Key dates for the Life in the UK test
Updated · Based on the official handbook (3rd edition)
History is the biggest chapter of the Life in the UK handbook, and many questions ask about dates. This timeline lists the most important ones in order, with a short note on why each matters.
Early Britain
- AD 43
- The Roman invasion under Emperor Claudius begins nearly 400 years of Roman rule. Julius Caesar had tried to invade in 55 BC but was unsuccessful.
- AD 410
- The Roman army leaves Britain to defend other parts of the empire.
- 9th century
- Alfred the Great, an Anglo-Saxon king, defeats the Vikings.
The Middle Ages
- 1066
- William, Duke of Normandy, defeats Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. This is the Norman Conquest.
- 1215
- King John is forced by his noblemen to agree to Magna Carta, which limits the power of the king.
- 1314
- Robert the Bruce leads the Scots to victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn.
- 1348
- The Black Death, a deadly outbreak of plague, reaches Britain.
- 1415
- Henry V's heavily outnumbered army defeats the French at the Battle of Agincourt.
- 1485
- The Wars of the Roses end. Henry VII becomes the first Tudor king.
The Tudors and Stuarts
- 1588
- The English defeat the Spanish Armada, a fleet sent by Spain to invade England and restore Catholicism.
- 1603
- James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England. The two countries share a monarch but keep separate parliaments.
- 1605
- The Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament fails. Bonfire Night on 5 November remembers it.
- 1642
- Civil war breaks out between the king's supporters (Cavaliers) and Parliament's (Roundheads).
- 1649
- Charles I is executed and England becomes a republic, the Commonwealth.
- 1660
- The monarchy is restored and Charles II becomes king.
- 1688
- The Glorious Revolution: William of Orange is invited to take the throne and James II flees.
- 1689
- The Bill of Rights confirms the rights of Parliament and the limits of the monarch's power.
A global power
- 1707
- Under Queen Anne, the Act of Union joins England and Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britain, with a single parliament.
- 1801
- Ireland joins, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1805
- Admiral Nelson's fleet defeats the French and Spanish navies at the Battle of Trafalgar.
- 1807
- Trading slaves in British ships or from British ports becomes illegal.
- 1815
- The Duke of Wellington defeats Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
- 1832
- The Reform Act gives more people the vote, although it still depends on owning property.
- 1833
- Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire.
- 1837
- Victoria becomes queen at 18. She reigns for almost 64 years.
The 20th century and after
- 1914–18
- The First World War. The fighting ends at 11am on 11 November 1918.
- 1918
- Some women over 30 gain the right to vote.
- 1922
- Ireland becomes two countries: the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, which stays in the UK.
- 1928
- Women gain the right to vote on the same terms as men.
- 1939–45
- The Second World War.
- 1948
- Aneurin (Nye) Bevan leads the setting up of the National Health Service (NHS).
- 1969
- The voting age is lowered to 18.
- 1973
- The UK joins the European Economic Community.
- 1998
- The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.
- 1999
- The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly take up their powers after devolution.
- 2022
- Charles III becomes king after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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