Plague first. Fire next.
1665Great PlagueA major outbreak of plague in London.
1666Great FireA fire destroyed much of the old City of London.
Memory tip: Five = plague. Six = fire. Samuel Pepys recorded both in his diary.
Dates in order
Filter by era. See what came before, what followed and how much time passed between events.
Practise putting events in order- c. 6,000 years ago
Farming begins in Britain
Farming communities arrived from south-east Europe and began settling permanently.
- About 2,000 years laterc. 4,000 years ago
Bronze Age begins
People learned to make bronze tools, ornaments, and weapons.
- About 1,900 years later55 and 54 BC
Julius Caesar’s invasions
Both expeditions failed to establish lasting Roman rule.
- 97 years laterAD 43
- 367 years laterAD 410
Roman army leaves Britain
The Roman army withdrew to defend other parts of the empire and did not return.
- About 190 years laterc. AD 600
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes established several kingdoms, mainly in what is now England. Their languages helped shape English.
- About 189 years laterAD 789
First Viking raids in Britain
Viking raiders from Denmark and Norway attacked coastal settlements.
- 277 years later1066
Norman Conquest
William of Normandy defeated King Harold’s army at the Battle of Hastings. William then became king of England, known as William the Conqueror.
English Heritage: the Battle of Hastings - 20 years later1086
Domesday survey
William the Conqueror ordered a survey of land, property, and resources across England.
- 129 years later1215
King John agreed to under pressure from his barons. The charter established the principle that the king was subject to the law.
UK Parliament: Magna Carta - 99 years later1314
Battle of Bannockburn
Robert the Bruce’s Scottish forces defeated the English army.
- 34 years later1348
Black Death reaches Britain
About one-third of the population died in England, Scotland, and Wales.
- 67 years later1415
Battle of Agincourt
Henry V led the English army to victory over the French during the Hundred Years War.
- 40 years later1455
Wars of the Roses begin
The House of Lancaster and the House of York fought over the English throne.
- 30 years later1485
Battle of Bosworth Field
Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, ending the Wars of the Roses. He became Henry VII, the first Tudor king.
- 49 years later1534
Act of Supremacy
The Act recognised Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England, replacing the Pope’s authority over the English Church.
- 54 years later1588
Spanish Armada defeated
The English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada during Elizabeth I’s reign.
- 15 years later1603
Crowns of England and Scotland unite
James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, sharing one monarch across both kingdoms. England and Scotland kept separate governments.
- 2 years later1605
Gunpowder Plot
Guy Fawkes and fellow plotters failed to blow up Parliament.
- 35 years later1640
Charles I recalls Parliament
The king needed Parliament’s approval and funds amid conflict with Scotland.
- 2 years later1642
English Civil War begins
Conflict between Charles I and Parliament led to war. Cavaliers supported the king; Roundheads supported Parliament.
- 7 years later1649
Charles I executed
England was declared a republic called the Commonwealth.
- 11 years later1660
Restoration of the monarchy
Parliament invited Charles II to return from exile and become king.
- 5 years later1665
Great Plague of London
A major outbreak of plague killed thousands of people in London.
- 1 year later1666
Great Fire of London
The fire destroyed much of the City of London, including St Paul’s Cathedral. Christopher Wren designed the new cathedral during the rebuilding.
- 13 years later1679
Habeas Corpus Act
Protected people from being held in prison unlawfully without a court hearing.
- 9 years later1688
William of Orange was invited to England and James II fled. William and his wife Mary accepted the throne jointly as William III and Mary II in 1689, strengthening Parliament’s power.
- 1 year later1689
Confirmed rights of Parliament and limits on the monarch’s power.
- 1 year later1690
Battle of the Boyne
William III defeated James II in Ireland.
- 17 years later1707
Union of England and Scotland
The Acts of Union created the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 14 years later1721
Robert Walpole becomes Prime Minister
Walpole is regarded as the first person to hold the office.
- 24 years later1745–1746
Jacobite rising and Battle of Culloden
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rising ended with defeat at Culloden.
- 31 years later1776–1783
American colonies declare independence
The colonies declared independence in 1776; Britain recognised it in 1783.
- 24 years later1800–1801
Union with Ireland
The Act of Union took effect in 1801, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 4 years later1804
Trevithick’s steam locomotive
Richard Trevithick built the first successful steam-powered locomotive to haul a load on rails.
National Railway Museum: early locomotives - 1 year later1805
Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson led the British fleet to victory over French and Spanish forces.
- 2 years later1807
Slave trade abolished
Trading enslaved people in British ships or from British ports became illegal; slavery ended later.
- 8 years later1815
Battle of Waterloo
The Duke of Wellington’s forces defeated Napoleon, ending the French Wars.
- 14 years later1829
Stephenson’s Rocket
Robert Stephenson and Company built Rocket for the Rainhill Trials, following Trevithick’s first successful steam locomotive in 1804.
National Railway Museum: Rocket and the Rainhill Trials - 3 years later1832
Reform Act
Expanded voting rights and redistributed parliamentary seats towards growing towns and cities.
- 1 year later1833
Slavery abolished in the
The Emancipation Act ended slavery across most of the .
- 4 years later1837
Victoria becomes queen
Her reign lasted until 1901 and became known as the Victorian Age.
- 14 years later1851
The in Hyde Park, London, housed an exhibition of industry and inventions from around the world during Queen Victoria’s reign.
- 3 years later1854
Florence Nightingale works in military hospitals
Nightingale travelled to Turkey during the Crimean War to improve nursing care.
- 13 years later1867
Second Reform Act
Reduced property requirements and extended the vote to more men.
- 40 years later1907
Rudyard Kipling wins Nobel Prize in Literature
Kipling was the first English-language writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 7 years later1914–1918
First World War
The war caused extensive loss of life and was followed by major political changes.
- 2 years later1916
Easter Rising
Irish nationalists launched an uprising in Dublin during the First World War.
- 2 years later1918
Voting rights expanded
Some women aged 30 and over who met qualifying conditions gained the vote. Women also gained the right to stand for Parliament.
- 3 years later1921–1922
Partition of Ireland
A 1921 treaty led to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Six northern counties remained in the UK as Northern Ireland.
- 7 years later1928
Voting rights equalised
Women aged 21 and over gained the same voting rights as men.
- Same year1928
Penicillin discovered
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while researching influenza.
- 1 year later1929
Great Depression begins
The economic downturn brought mass unemployment to some parts of the UK.
- 10 years later1939–1945
Second World War
Wartime events in Britain included the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
- 6 years later1945
Penicillin Nobel Prize
Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Florey and Chain helped develop Fleming’s discovery into a usable drug.
- 3 years later1948
NHS begins
Clement Attlee’s Labour government established the National Health Service under Health Minister Aneurin (Nye) Bevan, with healthcare free at the point of use.
- 1 year later1949
Republic of Ireland established
The Irish Free State became a republic.
- 5 years later1954
Roger Bannister’s mile
Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.
- 15 years later1969
Voting age set at 18
The voting age was reduced to 18 for men and women.
- 10 years later1979
Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister
Thatcher became the first woman to hold the office of UK Prime Minister.
- 19 years later1998
Good Friday Agreement
An agreement helped bring an end to decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
- 14 years later2012
London Olympic Games
London hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games; British athletes won notable events.
- 10 years later2022 and 2025
England women win the Euros
The 2026 amendments include both European Championship wins.
TSO amendments dated 5 January 2026
Six pairs people mix up
Slave trade abolished in 1807; slavery in 1833.
1807Slave trade abolishedBritish ships could no longer participate in the slave trade.
1833Slavery abolishedThe Emancipation Act ended slavery in most of the British Empire.
Memory tip: 1807 → trade. 1833 → slavery in most of the British Empire.
First locomotive, then Rocket.
1804Richard TrevithickA steam locomotive successfully hauled a load on rails.
1829Stephenson’s RocketRocket succeeded at the Rainhill Trials.
Memory tip: Watt → improved steam engines. Trevithick → 1804 locomotive. Stephenson → 1829 Rocket.
A partial vote, then an equal vote.
1918Some women gained the voteWomen aged 30 or over who met qualifying conditions could vote.
1928Equal voting ageWomen could vote at 21 on the same terms as men.
Memory tip: 1918 → some women at 30. 1928 → equal voting rights at 21.
Discovery, recognition, public healthcare.
1928Penicillin discoveredAlexander Fleming made the discovery.
1945 → 1948Nobel Prize → NHSFleming, Florey, and Chain won the Nobel Prize in 1945; the NHS began in 1948.
Memory tip: The discovery came before the Second World War; the Nobel award at its end; the NHS after it.
Great Britain before the United Kingdom.
1707England and Scotland uniteThe Acts of Union created the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1801Union with IrelandThe union with Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Memory tip: Great Britain = England, Scotland, Wales. Today’s UK also includes Northern Ireland.