-
12,000 BCE
Stone Age
The Stone Age marks a period of prehistory in which humans used primitive stone tools. -
4000 BCE
Neolithic migrations
A group of Neolithic immigratnts arrived from Europe, settled down and started to cultivate the land. -
2500 BCE
Iron Age
During Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel. -
2000 BCE
The Celts
The Celts were a collection of tribes with origins in central Europe that shared a similar language, religious beliefs, traditions and culture. -
1300 BCE
The Celts, Focus
Around 1300 BC, a new extraordinary people entered the story of the western world -
900 BCE
The Celts, Focus
Between about 900 and 500 BC the Celts crossed the narrow
English Channel and settled in peace in many parts of Britain. -
55 BCE
Julius Ceasar
Julius Caesar first landed in Britain on August 26th, 55BC.Caesar took with him only two legions, and achieved little beyond a landing on the coast of Kent. -
128
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was the north-west frontier of the Roman empire for nearly 300 years. It was built by the Roman army on the orders of the emperor Hadrian. -
410
The departure of the Romans
The departure of the Romans in 410 AD left the island undefended against the invasions of the Angles and Saxons from nothern Germany. -
449
The Anglo-Saxon invaders
The Anglo-Saxon invaders colonised northwards and westwards, pushing the Celts to the fringes of Britain, mainly to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. -
1066
Saxon king Edward the Confessor
Saxon king Edward the Confessor died in 1066 -
1066
William, Duke of Normandy
Harold Godwinson was chosen, but the throne was also claimed by his cousin William, Duke of Normandy, who defeated Harold at the battle of Hastings and was crowned king of England with the name of William I. -
1066
Feudal System
The Normans unifield England, gradually took control of Wales and Ireland and introduced the feudal system of nobles, knights and serfs. -
1215
Magna Carta
With the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 feudalism began its slow decline. -
1337
From the XIV to the XV centuries
The Hundred Years' War with France, (1337/1453) -
1348
From the XIV to the XV centuries
England experienced the terrible Black Death, struggles for power and a series of wars. -
1455
From the XIV to the XV centuries
The Wars of the Roses, (1455/1485), between the York and the Lancaster, which resulted in a new royal house - the Tudors. -
1485
The Tudors, Henry
Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond, won the final battle at Bosworth, 1485, and ascended the throne as Henry VII. -
1509
The Tudors, Henry III
Henry VIII, son of Henry VII, gained fame for his six marriages in search of a male heir. When the Pope did not allow him to divorce and remarry, Henry split with the Catholic church and had Parliament appoint him Head of the Protestant Church of England; he dissolved Catholic monasteries and confiscated their lands and possessions. -
1558
The Tudors, Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I, Henry VIII's daughter, ascended the throne in 1558 and reigned until 1603. Her reign was perhaps the most glorious era for Britain, with explorations, colonisation, victory in war and growing world importance as a trading nation.