United Kingdom
From Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to the world's largest empire and the Industrial Revolution.
Overview
The British Isles have hosted Celtic tribes, Roman provinces, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the Norman Conquest, English constitutional development, the Industrial Revolution and an empire on which the sun famously never set.
Basic Information
History Timeline
- 43 CERoman conquest of Britain
- 1066Norman Conquest under William the Conqueror
- 1215Magna Carta
- 1707Acts of Union create Great Britain
- c. 1760 – 1840Industrial Revolution
- 1837 – 1901Victorian era; peak of British Empire
Ancient Peoples
- Britons
- Picts
- Anglo-Saxons
- Vikings
- Normans
Ancient Kingdoms
- Wessex
- Mercia
- Northumbria
- East Anglia
Empires
- British Empire
Religions
- Anglicanism
- Roman Catholicism
- Presbyterianism
- Judaism
- Islam
Culture
Shakespeare, Newton, Darwin, the Beatles and the parliamentary tradition are British cultural landmarks.
Language
English is a West Germanic language enriched by Latin, Norse and French borrowings.
Important Battles
- Battle of Hastings1066
Norman conquest of England
- Battle of Trafalgar1805
Nelson defeats Franco-Spanish fleet
- Battle of Britain1940
RAF defense against the Luftwaffe
Historical Figures
King of Wessex who resisted the Vikings
Queen during England's Renaissance
Wartime prime minister
Archaeological Sites
- Stonehenge
- Skara Brae
- Hadrian's Wall
- Sutton Hoo
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Stonehenge
- Tower of London
- Westminster Palace
- Bath
- Edinburgh Old and New Towns
Dynasties
- House of Wessex
- Norman
- Plantagenet
- Tudor
- Stuart
- Hanover
- Windsor
Colonial Period
The British Empire at its 1920s peak governed one quarter of the world's population.
Modern History
The UK joined the EEC in 1973 and left the EU in 2020 following the 2016 Brexit referendum.