This is a timeline of British history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, History of Ireland, History of the formation of the United Kingdom and History of the United Kingdom.
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Further information: Timeline of prehistoric Britain |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 55 BC | 1 January [1] | Roman General Julius Caesar invades Great Britain for the first time, gaining a beachhead on the coast of Kent. |
| 54 BC | ? | Caesar invades for the second time, gaining a third of the country. These two invasions are known as Caesar's invasions of Britain. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | ? | Aulus Plautius leads an army of forty thousand to invade Great Britain. Emperor Claudius makes Britain a part of the Roman Empire. This is known as the Roman conquest of Britain. |
| 50 | ? | London is founded.[2][3] |
| 61 | ? | Boudica's organised rebellion against the Romans is defeated. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 122 | ? | Emperor Hadrian orders a wall to be built to mark Roman territory of Britain in the north. |
| 197 | ? | Britain is divided into two parts - Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 206 | ? | Governor Lucius Alfenus Senecio repairs Hadrian's Wall and appeals for help from the Emperor against the northern tribes. |
| 208 | ? | Emperor Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla take personal command of the army in Britain. |
| 209 | ? | Severus and Caracalla lead an expedition against the Caledonii, and build forts at Cramond and the Tay estuary. |
| 210 | ? | Caracalla leads an expedition against the rebellious Maeatae tribe. |
| 211 | ? | 4 February – Severus dies at York, while preparing another expedition against the northern rebels.
Caracalla, now Emperor, abandons territory north of Hadrian's Wall, and returns to Rome |
| c. 214 | ? | Britain divided into two provinces, Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior, with administrative centres at London and York respectively |
| c. 220 | ? | Saxons raid south-east coast; forts built at Reculver and Branodunum (Brancaster). |
| 245 | ? | Many thousands of acres of modern-day Lincolnshire are inundated by a great flood. |
| 255 | ? | Work begins on a riverside wall in London. |
| 259 | ? | Rebel leader Latinus Postumus proclaims Britain as part of his "Empire of the Gauls". |
| 270 | ? | Construction of forts along the Saxon Shore begins in response to increased raiding. |
| 273 | ? | Stone walls built around St Albans. |
| 274 | ? | Postumus's Gallic Empire is reabsorbed into the Roman Empire under Aurelian. |
| 277 | ? | Imperial edict lifts restrictions on British wine production.
General Victorinus puts down revolt, and settles Burgundian and Vandal prisoners in Britain. |
| 286-296 | Britannic Empire | |
| 287 | ? | Mausaeus Carausius takes power in Britain and proclaims himself Emperor |
| 289 | ? | Carausius defeats Emperor Maximian in a naval battle. |
| 293 | ? | Finance minister Allectus murders Carausius and seizes power; employs Frankish mercenaries. |
| 296 | ? | Julius Constantius defeats Britons near Silchester, killing Allectus; prevents retreating Franks from sacking London |
| 297 | ? | Re-building of forts near Hadrian's Wall begins.
Constantius returns to Gaul. First mention on record of the Picts attacking from the north in Eumenius' Panegyrici Latini. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (before 1000) |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1000–1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1017 | ? | Cnut the Great is crowned king of England in London. |
| 1034 | 25 November | Malcolm II of Scotland dies at Glamis. He is succeeded as king of Scotland by his grandson Duncan I the Diseased of Scotland. |
| 1035 | 12 November | Cnut dies. He is succeeded as king of England, Denmark and Norway by his son Harthacnut. |
| 1040 | 17 March | Harold Harefoot dies at Oxford. Harthacnut, his brother, succeeds him as king of England. |
| 14 August | Duncan the Diseased is killed in action at Elgin, Moray attempting to suppress a rebellion by Macbeth, King of Scotland, Mormaer of Moray, who replaces him as king of Scotland. | |
| 1042 | 8 June | Harthacnut dies, probably due to a stroke after excessive drinking at a wedding in Lambeth. He is succeeded as king of England by his brother Edward the Confessor. |
| 1057 | 15 August | Battle of Lumphanan: Macbeth is killed in battle at Lumphanan by Duncan the Diseased's son Malcolm III of Scotland. He is succeeded as king of Scotland by his stepson Lulach. |
| 1058 | 17 March | Lulach is assassinated by Malcolm III, who succeeds him as king of Kingdom of Scotland. |
| 1066 | 5 January | Edward the Confessor dies, probably after a series of strokes. He is succeeded as king of England by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson. |
| 28 September | Norman conquest of England: William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, lands with an army at Pevensey. | |
| 14 October | Battle of Hastings: Harold Godwinson is killed in battle against the forces of William the Conqueror at Battle, East Sussex, causing the collapse of his army. | |
| 25 December | William the Conqueror is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey. | |
| 1078 | ? | The construction of Tintern Abbey begins. |
| 1086 | 12 june | A census begins whose results would be collected in the Domesday Book. |
| 1087 | 9 September | William the Conqueror dies at Rouen. He is succeeded by one son, Robert Curthose, as duke of Normandy and by another, William II of England, as king of England. |
| 1093 | 13 November | Battle of Alnwick (1093): Malcolm III and his eldest son are ambushed and killed at Alnwick by an army of knights led by Robert de Mowbray, earl of Northumbria. |
| 1100 | 2 August | William II is killed by an arrow through the lung while hunting in the New Forest. He is succeeded by his brother Henry I of England. |
| ? | The White Tower of London is completed. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1000–1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1135 | 1 December | Henry I dies of illness. |
| 22 December | Stephen, King of England is crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey. | |
| 1137 | ? | The Anarchy: Stephen enters Normandy in an attempt to conquer it from Empress Matilda, his rival for the succession in Normandy and England. |
| ? | Gruffudd ap Cynan, king of Gynedd, dies. He is succeeded by his son Owain Gwynedd. | |
| 1154 | 24 October | Stephen dies of a stomach disease. He is succeeded as king of England by Henry II of England, grandson of Henry I. |
| 1164 | ? | Henry II issues the Constitutions of Clarendon, which provided that members of the Catholic Church accused of serious crimes would be tried and sentenced in secular courts. |
| 1170 | 28 November | Owain dies. |
| 29 December | Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by followers of Henry II. | |
| 1189 | 6 July | Henry II dies of illness at Château de Chinon. He is succeeded as king of England by his son Richard I of England. |
| 1192 | December | Richard is captured near Vienna on the orders of Leopold V, Duke of Austria, duke of Austria, while returning from the Crusades. |
| 1194 | 4 February | Richard is released following the payment of fifty tons of silver to Austria. |
| ? | Battle of Aberconwy: Llywelyn the Great defeats his uncle Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, one of two princes of Kingdom of Gwynedd, in battle. | |
| 1199 | 6 April | Richard dies of a crossbow wound sustained two weeks earlier during a siege of Château de Châlus-Chabrol. He was succeeded as king of England by his brother John, King of England. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1000–1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1209 | November | The pope Pope Innocent III excommunicates John. |
| 1215 | 15 June | John agrees to Magna Carta, granting political rights including the right to a fair trial to his barons. |
| 1216 | 19 October | John dies of illness. He is succeeded as king of England by his son Henry III of England. |
| 1237 | 25 September | Henry III and Alexander II of Scotland sign the Treaty of York, under which the latter renounced his claims on English territory in Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland. |
| 1240 | 11 April | Death of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, prince of Wales; Dafydd ap Llywelyn succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd. |
| 1246 | 25 February | Death of Dafydd ap Llywelyn; Llywelyn ap Gruffudd succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd (he does not claim the title of prince of Wales until 1258). |
| 1249 | 6 July | Death of Alexander II, king of Scots; Alexander III succeeds to the throne of Scotland. |
| 1263 | 2 October | Battle of Largs, an inconclusive battle, is fought between Haakon IV of Norway and the Scots. |
| 1264 | 14 May | Simon de Montfort leads rebel English barons to defeat Henry III at the Battle of Lewes. |
| 1266 | 2 July | Scotland and Norway sign the Treaty of Perth under which Scottish control of the Western Isles is acknowledged. |
| 1267 | September | Henry III of England recognises the authority of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in Wales. |
| 1272 | 16 November | Death of Henry III, Edward I succeeds to the English throne. |
| 1277 | July | England annexes Wales, a state of affairs which lasted until 1283. |
| 1279 | ? | Statute of Mortmain. |
| 1282 | 11 December | Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, prince of Wales; Dafydd ap Gruffudd succeeds to the throne of Gwynedd. |
| 1283 | 3 October | Death of Dafydd ap Gruffudd; English conquest of Wales. |
| 1287 | ? | Revolt of Rhys ap Maredudd in Wales. |
| 1294 | 29 September | Revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn in Wales. |
| 1297 | 11 September | William Wallace and the Scots defeat the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1000–1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1305 | 23 August | Capture and execution of Scottish resistance fighter William Wallace by the English on a charge of treason. |
| 1307 | 7 July | Death of Edward I, Edward II accedes to the English throne. |
| 1314 | 24 June | Decisive victory for Scotland over England at the Battle of Bannockburn. |
| 1316 | 28 January | Revolt of Llywelyn Bren in South Wales. |
| 1322 | 16 March | Edward II defeats a rebellious baronial faction at Battle of Boroughbridge. |
| 1327 | 25 January | Edward III usurps the English throne. |
| 21 September | Edward II is killed. | |
| 1328 | ? | England recognises Scotland's independence in the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton |
| 1338 | ? | Edward III claims the throne of France, initiating the Hundred Years' War. |
| 1348 | June | The Black Death first arrives in England and ultimately kills c. one third of the population. |
| 1356 | 19 September | Battle of Poitiers. |
| 1377 | 21 June | Death of Edward III, his grandson Richard II accedes to the English throne. |
| 1381 | 30 May - November | Peasants' Revolt of 1381. |
| 1392 | ? | Statute of Praemunire. |
| 1399 | 30 September | Henry Bolingbroke usurps the English throne becoming Henry IV. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1000–1499) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1413 | 20 March | Henry IV dies and is succeeded by his son, Henry V. |
| 1415 | 25 October | Henry V is welcomed back to England after a major victory at the Battle of Agincourt, France. |
| 1422 | 31 August | Henry V dies and is succeeded by his son, Henry VI. |
| 1471 | 21 May | Henry VI is murdered and Edward IV is restored to the English throne. |
| 1483 | 9 April | Death of Edward IV, Edward V accedes to the throne. |
| 1485 | 22 August | The Battle of Bosworth Field ends the Yorkist reign of Richard III and ushers in Tudor reign, with the reign of Henry VII. |
| 1487 | 16 June | The Battle of Stoke is fought between Henry VII and Lambert Simnel a Yorkist claimant to the throne. It is the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1500–1599) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1509 | 22 April | England – Henry VIII crowned and married to Catherine of Aragon. |
| 1513 | 9 September | England and Scotland – James IV and thousands of Scots killed in defeat at Flodden. |
| 1516 | ? | England – Royal Mail is originally established. |
| 1521 | ? | England – Lutheran writings begin to circulate. |
| 1525 | ? | England – Henry VIII seeks an annulment of his marriage, which is refused. |
| 1526 | ? | England – Cardinal Wolsey orders the burning of Lutheran books. |
| 1532 | ? | Scotland – Creation of the College of Justice and the Court of Session. |
| 1534 | 3 November | Act of Supremacy passed by Henry VIII |
| ? | England – Treasons Act 1534. | |
| 1535 | 22 June | England – Execution of Cardinal John Fisher. |
| 6 July | England – Execution of Thomas More. | |
| 1536 | 6 October | England – Execution of William Tindale in Antwerp. |
| 1542 | 14 December | Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots, accedes to the Scottish throne. |
| 1547 | 28 January | England – Edward VI crowned King. |
| 1549 | 6 June - 17 August | England – Prayer Book rebellion in south-west. |
| 1553 | July | England – Mary I accedes to the throne. |
| 1558 | 17 November | England – Elizabeth I accedes to the throne. |
| 1559 | ? | England – Act of Supremacy 1559. |
| 2 May | Scotland – John Knox returns from Geneva to promote Calvinism. | |
| 1560 | 1 August | Scotland – Parliament legislates protestant reformation of the Church of Scotland. |
| 1567 | 24 July | Scotland – The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates and flees Scotland after an uprising by Protestant lords |
| 1571 | ? | England – Treasons Act 1571. |
| 1582 | ? | Scotland – Establishment of the University of Edinburgh by Royal Charter. |
| 1587 | 8 February | England and Scotland – Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire on 8 February |
| 1588 | 8 August | England – Spanish Armada destroyed. |
| 1592 | ? | Scotland – James VI enacts the "Golden Act" recognising the power of Presbyterianism within the Scottish church. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1600–1699) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1603 | 24 March | England – Death of Queen Elizabeth I. James VI of Scotland crowned King of England (as James I of England). |
| 1605 | 5 November | England and Scotland – The Gunpowder plot is uncovered, in which Guy Fawkes and others attempted to blow up the king, James VI and I and the Parliament of England. |
| 1606 | 10 April | England - King James I issues the First Virginia Charter, establishing the Colony of Virginia in North America.[4] |
| 1618 | 29 October | England – Execution of Sir Walter Raleigh |
| 1625 | 27 March | England and Scotland – Death of James VI and I. |
| 1639-1644 | ? | England and Scotland – At war in what became known as the Bishops' Wars. |
| 1640 | November | England – The Long Parliament summoned. |
| 1642 | 22 August | England – English Civil War begins (see Timeline of the English Civil War). |
| 1652 | ? | England – Tea arrives in Britain. |
| 1666 | 2 - 6 September | England – The Great Fire of London ravages the city. |
| 1688 | 11 December | England – The Glorious Revolution replaces James II with William III. |
| 1689 | April | Scotland – The Claim of Right Act 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of Scotland. |
| 16 December | England – The Bill of Rights 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of England. | |
| 1694 | 27 July | England – The Bank of England is established. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1700–1799) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1707 | 1 May | The Kingdom of Great Britain comes into being,[5][6][7][8] and Queen Anne becomes its first monarch. |
| 1713 | 11 April | Signing of the Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of the Spanish Succession. |
| 1714 | 1 August | Queen Anne dies. Accession of George I, Elector of Hanover. |
| 1721 | 3 April | Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. |
| 1727 | 11 June | King George I dies and George II ascends the throne. |
| 1742 | 16 February | Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1743 | 27 August | Henry Pelham becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1754 | 16 March | Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1755 | 15 April | Samuel Johnson published his A Dictionary of the English Language. |
| 1756 | 16 November | William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1757 | 29 June | Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1760 | 25 October | King George II dies and George III ascends the throne. |
| 1762 | 26 May | John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1763 | 16 April | George Grenville becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1764 | ? | The Castle of Otranto is written and published, which was the first-ever story classed as a gothic horror story. |
| 1765 | 13 July | Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1766 | 30 July | William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1768 | 14 October | Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1770 | 28 January | Frederick North, Lord North becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1775 | 19 April | The American War of Independence begins. |
| 1776 | 4 July | The Declaration of Independence is created and the new country is recognised as the USA. |
| 1777-1779 | November 1777 - July 1779 | The world's first iron bridge called The Iron Bridge, is built-in Shropshire. |
| 1782 | 27 March | Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 4 July | William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1783 | 2 April | William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland becomes Prime Minister. |
| 4 September | The American War of Independence ends with the Treaty of Paris. | |
| 19 December | William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1785 | 1 January | The Times is first published and becomes the first newspaper to have borne that name, lending it to numerous other papers around the world, such as The New York Times. |
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Further information: Timeline of British history (1800–1899) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 1 January | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland comes into being,[9] and King George III becomes its first monarch. |
| 1801 | 17 March | Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1804 | 10 May | William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1805 | 21 October | The naval Battle of Trafalgar takes place. |
| 1806 | 11 February | William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1807 | 25 March | The Slave Trade Act 1807 is passed. |
| 31 March | William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland becomes Prime Minister for the second time. | |
| 1809 | 4 October | Spencer Perceval becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1810 | Discovery of the first complete Icthyosaur by Mary Anning | |
| 1812 | 8 June | Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1815 | 18 June | The Battle of Waterloo takes place. |
| 20 November | The Napoleonic Wars ends. | |
| 1819 | SS Savannah undergoes the first steamship transatlantic crossing. | |
| 1820 | 29 January | King George III dies and George IV ascends the throne. |
| 1821 | 5 May | The Guardian is first published, as The Manchester Guardian. |
| 1823 | Discovery of Plesiosaurus Mary Anning | |
| 1825 | 27 September | The Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first public passenger railway, opens. |
| 1827 | 12 April | George Canning becomes Prime Minister. |
| 31 August | F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1828 | 22 January | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister. |
| Discovery of Pterodactylus by Mary Anning | ||
| 1829 | 13 April | The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 is passed. |
| 1830 | 26 June | King George IV dies and William IV ascends the throne. |
| 22 November | Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1832 | 7 June | The Great Reform Act is passed, doubling the franchise. |
| 1833 | 28 August | The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 gains royal assent, banning slavery throughout the British Empire. |
| 1834 | ? | The Conservative Party is founded. |
| 16 July | William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 14 August | The New Poor Law is passed. | |
| 17 November | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister for the second time. | |
| 10 December | Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1835 | 18 April | William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1837 | 20 June | The reign of Queen Victoria begins. |
| 1838 | 1 August | The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 enters into force, abolishing slavery in the British Empire. |
| 1840 | 10 January | The first postage stamps (Penny Post) come into use. |
| June | Vaccination for the poor is introduced. | |
| 1841 | 30 August | Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1842 | Summer | The first peacetime income tax is introduced. |
| 1846 | 27 January | The Corn Laws are repealed. |
| 30 June | John Russell, 1st Earl Russell becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1848 | Late February | The Communist Manifesto is published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. |
| 1850 | The East Coast Main Line opens. | |
| 1851 | 1 May | The Great Exhibition opens. |
| 1852 | 23 February | Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister. |
| 19 December | George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1853-1856 | 16 October 1853 - 30 March 1856 | The Crimean War is fought between Russia and a British alliance who feared Russian expansion in the Balkans, resulting in allied victory. |
| 1854 | ? | Doctor John Snow discovers that cholera is from contaminated water[10] |
| 1855 | 6 February | Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston becomes Prime Minister. |
| 29 June | The Daily Telegraph is first published. | |
| 1858 | 20 February | Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1859 | 12 June | Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1861 | 14 December | Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies at the age of 42. |
| 1863 | 10 January | The London Underground opens, the oldest underground railway network in the world. |
| 1865 | 29 October | John Russell, 1st Earl Russell becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1866 | 28 June | Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby becomes Prime Minister for the third time. |
| 1867 | 15 August | The 1867 Reform Act doubles the franchise and the Dominion of Canada was created. |
| 1868 | 27 February | Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister. |
| 29 May | The last public execution is carried out. | |
| 3 December | William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1869 | The West Coast Main Line opens. | |
| 1870 | 17 February | The Elementary Education Act 1870 is passed, introducing universal education in England and Wales. |
| 1872 | 6 August | The Education (Scotland) Act 1872 expands access to primary education and makes it compulsory in Scotland. |
| 1874 | 20 February | Benjamin Disraeli becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1880 | 23 April | William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 26 August | The Elementary Education Act 1880 is passed, making primary schooling compulsory in England and Wales. | |
| 1885 | 23 June | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister. |
| 25 June | The Reform Act 1885 is passed. | |
| 1886 | 1 February | William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the third time. |
| 21 June | Construction begins on Tower Bridge in London. | |
| 25 July | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister for the second time. | |
| 1887 | November | The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes first appears in print. |
| 1892 | 15 August | William Ewart Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the fourth time. |
| 1894 | 5 March | Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1895 | 25 June | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury becomes Prime Minister for the third time. |
| 1896 | 4 May | The Daily Mail is first published. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 27 February | The Labour Party is founded. |
| 1901 | 22 January | Queen Victoria dies and Edward VII ascends the throne. |
| 1902 | 12 July | Arthur Balfour becomes Prime Minister. |
| 9 August | Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra. | |
| 31 May | Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Second Boer War. | |
| 1903 | September | The Lib-Lab pact enables Labour to break into national politics. |
| 1904 | 8 April | Entente Cordiale signed between Britain and France |
| 1905 | 5 December | Henry Campbell-Bannerman becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1908 | 5 April | H. H. Asquith becomes Prime Minister. |
| 27 April | The Summer Olympics open at White City in London. | |
| 27 October | Parliament approves old age pensions. | |
| 1910 | 6 May | Edward VII dies and George V ascends the throne. |
| 1911 | 22 June | Coronation of George V and Mary. |
| 1912 | 13 April | Royal Flying Corps established. |
| 14 - 15 April | The RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg. Over 1500 crew and passengers die. | |
| 1914 | 4 August | World War I: Great Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium. |
| 5 November | Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire. | |
| 1916 | 6 December | David Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1918 | 6 February | Women get the vote for the first time - women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification could vote as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1918. |
| 1 April | The Royal Air Force is founded, becoming the first independent air force in the world. | |
| 11 November | World War I ends. | |
| 1919 | 1 December | Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in parliament. |
| 1921 | The Great Britain road numbering scheme. | |
| 1922 | 18 October | The BBC is founded as the British Broadcasting Company. |
| 23 October | Bonar Law becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1923 | 22 May | Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1924 | 22 January | Ramsay MacDonald becomes Prime Minister. |
| 4 November | Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the second time. | |
| 1926 | 4 May - 12 May | The 1926 United Kingdom general strike takes place. |
| 1928 | 2 July | Women receive the right to vote on the same terms as men (over the age of 21) as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1928. |
| September | The first film with dialogue is shown in Britain, The Jazz Singer. | |
| 30 September | Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. | |
| 1929 | 5 June | Ramsay MacDonald becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1931 | ? | The Dominion of Canada later has more recognition as Canada. |
| 1934 | 30 November | The LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman built in Doncaster becomes the first steam locomotive to reach 100 mph (160 km/h). |
| 1935 | 7 June | Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the third time. |
| 1936 | 20 January | George V dies and Edward VIII ascends the throne. |
| 5 - 31 October | The Jarrow March protest occurs. | |
| 10 December | Edward VIII abdicates the throne over his proposal to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Automatic accession of George VI. | |
| 1937 | 12 May | Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. |
| 28 May | Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 30 June | First available in the London area, the 999 telephone number is introduced as the world's first emergency telephone service. | |
| 1938 | 3 July | The LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard built in Doncaster breaks the land speed record for the fastest steam locomotive, reaching 203 km/h (126 mph); the record still stands. |
| 1939 | 3 September | British entry into World War II. |
| 1940 | 10 May | Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1945 | 8 May | World War II ends in Europe. |
| 26 July | Clement Attlee becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 24 October | Britain becomes a founding member of the United Nations. | |
| 1947 | 15 August | India gains independence from Britain. |
| 1948 | 1 January | British Rail is established. |
| 5 July | The National Health Service is founded, bringing state-funded healthcare to all. | |
| 29 July - 14 August | London hosts the 1948 Summer Olympics. | |
| 14 November | Birth of Charles, Prince of Wales. | |
| 1950 | 15 August | Birth of Anne, Princess Royal. |
| 29 August | British troops arrive to support US forces in the Korean War. | |
| 1951 | 26 October | Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1952 | ? | Autocode, regarded as the first compiled programming language, is developed by Alick Glennie. |
| 6 February | Death of George VI. Automatic accession of Elizabeth II. | |
| 1953 | 25 April | James Watson and Francis Crick publish their discovery of the structure of DNA. |
| 2 June | Coronation of Elizabeth II. | |
| 1954 | 6 May | Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile with a time of 3:59.4. |
| 1955 | 6 April | Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister. |
| 22 September | Commercial television starts with the first ITV broadcast. | |
| 1956 | 17 October | Britain opens its first nuclear power station, Calder Hall. |
| 1957 | 10 January | Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1958 | 5 December | The British motorway system opens with the M6 Preston bypass. |
| 1960 | 19 February | Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York. |
| 1961 | 1 July | Birth of Diana, Princess of Wales. |
| 1963 | 27 March | The first report of the Beeching cuts - a railway restructuring plan - was published, The Reshaping of British Railways. |
| 19 October | Alec Douglas-Home becomes Prime Minister but lasts only 363 days. | |
| 1964 | 10 March | Birth of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. |
| 16 October | Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister. | |
| 1965 | 24 January | Death of Sir Winston Churchill. |
| 8 November | The death penalty is abolished officially. | |
| 1967 | 27 July | The Sexual Offences Act 1967 legalises homosexuality between men over 21. |
| 27 October | The Abortion Act 1967 is passed, legalising abortion on certain grounds. | |
| 1969 | 2 March | Concorde, the world's first supersonic airliner, makes its maiden flight. |
| 1970 | 19 June | Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1971 | 15 February | Decimal Day; the United Kingdom introduces a decimalised currency. |
| 1972 | 22 January | The United Kingdom signs the Treaty of Accession in a ceremony in Brussels which was attended by Prime Minister Edward Heath in preparedness for membership of the European Communities from 1 January 1973. |
| 1973 | 1 January | The United Kingdom joins and becomes a member state of the European Communities. |
| 1974 | 4 March | Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister for the second time. |
| 1975 | 5 June | The United Kingdom chooses to remain a member state of the European Communities in a non-binding referendum. |
| 1976 | 5 April | James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister. |
| September | Britain becomes the first major Western state to be forced to ask to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund. | |
| 1978 | 25 July | Louise Brown becomes the first human in history to be born via in vitro fertilisation. |
| 1979 | 4 May | Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister. |
| 27 August | The IRA kill the Queen's cousin Lord Mountbatten. | |
| 1981 | 24 June | The Humber Bridge opens, the longest single-span bridge in the world. |
| 29 July | Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. | |
| 1982 | 21 June | Birth of Prince William of Wales. |
| 2 April - 14 June | The Falklands War is fought against Argentina, resulting in a British victory and the United Kingdom reclaiming the Falkland Islands. | |
| 2 November | Channel 4 launches across most of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. | |
| 1984-1985 | 6 March 1984 - 3 March 1985 | The UK miners' strike takes place, a major strike and protest to prevent Margaret Thatcher's government from closing down the British coal mining industry. |
| 1984 | 15 September | Birth of Prince Harry of Wales. |
| 1986 | 25 December | The Christmas episode of the soap opera EastEnders becomes the most-watched programme in the United Kingdom with a viewing of 30.1 million. |
| 1988 | 3 March | The Liberal Democrats are founded. |
| 1989 | 12 March | Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web. |
| 1990 | 28 November | John Major becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1991 | 18 - 26 May | Helen Sharman becomes the first British person and the first European woman in space. |
| 1994 | 6 May | The Channel Tunnel opens, the first physical connection between the United Kingdom and France. |
| 1996 | ? | A sheep named Dolly becomes the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. |
| 1997 | 2 May | Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1 July | The United Kingdom hands Hong Kong back to China, marking the end of the British Empire. | |
| 31 August | Diana, Princess of Wales, dies due to a traffic collision in Paris. | |
| 1999 | 6 May | First elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly take place which will now be responsible for aspects of Scotland and Wales's governance. |
| 2 December | The Good Friday Agreement comes into effect, two agreements intended to bring about the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. | |
| 31 December | The Millennium Dome and London Eye are opened to mark the new millennium. |
|
Further information: Timeline of British history (1990–present) |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 9 February | Princess Margaret dies. |
| 30 March | Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother dies aged 101. | |
| 2003 | 20 March - 1 May | The United Kingdom, alongside the US, invades Iraq. |
| 2005 | 9 April | Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. |
| 2007 | 27 June | Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister. |
| 2010 | 11 May | David Cameron becomes Prime Minister. |
| 2011 | 29 April | Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. |
| 2012 | 30 March | The Shard tops out in construction, becoming the tallest building in Western Europe. |
| 27 July - 12 August | London hosts the Olympic Games for the third time. | |
| 2013 | 17 July | Same-sex marriage is legalised in the United Kingdom. |
| 22 July | Birth of Prince George of Cambridge. | |
| 2014 | 18 September | The Scottish independence referendum takes place; Scotland decides to remain part of the United Kingdom. |
| 2015 | 2 May | Birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. |
| 9 September | Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history. | |
| 15 December | Tim Peake becomes the first British ESA astronaut to board the International Space Station. | |
| 2016 | 23 June | The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. |
| 13 July | Theresa May becomes the second female Prime Minister. | |
| 5 - 21 August | Great Britain ranks second on the 2016 Summer Olympics medal table with 27 Gold Medals, the best result since 1908. | |
| 2018 | 23 April | Birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge. |
| 19 May | Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. | |
| 2019 | 15 January | The motion to approve the Brexit withdrawal agreement - otherwise known as the "meaningful vote" - was rejected 202–432. This was the largest defeat on a government motion in history.[11][12] |
| 24 July | Theresa May formally tenders her resignation as Prime Minister to Elizabeth II, and is succeeded by Boris Johnson. | |
| 2020 | 31 January | The United Kingdom leaves the European Union. |
| 23 March - 2021 | A national lockdown takes place due to the coronavirus pandemic. Freedom of movement is restricted and this becomes enforceable in law. Non-essential shops and services close. | |
| 2021 | 9 April | Death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99. |
| 2022 | 6 February | Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the British throne. |
| 6 September | Liz Truss becomes the third female Prime Minister. | |
| 8 September | Elizabeth II dies aged 96. Automatic accession of Charles III. Aged 73, he becomes the oldest person to accede to the throne. | |
| 20 October | Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister after 45 days, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. | |
| 25 October | Rishi Sunak becomes the first British Asian Prime Minister. | |
| 2023 | 6 May | Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. |