Britain

History of the United Kingdom

  • THE UNITED KINGDOM
    600 BCE

    THE UNITED KINGDOM

    The UK is located at the northwestern coast of continental Europe and it´s formed by the Island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland
  • Period: 600 BCE to 1066

    Old English Period

  • The Celts
    500 BCE

    The Celts

    They were the first group of Indo European speakers to move across Europe. Towards the end of the 5th century they began to spread and reached the Black Sea, south-west Spain and central Italy, the whole of Britain and Ireland.
  • The Roman Invasion
    43

    The Roman Invasion

    The Romans Invated Britain and they remained there for around 400 years
  • Hadrian’s Wall
    122

    Hadrian’s Wall

    It was built by the Roman army on the orders of the emperor Hadrian following his visit to Britain and it represents the borderline between the Roman Empire and the Celtic territory
  • Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain
    410

    Roman legions were withdrawn from Britain

    The Romans went to Britain looking for riches, land, slaves and most of Britain's metal. They were angry with Britain for helping the French battle against strong and mighty emperor Julius Caesar
  • The Romans left Britain
    410

    The Romans left Britain

    The Romans had invaded England and ruled over England for 400 years but in 410, the Romans left England because their homes in Italy were being attacked by fierce tribes and every soldier was needed back in Rome
  • Anglo-Saxon invasion to the Britain
    450

    Anglo-Saxon invasion to the Britain

    The Anglo-Saxon invasions of the British Isles in the 5th century AD pushed the British Celts to the west and to the north which caused the Celtic dialects to become separate languages.
  • The spread of Christianity
    597

    The spread of Christianity

    St. Agustine and a group of monks arrived in Kent from Rome to teach the Anglo-Saxon about Christianity. As a result, the Anglo-Saxons borrowed about 450 Latin words from the Roman Christians
  • The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
    600

    The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms

    The five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Kent and Anglia
  • The Vikings "Danes"
    787

    The Vikings "Danes"

    They arrived from Denmark and Norway and made many small attacks on England
  • A large Viking army took London and Canterbury; most eastern England was controlled by Vikings
    850

    A large Viking army took London and Canterbury; most eastern England was controlled by Vikings

  • King Alfred the Great
    871

    King Alfred the Great

    Rebirth of religious and scholarly activity, his reign exhibits military skill innovation, the ability to plan for the future, commitment to the support of religion, promotion of education
  • Danelaw
    878

    Danelaw

    He made an agreement with the Vikings to divide England in two: the northern and the eastern part, known as Danelaw was controlled by the Vikings and the rest of England by King Alfred
  • The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
    900

    The Anglo Saxon Chronicle

    King Alfred started a history of England in English: The Anglo Saxon Chronicle, which was a diary of events, written by monks in different parts of the country and it is important because it started in the year 1 AD with the birth of Christ and it was the first book of its kind in western Europe.
  • Beowulf
    1000

    Beowulf

    The greatest piece of literature in Old English was probably created in the 8th century but not written until 250 years later. It´s about a brave Scandinavian man called Beowulf who fights and kills the terrible creature called Grendel.
  • Period: 1066 to 1204

    English in decline

  • Period: 1066 to 1509

    Middle English Period

  • Result of the Norman Conquest
    Oct 14, 1066

    Result of the Norman Conquest

    William, duke of Normandy, defeated the forces of Harold II, king of England, and then was himself crowned king as William I, leading to profound political, administrative, and social changes in the British Isles as result of the Norman Conquest
  • William of Normandy
    Dec 25, 1066

    William of Normandy

    He was the King of England and was crowned on Christmas eve and French became the official language of England
  • William of Normandy conquered England and Wales
    1070

    William of Normandy conquered England and Wales

  • Henry II declared himself overlord of Ireland, introducing Norman French and English to the country
    1171

    Henry II declared himself overlord of Ireland, introducing Norman French and English to the country

  • The turning point
    1204

    The turning point

    King John “Lackland” lost his English possessions in France, leading to a gradual decline of French
  • Period: 1204 to 1348

    English in ascent

  • Magna Carta
    1215

    Magna Carta

    King John signed the Magna Carta, a critical document in the long historical processes leading to the rule of constitutional law un the English-speaking world.
  • Under Edward I, royal authority was consolidated in England and Wales. English became the dominant language of all classes
    1300

    Under Edward I, royal authority was consolidated in England and Wales. English became the dominant language of all classes

  • Period: 1348 to 1509

    English triumphant

  • The 100 years war, The Black Death and English as official Language
    1350

    The 100 years war, The Black Death and English as official Language

    The Hundred Years War between England and France leaded to the loss of almost all of England´s French possessions. The Black Death killed roughly 1/3 of England´s population. English became the official language of the law courts and replaces Latin as the medium of instruction at most schools
  • The wars of the Roses
    1455

    The wars of the Roses

    Right after the 100 years war, a long power struggle began for the English Crown between two families: The House of Lancaster and The House of York. It´s called like this because both families used a rose as their symbol (Lancaster: red, York: white and Tudor: both)
  • The printing press and The Canterbury Tales
    1476

    The printing press and The Canterbury Tales

    William Caxton brought to Westminster the first printing press and published Chaucer´s The Canterbury Tales. Literacy rates increased significantly and printers began to standardize English spelling
  • The Tudor Dinasty
    1485

    The Tudor Dinasty

    They were Welsh-English family that ruled England and Wales starting in 1485 with the first monarch King Henry VII. It saw two of the strongest monarchs ever to sit on the English throne: King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I
  • The last battle in The War of the Roses
    1485

    The last battle in The War of the Roses

    Henry VII from the House of Lancaster, defeated Richard II from the House of York in the battle of Bosworth
  • Origin of the Tudor Dinasty
    1486

    Origin of the Tudor Dinasty

    Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and they united the two rival Houses
  • King Henry VIII
    1509

    King Henry VIII

    After Henry VII died, Henry VIII acceded to the throne and two months later married his brother´s widow: Catherine of Aragon
  • Period: 1509 to

    Modern English Period

  • Isabel I
    1558

    Isabel I

    She was queen of England and Ireland from the 17th of November in 1558 until her dead on March 24 1603. Also called the Virgin Queen, she was the last of the five monarchs of the Tudor Dinasty
  • The Union of Wales and England

    The Union of Wales and England

    Henry VIII passed the Laws in Wales Acts aiming to fully incorporate Wales into the Kingdom of England
  • James I

    James I

    When Elizabeth died and left no inheritor, her cousin James VI of Scotland became King James I of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland
  • Translation of the Bible into English

    Translation of the Bible into English

  • Original Union Flag

    Original Union Flag

    Mix between the England flag and the Scotland flag
  • The English Civil Wars

    The English Civil Wars

    They comprised three wars, which were fought between Charles I and Parliament between 1642 and 1651. The wars were part of a wider conflict involving Wales, Scotland and Ireland, known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The human cost of the wars was devastating
  • End of the revolution

    End of the revolution

    It enden with the execution of King Charles on January 30th at the Palace of Whitehall
  • Oliver Cromwell

    Oliver Cromwell

    Oliver Cromwell replaced King Charles after his execution, the monarchy ended and the republic rises
  • The Great Fire

    The Great Fire

    The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London from Sunday, 2 September to Thursday, 6 September 1666.
  • Current Union Flag

    Current Union Flag

    The Original Union Flag plus the Ireland flag
  • Victorian Era the Age of the Empire

    Victorian Era the Age of the Empire

    The effects of the industrial revolution accelerated the migration of the population from the country to the city on Victorian society. The Victorian age saw advances in medicine, science and technology, as well as huge population growth, inventions include the light bulb, typewriters, sewing machines, radios and the toilet, Bicycles, cars, steam powered boats and trains
  • End of the Victorian´s Era

    End of the Victorian´s Era

    Queen Victoria dies on the Isle of Wight at 81yo with the Victorian Era. Edward VII, her eldest son. The Windsor family ascendent to the throne.
  • The current Commonwealth of Nations

    The current Commonwealth of Nations

    It was formed based on a shared commitment to values such as liberty, human rights, trade and good governance.
    It was formed in the first half of the 20th century. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1926. In the11th of December, 1931 it was formalized and the current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949