1602 - James I becomes king and rules over England and Scotland. He is the first of the Stuart family to rule.
1605 - Guy Fawkes fails in his attempt to blow up Parliament.
1620 - The Pilgrims set sail for America aboard the Mayflower.
1666 - The Great Fire of London destroys much of the city.
1689 - The English Bill of Rights is established giving more power to the parliament.
1707 - England and Scotland are united as one country called Great Britain.
1756 - The Seven Year's War begins.
1770s - The Industrial Revolution begins in England.
1776 - The American colonies declare their independence from Britain.
1801 - The British and Irish parliaments are joined by the Act of Union to create the United Kingdom.
1805 - The British fleet defeats Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar.
1837 - Queen Victoria is crowned queen. The Victorian Era begins.
1854 - The Crimean War is fought against Russia.
1914 - World War I begins. The United Kingdom fights with Allies against the Central Powers led by Germany.
1918 - World War I ends.
1921 - Ireland is granted independence.
1928 - Women gain equal rights to vote.
1939 - World War II begins. The United Kingdom joins the Allies against the Axis Powers.
1940 - The United Kingdom is bombed by the Germans for months during the Battle of Britain.
Margaret Thatcher
1945 - World War II ends.
1952 - Elizabeth II is crowned queen.
1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom.
1981 - Prince Charles marries Lady Diana.
1982 - The Falklands War occurs.
1991 - The United Kingdom joins the United States in the Gulf War.
1997 - Princess Diana dies in a car crash. Britain gives control of Hong Kong to China.
2003 - The Iraq War occurs.
2011 - Prince William marries Catherine Middleton.
Brief Overview of the History of United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is an island nation located in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of France. It is actually a union of four countries including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The islands that are today the United Kingdom were invaded by the Romans in 55 BC. This brought the local islanders into contact with the rest of Europe. After the Roman Empire weakened, the islands were invaded by the Saxons, the Vikings, and finally the Normans.
The Tower Bridge
The English conquered Wales in 1282 under Edward I. In order to make the Welsh happy, the king's son was made the Prince of Wales. The two countries became unified in 1536. Scotland became part of the British crown in 1602 when the king of Scotland became the King James I of England. The union became official in 1707. Ireland became a part of the union in 1801. However, many of the Irish rebelled and, in 1921, the southern part of Ireland was made a separate country and an Irish free state.
In the 1500s Britain began to expand its empire into much of the world. After defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588, England became the world's dominant sea power. Britain first grew into the Far East and India and then to the Americas. In the early 1800s the UK defeated France in the Napoleonic Wars and became the supreme European power.
In the 1900s, the United Kingdom became less of a dominant world power. It continued to lose control over colonies and was weakened by World War I. However, under the leadership of Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom was the last western European nation to oppose Germany in World War II and played a major role in defeating Hitler.
The United Kingdom played a major role in the history of the world, taking a leading role in developing democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its peak in the 19th century, the British Empire covered over one-fourth of the surface of the earth.
