C. 8,500 BC Following the end of the ice age the climate grows much warmer.

Forests spread across England. Also the sea level rises and England is cut off from Europe. C. 4,500 BC Farming is introduced into England C. 2,500 BC Stone age farmers build monuments called henges C. 2,000 BC Bronze is first used in England C. 650 Iron tools and weapons are introduced by a people called the Celts C. 150 BC The potters wheel is introduced into England A history of Prehistoric England

ROMAN BRITAIN
55 BC Julius Caesar leads an expedition to Britain 54 BC Julius Caesar leads a second expedition 43 AD The Romans invade Britain. They land in Kent. C. 50 A town grows up at London 51 Caractacus, a leader of British resistance to the Romans is captured 60 Boudicca (also known by her Latin name Boadicea) leads an unsuccessful rebellion against the Romans. She burns the towns of Colchester, St Albans and London 78-85 Agricola is governor of Roman Britain 122-128 Hadrian's Wall is built in the north of England C. 270 At this time a network of forts is built along the eastern coast of England, the Saxon shore. It is called that because fierce Saxons have begun raiding. Roman civilisation has begun to decline.

A Roman fort at Portchester 286-293 Admiral Carausius breaks away from the rest of the Roman Empire and makes himself emperor of an independent Britain 367 'The Great Barbarian Raid' takes place. A combined force of Irish, Scots and Picts attack Roman Britain. 388 The Roman army abandons Hadrian's Wall 407 The last Roman soldiers leave Britain Life in Roman Britain

ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
C. 450 Invasions by Angles, Saxons and Jutes begin. 477 According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Saxons led by Aella land in Sussex this year near Pevensey C. 520 The Celts utterly defeat the Saxons at the battle of 'Mount Badon', somewhere in Somerset, halting their advance for decades

577 The Saxons defeat the Romano-Celts at the battle of Deorham. Afterwards the Saxons capture Bath, Cirencester and Gloucester. They cut the Celts in Wales off from the Celts in Southwest England. 597 St Augustine arrives in Kent and begins to convert the Saxons. (At this time England is divided into small kingdoms). 601 Augustine becomes the first Archbishop of Canterbury 604 The first Bishop of London is appointed 735 A writer called the Venerable Bede dies 757-796 Offa reigns in Mercia (a kingdom in central England). 793 The Vikings raid England for the first time. They sack the monastery at Lindisfarne in north east England. 865 The Danes invade eastern England 871 The Saxons defeat the Danes at Ashdown Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex (southern England). 878 Alfred crushes the Danes at the battle of Edington. 879 By the treaty of Wedmore England is split between the Saxons and the Danes. Watling Street forms part of the border. London is left in Danish hands. 886 Alfred recaptures London from the Danes 899 Alfred dies aged 50 899-924 The reign of Edward the Elder. In 901 Edward calls himself 'King of the Angles and Saxons'. In 913 he recaptures Essex from the Danes. Over time the Saxon kings take over all of the Danish territory (the Danelaw) and England becomes a single kingdom.

924-939 The battle of Brunanburh. The English defeat an army of Danes, Scots and Irish. 939-946 The reign of Edmund 946-955 The reign of Edred 955-959 The reign of Edwy 959-975 The reign of Edgar 975-978 The reign of Edward the Martyr. He is stabbed to death in Dorset. 978-1016 The reign of Ethelred 1016-1035 The reign of Canute 1035-1040 The reign of Harold I 1040-1042 The reign of Hardicanute Life in Anglo-Saxon England

ENGLAND IN THE MIDDLE AGES

1042-1066 Reign of Edward the Confessor 1066 Harold becomes king, although William Duke of Normandy also claims the throne. Harald Hardrada, a Norwegian claims it as well. He invades England but his army is crushed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in September. The Normans win the battle of Hastings in October. William The Conqueror is crowned king in December. 1069-1070 The 'harrying of the North' takes place. Enraged by rebellion in the north of England Norman soldiers burn houses and crops and kill livestock. The area north of the River Humber is left devastated.

1086 The Domesday Book is compiled. It lists all the manors of England and their value. 1074 William creates the New Forest in Hampshire where he can go hunting. 1087 William the Conqueror dies while at war. William Rufus becomes king. 1100 William Rufus is killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest. (It is not clear whether it was an accident or whether he was murdered). Henry I becomes king. 1120 The White Ship sinks in the English Channel. William, the heir to the English throne (Henry's only legitimate son) drowns. 1135 Henry I dies. There are now two contenders for the throne. Henry wanted his daughter Matilda to rule after him. However many barons refuse to accept a woman ruler and support Henry's nephew Stephen. 'The 19 long winters' of civil war between Matilda and Stephen begin. 1138 The English defeat the Scots at the battle of the Standard 1154 The civil wars end. Henry II becomes king. 1170 Thomas Becket is killed is Canterbury Cathedral. He is later canonized (made a saint) and pilgrims flock to his tomb. 1180 Rich people in England have glass windows for the first time since the Roman era 1189 Henry II dies. Richard I known as the Lionheart becomes king. 1199 Richard I dies when he is hit by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France. John becomes king.

Bargate in Southampton 1207 King John founds Liverpool 1215 King John seals Magna Carta 1216 John dies. Henry III becomes king. 1221 Dominican friars (known as black friars) arrive in England 1264 Battle of Lewes. Simon De Monfort and rebel barons defeat the king. 1265 Battle of Evesham. De Monfort is defeated and killed. 1272 Henry III dies. Edward I becomes king. 1290 King Edward expels all Jews from England Queen Eleanor dies 1295 King Edward calls the Model Parliament C. 1300 Glass windows and chimneys are becoming common among people who are well off but below the nobility such as rich merchants.

1307 Edward I dies. Edward II becomes king. 1314 The battle of Bannockburn is fought. The Scots utterly defeat the English. The battle guarantees Scotland will remain independent of England. 1315-1316 Famine stalks England 1324-1384 Life of John Wycliffe the religious reformer 1327 Edward II dies. Edward III becomes king. 1337 The Hundred Years War between England and France begins 1340 The English win the naval battle of Sluys against the French Geoffrey Chaucer is born 1346 The battle of Crecy. English archers with longbows crush the French army. 1348 The Black Death comes to England. Perhaps a third of the population died over the next year. 1356 The battle of Poitiers is fought. Once again the English archers totally defeat the French. 1377 Richard II becomes king 1381 The Peasants Revolt takes place. Peasants in Essex and Kent rise up and march on London. The king manages to persuade them to disperse by making promises, none of which he intends to keep. 1382 Winchester College is founded by William of Wickham 1388 The Scots defeat the English at the battle of Otterburn 1399 Henry IV becomes king 1413 Henry V becomes king

1415 The battle of Agincourt. Once again the English win a great victory. 1422 Henry VI becomes king 1442 Edward IV becomes king 1453 The Hundred Years War with France ends. England loses all its territory in France except for Calais. 1455-1485 England suffers a series of civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses 1461 The battle of Towton is fought 1471 The battle of Tewkesbury is fought 1476 Caxton introduces the printing press into England 1483-1485 Reign of Richard III 1485 Henry VII wins the battle of Bosworth. Richard III is killed and Henry becomes the first Tudor king. 1497 John Cabot sails to North America Life in the Middle Ages

ENGLAND IN THE 16th CENTURY

1509 Henry VII dies. Henry VIII becomes king. Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon 1511 The warship Mary Rose is launched 1513 The English win the battle of Flodden against the Scots 1533 Henry divorces Catherine of Aragon. He marries Anne Boleyn. 1534 Henry VIII makes himself head of the Church of England 1536 The Pilgrimage of Grace takes place. (An uprising in the North of England).

Anne Boleyn is beheaded Henry marries Jane Seymour 1536-1540 Henry VIII closes the monasteries 1537 Jane Seymour dies 1540 Henry marries Anne of Cleves but quickly divorces her Henry marries Kathryn Howard 1542 The battle of Solway Moss. The English defeat the Scots. Kathryn Howard is beheaded 1543 Henry marries Catherine Parr 1545 The Mary Rose sinks 1547 Henry VIII dies. Edward VI becomes king The Duke of Somerset is made Lord Protector 1549 The first Book of Common Prayer is introduced The Duke of Northumberland becomes Lord Protector 1552 The Duke of Somerset is executed 1553 Edward VI dies. Mary becomes queen. 1554 Lady Jane Grey is beheaded

The Tower of London 1555-1558 Queen Mary persecutes Protestants. Nearly 300 people are burned to death for heresy. 1558 Queen Mary dies. Elizabeth I becomes queen. C. 1560 to C. 1640 'The Great Rebuilding' takes place in England. Stone and brick replace most wooden houses. Chimneys and glass windows become common. 1564 William Shakespeare is born. So is Christopher Marlowe 1570 The Pope excommunicates Queen Elizabeth 1576 The first theatre opens in London 1577-1580 Francis Drake sails around the world 1583 The Throckmorton Plot, a Catholic plot to murder Queen Elizabeth is foiled 1586 The Babington Plot, another Catholic plot to murder the Queen is foiled

1587 Mary Queen of Scots is beheaded 1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated 1592 An Englishman named John Davis discovers the Falklands 1596 Francis Drake dies Life in the 16th Century

ENGLAND IN THE 17th CENTURY

1600 The East India Company is founded 1601 The Poor Law is passed. People are made to pay a rate to support the poor. 1603 In March Queen Elizabeth dies. James I becomes king. 1605 The gunpowder plot, a Catholic conspiracy to blow up parliament, is discovered. 1607 Jamestown, the first successful British colony in North America, is founded 1608 John Milton is born 1611 The King James Bible is published 1625 James I dies. Charles I becomes king. 1628 William Harvey publishes his discovery of the circulation of the blood The Petition of Right is presented to the king by parliament George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham is assassinated in Portsmouth

17th century houses in Portsmouth 1629-1640 The Eleven Years Tyranny. Charles I rules without parliament. 1632 The great architect Christopher Wren is born 1633 William Laud becomes Archbishop of Canterbury 1641 MP's draw up a list of grievances called the Grand Remonstrance. 1642 The English Civil War between king and parliament begins. They fight the indecisive battle of Edgehill. Isaac Newton is born 1644 Parliament wins the battle of Marston Moor 1645 Parliament wins the battle of Naseby William Laud is executed 1646 Charles I surrenders to the Scots and the first civil war comes to an end

1648 Charles I starts another civil war. The Scots intervene on his behalf. However the battle of Preston ends hopes of restoring Charles I to power. Pride's Purge. Thomas Pride removes some Presbyterian MPs from parliament. 1649 King Charles I is beheaded 1651 A Scottish army invades England in an attempt to put Charles II on the throne. The Scots are defeated at Worcester and Charles flees abroad. Thomas Hobbes publishes his work Leviathan 1652 Architect Inigo Jones dies 1652-1654 The first Anglo-Dutch war is fought 1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England 1655-1657 Rule of the Major-Generals in England 1658 Oliver Cromwell dies. His son Richard takes over. 1659 Richard Cromwell resigns. His fall from power is so swift he becomes known as 'Tumbledown Dick'. 1660 Charles II becomes king 1661 Robert Boyle publishes his great work The Sceptical Chemist 1662 The Royal Society (a scientific organisation) is given its charter by Charles II Charles II marries a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza The Act of Uniformity is passed 1663 The first turnpike road is opened. (Turnpike roads were owned by turnpike trusts that maintained them. You had to pay to use them).

1665 Plague kills many people in London. This is the last outbreak of bubonic plague in England. 1665-1667 The second Anglo-Dutch war is fought 1666 The Great Fire of London. Much of the city is destroyed but it is soon rebuilt. 1667 John Milton publishes Paradise Lost 1670 Hudsons Bay Company is formed 1672-1674 The third Anglo-Dutch war is fought 1673 The Test Act is passed. Catholics and Protestant dissenters (who do not belong to the Church of England) are prevented from holding public office. 1670 The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is founded 1679 The Act of Habeas Corpus. Imprisonment without trial is outlawed. 1685 Charles II dies. James II (a Roman Catholic) becomes king. The Duke of Monmouth (Charles II's illegitimate son) leads an unsuccessful rebellion in Southwest England. 1686 'Hanging' Judge Jefferys sentences many of the rebels to death. 1687 Isaac Newton publishes his great work Principia Mathematica. He lays the foundations of modern physics. 1688 The 'Glorious, Bloodless Revolution'. James II flees abroad and William and Mary become the new monarchs. 1689 The Bill of Rights is passed 1694 Queen Mary dies of smallpox aged 32

The Bank of England is founded 1698 Thomas Savery invents the first steam engine Life in the 17th Century

ENGLAND IN THE 18th CENTURY

1701 The Act of Settlement is passed Jethro Tull invents the seed drill 1702 William dies. Anne becomes queen. 1704 The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Blenheim The British capture Gibraltar 1706 The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French army at Ramillies 1707 The Act of Union joins England and Scotland 1708 The Duke of Marlborough defeats the army of Louis XIV at Oudenarde 1709 Abraham Darby uses coke instead of charcoal to smelt iron The Duke of Marlborough wins the battle of Malplaquet against the French 1711 St Pauls Cathedral is finished 1712 Newcomen makes steam engines for pumping water out of mines 1714 Queen Anne dies. George I becomes king. 1715 The first Jacobite uprising takes place in Scotland. The Highlanders rise but the uprising ends in an indecisive battle near Stirling. 1719 Daniel Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe

1720 The South Sea Bubble (stocks in the South Sea Company suddenly fall in price and many people lose huge sums of money.) 1721 Robert Walpole becomes the king's main minister. People call him the Prime Minister. (Originally it was a term of abuse). 1723 The great architect Christopher Wren dies. 1727 George I dies. George II becomes king. Isaac Newton dies 1733 John Kay invents the flying shuttle 1735 The British Prime Minister moves into 10 Downing Street 1739 The highwayman Dick Turpin is hanged John Wesley founds the Methodists 1742 Prime Minister Robert Walpole resigns 1745 The second Jacobite uprising takes place in Scotland. The Jacobites invade England and reach as far as Derby but then turn back. 1746 The Jacobites are crushed at the battle of Culloden 1756 The Seven Years War against France begins 1759 General Wolfe captures Quebec but is killed. His victory ensures Canada will be a British colony not a French one. 1761 The Bridgwater canal opens 1763 The Seven Years War ends 1769 James Watt patents an improved steam engine 1771 Richard Arkwright introduces a loom powered by a water mill

1773 The British Stock Exchange is founded 1775 Jane Austen is born 1779 The world's first iron bridge is built in Shropshire Samuel Crompton invents the spinning mule C. 1780 The Industrial Revolution begins to transform Britain Lord George Gordon leads anti-Catholic riots in London 1783 Britain signs a treaty recognizing the independence of the American colonies 1784 Henry Cort invents the 'puddling' process. A new way of making wrought iron. As a result iron production booms. 1785 Edmund Cartwright invents the power loom (one worked by a steam engine). Cotton production grows very rapidly. 1787 The first convicts leave Britain from Portsmouth for Australia 1788 Lord Byron is born 1792 Gas light is invented 1796 Jenner invents vaccination against smallpox 1799 Income tax is introduced to pay for the war against France Life in the 18th Century

BRITAIN IN THE 19th CENTURY

1801 The first census is held

Another Act of Union joins Ireland to England and Scotland 1805 The battle of Trafalgar is fought. Britain wins a great naval victory. 1806 The great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel is born 1807 The slave trade is abolished 1811 Prince George becomes Prince Regent as his father is insane 1812 The British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is shot by John Bellingham Charles Dickens is born 1813 The Duke of Wellington defeats the French army at the battle of Vitoria in Spain 1815 The battle of Waterloo is fought. Napoleon is defeated. Humphrey Davy invents the miners safety lamp, which saves many lives 1817 Jane Austen dies 1819 The Peterloo Massacre. Cavalry charge unarmed people holding a meeting on St Peter's Fields at Manchester. Eleven people are killed. Sir Stanford Raffles founds Singapore 1820 George III dies. George IV becomes king. 1821 John Constable paints The Haywain 1824 The poet Lord Byron dies 1825 The world's first public passenger railway opens (The Stockton and Darlington railway). 1829 The Catholic Emancipation Act gives Catholics civil rights

Sir Robert Peel forms the first modern police force (hence their nicknames 'bobbies' or 'peelers') 1830 George IV dies. William IV becomes king. 1832 The Great Reform Act is passed. Seats in parliament are distributed more fairly and more men are given the vote. The writer Lewis Carroll is born 1833 Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire 1835 Bull baiting is banned in Britain. This 'sport' consisted of chaining a bull to a post then using trained dogs to attack it. 1837 William IV dies. Victoria becomes queen. 1840 The penny black stamp is introduced. The writer Thomas Hardy is born Queen Victoria marries Albert 1842 A new law bans women and children from working underground in mines 1843 Charles Dickens publishes A Christmas Carol. The first Christmas card goes on sale 1847 A new law bans women and children from working more than 10 hours a day in factories Charlotte Bronte publishes Jane Eyre Alexander Graham Bell is born

1848 There are cholera epidemics in British towns. The Public Health Act is passed. 1851 The Great Exhibition is held in London 1854-1856 The Crimean War is fought. Britain and France defeat the Russians. 1856 Henry Bessemer invents a way of converting pig iron to steel 1857-58 The Indian Mutiny takes place 1859 Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species. It outlines his theory of evolution.

HMS Warrior launched 1860 1861 Prince Albert dies 1863 The first (steam driven) underground train in London runs 1865 Joseph Lister invents antiseptic surgery. The Salvation Army is formed (it does not get its name till 1878). Lewis Carroll publishes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

1867 The second Reform Act increases the number of men allowed to vote 1868 First Trades Union Congress The last public execution is carried out in England 1869 Richard Blackmore publishes Lorna Doone 1870 The Education Act to provide state education for all is passed. Charles Dickens dies. 1871 The Bank Holiday Act is passed. (For most working class people bank holidays are their only paid holidays). 1872 The secret ballot is introduced. The second Public Health Act is passed. 1874 The writer G K Chesterton is born 1875 A law bans the practice of sending small boys up chimneys to clean them. From now on you have to be over 21 to clean a chimney that way. The third Public Health Act is passed. Conditions in towns and cities are slowly getting better. In the 1870s and 1880s networks of sewers are dug and water pipes are laid. Gas light becomes common even in the poorest homes. Captain Matthew Webb swims the English Channel 1878 The Salvation Army is named 1881 Alexander Fleming is born 1884 The 3rd reform act gives more men the vote 1888 Girls who make match boxes successfully strike

1889 Gas workers successfully strike London dockworkers successfully strike. For the first time unskilled workers are forming successful trade unions. 1890 The first electric underground trains run in London 1898 The writer Lewis Carroll dies 1899-1902 The Boer War is fought in South Africa Life in the 19th Century

BRITAIN IN THE 20th CENTURY

1901 Queen Victoria dies. Her son becomes Edward VII. 1904 Britain signs the Entente Cordiale (friendly understanding) with France 1906 The first dreadnought, a new and powerful battleship is launched 1908 Kenneth Grahame published The Wind In The Willows 1909 The first old age pensions are paid 1910 Edward VII dies. George V becomes king. 1911 The National Insurance Act is passed. Some workers are allowed unemployment benefit and sickness benefit is created. The Parliament Act greatly reduces the power of the House of Lords 1914 In August the First World War begins 1916 The Battle of the Somme is fought. Tanks are used in battle for the first time. Conscription is introduced in Britain

The battle of Jutland is fought between British and German ships. It ends without a clear victor. 1917 The Battle of Passchendale is fought 1918 The First World War ends on 11 November All men over 21 are allowed to vote. Women over 30 are allowed to vote. The school leaving age is raised to 14 1922 The BBC is founded. 1926 Workers hold a General Strike but they are defeated A. A. Milne publishes Winnie The Pooh 1928 Universal suffrage is introduced. (Everyone over the age of 21 is allowed to vote). 1930 Frank Whittle invents the jet engine Following the Wall Street Crash the depression bites and unemployment rises sharply 1932 Unemployment in Britain reaches 22.8% 1933 Unemployment starts to fall. Britain starts to recover from the depression. 1936 In January unemployment in Britain is 13.9%. It continues to slowly fall. George V dies. Edward VIII becomes king but soon abdicates. George VI becomes king. Television begins in Britain The Jarrow March is held. (A protest against unemployment).

The writer G K Chesterton dies 1939 The Second World War begins All workers are given one weeks annual paid holiday About 10% of households in Britain now own a car 1940 The British army is evacuated from Dunkirk The Battle of Britain is fought The Germans begin bombing British cities 1942 The Dieppe Raid is carried out. It is a failure. The Battle of El Alamein is fought. The British army crush the Germans and Italians. The Beveridge Report is published. It proposes a new welfare state. 1943 In May German forces in North Africa surrender. In July the allies invade Sicily. 1944 Allied invasion of France The Germans fire V I flying bombs at London from June and V II missiles from September The Butler Education Act is passed. It reforms schools. 1945 The Second World War ends George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is published

Labour win the general election 1947 The school leaving age is raised to 15 1948 The National Health Service is founded 1949 George Orwell's novel 1984 is published 1950 George Orwell dies 1951 The Festival of Britain is held Conservatives win a general election 1952 George VI dies. Elizabeth becomes queen. 1953 Coronation of Elizabeth II TV becomes increasingly common. (Many people buy a TV. to watch the coronation). By the end of 1953 approximately 25% of households in Britain have a TV. 1954 Food rationing ends 1955 ITV begins broadcasting The Conservatives win a second general election 1956 The Suez crisis in Egypt. Britain sends troops but is soon forced to withdraw. The event proves that Britain is no longer a great power. The first nuclear power station opens at Calder Hall 1959 The Conservatives win a 3rd election victory Cars are becoming increasingly common. A survey shows 32% of households own one.

1960 Britain is becoming increasingly affluent. A survey shows 44% of households own a washing machine. 1963 Doctor Who is broadcast for the first time Dr Beeching axes minor railways 1964 The Labour Party wins a general election. Harold Wilson becomes prime minister. A survey shows 90% of households in Britain own a TV. It is now the main form of entertainment in Britain. A third TV channel BBC 2 begins broadcasting The last executions in Britain are carried out 1965 Capital punishment is abolished for an experimental period of 5 years 1966 Labour wins a second general election 1967 Colour TV begins 1969 Capital punishment is abolished permanently 1970 Conservatives under Edward Heath win the general election The minimum age for voting is lowered from 21 to 18 1971 Britain switches to decimal currency 1972 The school leaving age is raised to 16 1973 Britain joins the EEC (forerunner of the EU) Unemployment stands at 3% 1975

The Sex Discrimination Act is passed Unemployment passes one million. It is over 5% for the first time since 1945. 1976 Prime Minister Harold Wilson resigns In June and July a heat wave creates a very hot summer and water shortages 1978 The first test tube baby is born 1979 The Conservatives win a general election. Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain's first woman prime minister. 1980 Britain enters recession. Unemployment rises sharply and reaches 2 million. 1982 The Falklands War is fought against Argentina The Mary Rose is raised from the sea bed Channel 4 begins broadcasting 1983 The Conservatives win a second general election with a large majority 1984 The coal miners strike begins 1985 The coal miners strike ends. The miners are defeated. 1986 Unemployment in Britain reaches a peak. The official figure reaches 14.1% 1987 Corporal punishment ends in state schools 1990 Margaret Thatcher falls from power. She is replaced by John Major. Britain enters a recession. Unemployment starts to rise rapidly. The Conservatives win a 4th general election

1993 Britain starts to recover from the recession. Unemployment starts to fall. 1994 The Channel Tunnel opens The National Lottery begins 1997 Labor wins the general election Life in the 20th Century

The London Eye

ENGLAND IN THE 21st CENTURY

2001 The population of England reaches 52 million. 2007 Gordon Brown becomes prime minister Jacqui Smith becomes the first female Home Secretary 2009 A recession afflicts Britain

2010 After a general election Conservatives and Liberals form a coalition government. 2012 The Olympic Games are held in London