Timeline British History

1066 - Harold II is crowned king the day

after Edward the Confessor dies. Tostig
and Harold Hardraada of Norway invade
England: Harold defeats them at the Battle
of Stamford Bridge, killing both; Battle of
Hastings: 19 days after battle of Stamford
Bridge, William of Normandy lands at
Pevensey, defeats and kills Harold; William
I, the Conqueror, first Norman King of
England (to 1087)
1067 - Work is begun on building the
Tower of London.

Timeline British History

1215 - Signing of Magna Carta; English barons

force John to agree to a statement of their rights

1509 - Henry VIII, becomes king.
1517 - The Protestant Reformation begins; Martin
Luther nails his "95 Theses" against the Catholic
practice of selling indulgences, on the church door
at Wittenberg
1529 - Henry VIII dismisses Lord Chancellor
Thomas Wolsey for failing to obtain the Pope's
consent to his divorce from Catherine of Aragon;
Sir Thomas More appointed Lord Chancellor; Henry
VIII summons the "Reformation Parliament" and
begins to cut the ties with the Church of Rome

Timeline British History

1533 - Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn and is

excommunicated by Pope Clement VII; Thomas

Cranmer appointed Archbishop of Canterbury

1534 - Act of Supremacy: Henry VIII declared

supreme head of the Church of England
1558 - England loses Calais, last English possession
in France; Death of Mary I; Elizabeth I, daughter of
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, becomes Queen;
Repeal of Catholic legislation in England
1588 - The Spanish Armada is defeated by the
English fleet under Lord Howard of Effingham, Sir
Francis Drake, and Sir John Hawkins: war between
Spain and England continues until 1603

Timeline British History

1649 - Charles I is tried and executed; The Commonwealth,
in which ; England is governed as a republic, is established
and lasts until 1660; Cromwell harshly suppresses Catholic
rebellions in Ireland
1660 - Convention Parliament restores Charles II to throne
1665 - Great Plague in London

1666 - Great Fire of London

1775 - American War of Independence begins when
colonists fight British troops at Lexington. James Watt further
develops his steam engine
1776 - On 4th July, the American Congress passes their
Declaration of Independence from Britain. Edward Gibbons'
publishes his 'Decline and Fall' and Adam Smith, his 'Wealth if
Nations'

Timeline British History

1769 - James Watt patents the Steam Engine
833 - Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Empire.

Parliament passes the Factory Act, prohibiting children aged less

than nine from working in factories, and reducing the working
hours of women and older children. Start of the Oxford
Movement in the Anglican Church
1834 - Parliament passes the Poor Law Act, establishing
workhouses for the poor. Robert Owen founds the Grand National
Consolidated Trade Union. The government acts against 'illegal
oaths' in such unionism, rsulting in the Tolpuddle Martyrs being
transported to Australia. Fire destroys the Palace of Westminster
1835 - Parliament passes the Municipal Reform Act, requiring
members of town councils to be elected by ratepayers and
councils to publish their financial accounts

Timeline British History

1837 - Death of King William IV at Windsor. He is succeeded by his niece,

Victoria. Births, deaths and marriages must be registered by law. Charles

Dickens publishes 'Oliver Twist,' drawing attention to Britain's poor.
1844-45 - Railways mania explodes across Britain. Massive investment and
speculation leads to the laying of 5,000 miles of track

1845-49 - Irish Potato Famine kills more than a million people

1863London Underground opens
1868 Joseph Lister discovers disinfectant
1868 The last public hanging
1869 The first Sainsbury's shop open in Dury Lane, London
1870Education Act means school for everyone
1876 Alexander Bell invented the telephone
Primary education was made compulsory
1877 The first public electric lighting in London
1883First electric railway
1887 The invention of the gramophone
1891Free education for every child
1901Population of Britain 40 million

Timeline British History

1902Britain defeats Dutch settlers in Boer War in South Africa

The first old age pension
1914 - 1918 First World War
Compulsory military service and food rationing introduced
1920 Republic of Ireland gains independence
1937 Sir Frank Whittle invents the Jet Engine
1939 1945 The Second World War
1952 Elizabeth II becomes Queen
1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
1973 Britain joins the European Community
1979Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman prime minister
1982Falklands War
1991Gulf War
1991Sir Tim Berners Lee invents the World Wide Web
1994Channel Tunnel links Britain back to the European continent