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436 History

and Irish History Timeline of British

The history of the British Isles is the history of the four nations that live

there: the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. These nations have different

languages and cultures, bringing great diversity to a relatively small region.

The British islands originally formed around 8000 BCE after the land bridge

between what is now England and France flooded. A succession of peoples

travelled by boat to settle the islands in prehistoric times, but the recorded

history of the British Isles begins with Julius Caesar’s invasion in 55 BCE.

55 BCE Julius Caesar’s first

invasion of Britain; the

Romans come to stay in

43 CE

60–61 CE Boudicca’s rebellion

against the Romans

c. 400–600 Christianity is

brought by St Ninian to

Scotland, St Patrick to

Ireland, and St Augustine

to England

c. 450 Anglo-Saxon

settlement of Britain begins

793 First Viking raids on

coasts. Vikings found Dublin

in 841

802–839 Ecgberht (Wessex)

825 Ecgberht defeats

Mercia; Wessex dominates

in England

843–860 Kenneth MacAlpin

(Scotland) unifies northern

Scotland

844–78 Rhodri Mawr

(Wales) attempts to unite

much of Wales

871–899 Alfred the Great

(Wessex) defeats the Vikings

924–939 Eadred (England)

rules over a united England

1005–1034 Malcolm II

(Scotland) unites Scotland

1005 Brian Boru (Ireland)

recognized as “ard ri” (high

king) of all Ireland

1014 Brian Boru is slain

while defeating the Vikings

at Clontarf

1016–1035 Canute

(England) unites England

with Denmark and Norway

1042–1066 Edward the

Confessor (England)

1064 Harold, Edward’s chief

adviser, promises to support

claim to the throne of

William, Duke of Normandy

1066 Harold chosen as

successor to Edward.

William defeats Harold

near Hastings

1066–1087 William I

(England)

1071–1072 William I

invades Scotland and

compels Malcolm III to

recognize him as his

overlord

1088 Domesday Book

completed

1124–1153 David I

(Scotland)

1138 David I invades

England but is defeated at

Northallerton

1154–1189 Henry II

(England)

1162 Henry II appoints

Thomas à Becket archbishop

of Canterbury (murdered

in 1170)

1165–1214 William the

Lion (Scotland)

11 71 Henry II invades

Ireland; Pope appoints him

Lord of Ireland

1173 William the Lion

invades England but is

captured by Henry II

1189–1199 Richard I

(England)

1189–1192 Richard I

departs on Third Crusade

1194–1240 Llywelyn ap

Iorwerth (the Great) (Wales)

1199–1216 John (England)

1205 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth

marries Joan, daughter of

John of England

1214–1249 Alexander II

(Scotland)

1215 Barons force John to

accept Magna Carta. The

principle is established that

monarchy should obey the

rule of law

1216–1272 Henry III

(England)

1217 Treaty between

Scotland and England;

peace for almost 20 years

1246–1282 Llywelyn ap

Grufudd (the Last) (Wales)

1264 Barons defeat Henry

III at Lewes

1265 Simon de Montfort

summons first English

Parliament

1267 Henry III recognizes

Llwelyn ap Grufudd as

Prince of Wales at the

Treaty of Montgomery

1272–1307 Edward I

(England)

1277 Edward I defeats

Llywelyn ap Grufudd, who

then rebels and is slain in

1282; Wales is formally

taken over by England

1296 Edward I removes

John Baliol from Scottish

throne. Start of long

Scottish alliance with France

(the Auld Alliance). Scots

rise against English rule and

under William Wallace

defeat the English at Stirling

Bridge (1297)

1297 First representative

Irish Parliament meets in

Dublin

1298 Wallace defeated at

Falkirk. Starts guerilla war

1305 Wallace captured and

executed by Edward I

1306–1329 Robert I

(Scotland)

1314 Robert I wins victory

against English forces of

Edward II at Bannockburn

1327–1377 Edward III

(England)

1328 Robert I wins formal

recognition of Scottish

independence at the Treaty

of Edinburgh

1337 100 Years War begins

over French throne

1349 Black Death reaches

England and kills half the

population

1366 Statute of Kilkenny

enforces writ of English law

in Ireland

1377–1399 Richard II

deposed by cousin Henry

Plantagenet (1399)

1381 Peasants Revolt led by

Wat Tyler; the Lord Mayor of

London kills Wat Tyler at

Smithfield

1399–1413 Henry IV

(England)

1400 Owain Glyndwr opens

campaign for Welsh

independence after styling

himself Prince of Wales. He

makes a treaty with France

and sets up a Welsh

Parliament at Machynlleth.

He goes into hiding after

revolt is defeated in 1410

1403 Henry IV defeats rebel

lords at Shrewsbury

1406–1437 James I

(Scotland)

1413–1422 Henry V

(England)

1415 Henry V defeats French

at Agincourt

1422–1461 Henry VI

(England). He is restored as

King (1470–1471)

1429 Joan of Arc begins to

expel English from France

1437–1460 James II

(Scotland)

1455 James II defeats Black

Douglas family of nobles at

Arkinholm

1455 Start of the Wars of the

Roses between the Yorkists

and Lancastrians over who is

to rule England

1460–1488 James III

(Scotland)

146 1–1483 Edward IV

(England) deposes Henry VI

1468–1469 Orkney and

Shetland annexed

by Scotland

1476 Caxton begins

The United Kingdom is properly

known as the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern

Ireland. Great Britain is made

up of England, Scotland, and

Wales. England and Wales were

formally unified after 1536,

though the English had

dominated Wales for centuries.

Scotland lost its parliament and

joined England and Wales in

1707. These three countries
      were now governed by one

monarch and through one

Parliament. Ireland had been

controlled by Britain since the

12th and 13th centuries, but

it was not until the Act of

Union of 1801 that a United

Kingdom of Great Britain and

Ireland was created. The

southern part of Ireland

became independent in 1922,

while since 1997 Scotland has

had a Parliament of its own,

and Wales an Assembly.

WHAT IS THE UNITED KINGDOM?

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