694: On July 27, the Bank of England is founded.

The Rise of Britain: 18th Century

New Laws and Global Power

• 1701: The Act of Settlement 1701 is passed, stating that the English monarch must be Protestant.
• 1707: The Acts of Union 1707 are passed, officially uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
• 1716: The Old Dock in Liverpool opens. It was the world's first commercial "wet dock" (a dock where ships could stay afloat at all times).
• 1760: Great Britain wins a major victory over the French in North America, gaining control of much of what is now Canada.
• 1775: On April 19, the American War of Independence officially begins with battles at Lexington and Concord. This war lasts until 1789.
• 1790s: Canal Mania takes place, a time when many canals are built across England and Wales to transport goods.

The Victorian Age and Beyond: 19th Century

Industrial Revolution and Social Change

• 1805: In the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson defeats the French navy. This makes Britain the most powerful naval force in the world for a long time.
• 1819: On August 16, the Peterloo Massacre occurs in Manchester. About 18 people are killed when cavalry charge a large crowd asking for changes to Parliament.
• 1830: On September 15, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opens. It is the world's first inter-city railway.
• 1837: On June 20, Queen Victoria becomes queen of England. Her long reign, known as the Victorian era, lasts until 1901.
• 1859: On November 24, Charles Darwin publishes his famous book, On the Origin of Species, which introduces the idea of evolution.
• 1863: On January 10, the first underground train begins operating in London.
• 1878: Women are first allowed to attend the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Modern England: 20th and 21st Centuries

World Wars and New Services

• 1912: In August, Harry Brearley invents Stainless Steel in Sheffield.
• 1914: On July 28, World War 1 begins.
• 1918: On November 11, World War 1 ends.
• 1939: On September 3, Britain declares war on Nazi Germany and enters World War 2.
• 1945: On May 8, Germany surrenders, and World War 2 ends in Europe.
• 1948: On July 5, the National Health Service (NHS) is founded, providing free healthcare to everyone.
• 1973: On January 1, the UK joins the European Communities (which later became the European Union).
• 1982: On October 11, the Mary Rose, a warship that sank in 1545, is raised from the seabed.

New Millennium Events

• 2004: The population of England reaches fifty million people.
• 2019: On July 14, England wins its first ever Cricket World Cup in a thrilling match at Lords.
• 2020: The UK leaves the European Union, an event known as Brexit.
• 2020: In March, the Coronavirus pandemic begins, leading to social distancing and lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus.
• 2022: On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II dies after ruling for over 70 years.

See also

• List of English monarchs
• List of British monarchs
• English monarchs family tree

City and town timelines

• Timeline of Bath
• Timeline of Barrow-in-Furness
• Timeline of Birmingham
• Timeline of Bradford
• Timeline of Bristol
• Timeline of Cambridge
• Timeline of Cheshire
• Timeline of Derby
• Timeline of Exeter
• Timeline of Hull
• Timeline of Leicester
• Timeline of Lincoln
• Timeline of Liverpool
• Timeline of London
• Timeline of Manchester
• Timeline of Norwich
• Timeline of Nottingham
• Timeline of Oxford
• Timeline of Plymouth
• Timeline of Reading
• Timeline of Sheffield
• Timeline of Southampton
• Timeline of St Columb Major
• Timeline of Sunderland
• Timeline of York

County timelines

• Timeline of Cheshire
• Timeline of Cornwall
• Timeline of Northumbria and Northumberland
• Timeline of Somerset
• Timeline of Sussex