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250,000 BCE
First Inhabitans
First evidende of human life. -
10,000 BCE
Groups of hunters, gatherers and fishers
Britain was peopled by small groups. -
700 BCE
The Celts
Another group of people began to arrive. These were the celts, many of them were tall, and had a fair or red hair and blue eyes. They were technically advanced. -
55
The Romans
The Romans invaded the Celts because they were working with the Celts of Gaul.
The Romans brought the skills of reading and writing to Britain. -
430
The Saxon Invasion
The Germanic tribes raided Britain but after AD 430 they began to settle. -
597
Christianity
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842
The Vikings
New raiders were tempted by Britain's wealth. The Vikings only raided at first, burning churches and monasteries but in 865 they invaded Britian. -
1066
The Norman Conquest
William, the Conqueror invaded England with an army made up of Normans, Bretons, Flemish, and men from other French provinces. -
1067
Feudalism
Feudalism took root in England with William of Normandy’s conquest in 1066. A system of land grants to his vassals, the knights who fought alongside him, in order to have them maintain his new order throughout the kingdom. -
1190
Language, literature and culture
Growth of literacy in England. This brought a new desire to test religious faith against reason. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
It was an important symbol of political freedom. It was signed by King John, under pressure from his rebellious barons. By declaring the sovereign to be subject to the rule of law and documenting the liberties held by “free men”. -
1258
Beginning of Parliament
Edward I brought together the first real parliament. -
1348
Black Death
This was a terrible plague which reached almost every part of Britain. -
1455
The Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England, fought between supporters of the House of Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose. -
1485
The end of the Middle Ages
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1485
The Tudors
The Tudor dynasty was a series of kings and queens of England. This line of rulers started in 1485 and lasted until 1603. The dynasty started when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. -
1534
The Reformation
The Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. It was based on Henry VIII's desire for an annulment of his marriage. -
1550
Language and Culture
The Tudor court played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance taking place in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. -
1562
The new trading empire
During this period, England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. -
The End of the Tudors Dynasty
It ended because Queen Elizabeth I was childless. She was the last of the Tudors. The crown passed to her cousin, James Stuart. -
The Stuarts
A royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The Stuart period of British history lasted from 1603 to 1714. -
Period: to
The Parliament against the Crown
It was an age of intense religious debate and radical politics. Both contributed to a bloody civil war between Crown and Parliament, resulting in a parliamentary victory for Oliver Cromwell and the dramatic execution of King Charles I. -
Period: to
Revolution in thought
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Republican Britain
After the execution of the King, a republic was declared, known as the Commonwealth of England. Its failure to deal with the complex political, legal and religious problems soon led to its closeure. -
Glorious Revolution
It refers to the deposition of James II and VII, king of England, Scotland and Ireland, and replacement by his daughter Mary II and her husband, William III of Orange. -
The End of the Stuarts Dynasty
The period ended with the death of Queen Anne.