Historical Events in The United Kingdom - Part II

By Lamarquesita

  • England and Scotland – Death of James VI and I.

  • Period: to

    The Bishops' Wars.

    England and Scotland – At war in what became known as the Bishops' Wars.

  • England – The Long Parliament summoned.

  • England – English Civil War begins

  • England – The Glorious Revolution replaces James II with William III.

  • Scotland – The Claim of Right Act 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of Scotland.

  • England – The Bill of Rights 1689 is enacted by the Parliament of England.

  • England – The Bank of England is established.

  • The Kingdom of Great Britain comes into being and Queen Anne becomes its first monarch.

  • Signing of the Treaty of Utrecht.

    Signing of the Treaty of Utrecht ends the War of the Spanish Succession.

  • Queen Anne dies. Accession of George I, Elector of Hanover.

  • Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.

  • King George I dies and George II ascends the throne.

  • Samuel Johnson published his A Dictionary of the English Language.

  • King George II dies and George III ascends the throne.

  • The American War of Independence begins.

  • The American War of Independence ends with the Treaty of Paris.

  • The naval Battle of Trafalgar takes place.

  • The Slave Trade Act 1807 is passed.

  • The Napoleonic Wars ends.

  • King George III dies and George IV ascends the throne.

  • The Catholic Relief Act 1829 is passed.

  • King George IV dies and William IV ascends the throne.

  • The Great Reform Act is passed, doubling the franchise.

  • The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 gains royal assent.

    The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 gains royal assent, banning slavery throughout the British Empire.

  • The Conservative Party is founded.

  • The New Poor Law is passed.

  • The reign of Queen Victoria begins.

  • The Slavery Abolition Act 1833.

    The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 enters into force, abolishing slavery in the British Empire.

  • The first peacetime income tax is introduced.

  • The Corn Laws are repealed.

  • The Communist Manifesto is published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

  • The Great Exhibition opens.

  • Period: to

    The Crimean War is fought

    The Crimean War is fought between Russia and a British alliance who feared Russian expansion in the Balkans, resulting in allied victory.

  • Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies at the age of 42.

  • The 1867 Reform Act doubles the franchise.

  • The Education Act 1870 is passed.

    The Education Act 1870 is passed, introducing universal education.

  • The Reform Act 1885 is passed.

  • The Labour Party is founded.

  • Queen Victoria dies and Edward VII ascends the throne.

  • Treaty of Vereeniging ends the Second Boer War.

  • Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

  • The Lib-Lab pact enables Labour to break into national politics.

  • Entente Cordiale signed between Britain and France.

  • King Edward VII dies and George V ascends the throne.

  • Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.

  • World War I: Great Britain declares war on German.

    World War I: Great Britain declares war on Germany in response to the invasion of Belgium.

  • Britain declares war on the Ottoman Empire.

  • Women get the vote for the first time

    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.

  • World War I ends.

  • Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in parliament.

  • Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister.

  • Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the second time.

  • Period: to

    The 1926 United Kingdom general strike takes place.

  • Women receive the right to vote on the same terms as men.

    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.

  • Stanley Baldwin becomes Prime Minister for the third time.

  • King George V dies and Edward VIII ascends the throne.

  • Accession of George VI to the throne.

    King Edward VIII abdicates the throne over his proposal to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Automatic accession of George VI.

  • Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

  • British entry into World War II.

  • Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.

  • World War II ends in Europe.

  • Britain becomes a founding member of the United Nations.

  • India gains independence from Britain.

  • Birth of Charles, Prince of Wales.

  • Birth of Anne, Princess Royal.

  • British troops arrive to support US forces in the Korean War.

  • Sir Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister for the second time.

  • Death of King George VI. Automatic accession of Queen Elizabeth II.

  • Coronation of Elizabeth II.

  • Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

  • Birth of Diana, Princess of Wales.

  • Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister.

  • Death of Sir Winston Churchill.

  • The death penalty is abolished officially.

  • The Treaty of Accession

    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.

  • The United Kingdom joins and becomes a member state of the European Communities.

  • Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister for the second time.

  • The United Kingdom chooses to remain a member state of the European Communities in a non-blinding referendum.

  • Britain becomes the first major Western state to be forced to ask to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund

  • Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister.

  • The Elementary Education Act 1880 is passed.

    The Elementary Education Act 1880 is passed, making primary schooling compulsory and extending it to girls.

  • Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

  • Period: to

    British victory and the United Kingdom reclaiming the Falkland Islands.

    The Falklands War is fought against Argentina, resulting in British victory and the United Kingdom reclaiming the Falkland Islands.

  • Birth of Prince William of Wales.

  • Birth of Prince Harry of Wales.

  • The Liberal Democrats are founded.

  • The United Kingdom hands Hong Kong back to China, marking the end of the British Empire.

  • Diana, Princess of Wales, dies due to a traffic collision in Paris.

  • Princess Margaret dies.

  • Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother dies

  • Period: to

    The United Kingdom, alongside the US, invades Iraq.

  • Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

  • The Scottish independence referendum takes place.

    Scotland decides to remain part of the United Kingdom.

  • Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

  • The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union.

  • Theresa May becomes the second female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

  • The "meaningful vote" - was rejected.

    The motion to approve the Brexit withdrawal agreement was rejected 202–432. This was the largest defeat on a government motion in history.

  • Theresa May formally tenders her resignation as Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth II, and is succeeded by Boris Johnson.

  • The United Kingdom leaves the European Union.