British history timeline
This chart puts 14 kingdoms and states of Britain on one timeline in order, from Roman Britain (c. 43 to 410 CE) to United Kingdom (1801 CE to the present). On these dates, Kingdom of Scotland lasted longest, about 864 years.
See it on the interactive chart
- Roman Britainc. 43 to 410 CE
- Kingdom of Gwyneddc. 500 to 1216 CE
- Kingdom of Wessexc. 519 to 927 CE
- Kingdom of Merciac. 527 to 918 CE
- Kingdom of Northumbriac. 654 to 954 CE
- Kingdom of Scotlandc. 843 to 1707 CE
- Kingdom of England (Anglo-Saxon)927 to 1066 CE
- Kingdom of England (Norman and Plantagenet)1066 to 1485 CE
- Principality of Wales1216 to 1283 CE
- Tudor England1485 to 1603 CE
- Kingdom of England (Stuart)1603 to 1707 CE
- Commonwealth of England1649 to 1660 CE
- Kingdom of Great Britain1707 to 1800 CE
- United Kingdom1801 CE to the present
- Latin and Romance
- Celtic
- Germanic
In order
Roman Britain
Claudius invaded in 43, and Rome held the province until around 410. Hadrian ordered his wall during a visit around 120. A letter from Emperor Honorius in 410 is traditionally read as refusing a British appeal for help.
Kingdom of Gwynedd
A kingdom of north-west Wales based on Anglesey and Snowdonia, whose rulers were repeatedly acclaimed King of the Britons. Llywelyn the Great proclaimed the Principality of Wales at Aberdyfi in 1216.
Kingdom of Wessex
The West Saxon kingdom. Alfred the Great beat the Danes at Edington in 878, and his grandson Aethelstan united England in 927.
Kingdom of Mercia
The Midland kingdom that dominated England south of the Humber under kings such as Penda and Offa, who is credited with building Offa's Dyke. After the Viking invasions it was absorbed by Wessex in 918.
Kingdom of Northumbria
Formed from the Anglian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, it was where Bede wrote in the 8th century. Viking raids began with the attack on Lindisfarne in 793, and the Great Army struck York in 866. Its last Scandinavian king, Eric, was driven out in 954.
Kingdom of Scotland
Traditionally founded in 843, when Kenneth MacAlpin became king of the Picts. Gaelic, Old English, Norse and French were spoken there before Scots came to dominate. Robert I won at Bannockburn in 1314, and the kingdom united with England in 1707.
Kingdom of England (Anglo-Saxon)
Aethelstan's realm, united in 927, whose shires became the basis of the later counties. Danish kings ruled it from 1016 to 1042, and William of Normandy took it at Hastings in 1066.
Kingdom of England (Norman and Plantagenet)
The Normans built castles and compiled the Domesday Book, and French was the language of the king and his court until the end of the 14th century. Barons forced Magna Carta on King John in 1215. The Wars of the Roses ended at Bosworth in 1485.
Principality of Wales
Built by Llywelyn the Great and his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, whom Henry III recognised as Prince of Wales in 1267. Edward I conquered it in 1277 to 1283 and ringed it with castles.
Tudor England
Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534 and dissolved the monasteries. Elizabeth I's navy saw off the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Kingdom of England (Stuart)
James I ruled England and Scotland in personal union. Civil war led to the execution of Charles I in 1649, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to 1689 replaced James II with William and Mary and produced the Bill of Rights.
Commonwealth of England
The republic proclaimed after the execution of Charles I, ruled by Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector from 1653. The monarchy returned in 1660.
Kingdom of Great Britain
Formed by the union of England and Scotland in 1707. Victory in the Seven Years' War made it the dominant colonial power, holding Canada and dominating India, and it lost the Thirteen Colonies. The Industrial Revolution began there around 1760.
United Kingdom
The union with Ireland in 1801 created the UK, whose empire was the largest in history at its height in the 1920s. Most of Ireland left in 1922, most colonies became independent after the Second World War, and the UK left the EU in 2020.
Major events
- Viking raid on Lindisfarne. Norse raiders sack the monastery of Lindisfarne off Northumbria, the conventional start of the Viking Age.
- Norman conquest of England. William of Normandy defeats Harold II at Hastings and is crowned king of England on Christmas Day.
- Magna Carta. English barons force King John to seal a charter limiting royal power at Runnymede.
- Hundred Years' War begins. Philip VI of France moves to take back the English-held duchy of Aquitaine, and Edward III answers by claiming the French throne. Conflict between England and France continues, with truces, until 1453.
- Joan of Arc at Orléans. Joan, claiming divine guidance, reaches besieged Orléans in April and the English withdraw on 8 May. Charles VII is crowned at Reims. Captured by Burgundian troops in 1430, she is tried for heresy and burned at the stake in 1431.
- Act of Supremacy. Parliament declares Henry VIII and his successors Supreme Head of the Church of England in place of the Pope. The act is repealed under Mary I, and a 1558 act makes Elizabeth I Supreme Governor of the Church.
- Spanish Armada. A Spanish fleet sent to escort an invasion of England and overthrow Elizabeth I is scattered by English fire ships off Calais and attacked at Gravelines. It returns home around Scotland and Ireland, where storms wreck many of its ships.
- Execution of Charles I. Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded outside the Banqueting House on Whitehall on 30 January, after a parliamentarian High Court finds him guilty following the English Civil War.
- Newton publishes the Principia. Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy expounds his laws of motion and law of universal gravitation. It forms a mathematical foundation for the theory of classical mechanics.
- Glorious Revolution. James II of England is deposed in November and replaced by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband William III of Orange, who rule jointly as monarchs of England, Scotland and Ireland.
- Watt's steam engine. James Watt patents a separate condenser that makes steam engines far more efficient, powering the Industrial Revolution in Britain.
- Slavery Abolition Act. Parliament abolishes slavery in the British Empire by compensated emancipation, in force from 1 August 1834. Around 800,000 freed people were attested in the claims process, and India was excluded.
- Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. Charles Darwin sets out the theory that populations evolve over generations through natural selection, with evidence that the diversity of life arose by common descent. The book is considered the foundation of evolutionary biology.
Questions
What is the order of kingdoms and states of Britain?
By start date: Roman Britain, Kingdom of Gwynedd, Kingdom of Wessex, Kingdom of Mercia, Kingdom of Northumbria, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of England (Anglo-Saxon), Kingdom of England (Norman and Plantagenet), Principality of Wales, Tudor England, Kingdom of England (Stuart), Commonwealth of England, Kingdom of Great Britain and United Kingdom.
Which of the kingdoms and states of Britain lasted longest?
On this timeline, Kingdom of Scotland, at about 864 years (c. 843 to 1707 CE).
How many kingdoms and states of Britain were there?
This timeline shows 14. Other lists count differently, depending on how they treat rival states and periods of division.
Which came first?
Roman Britain, c. 43 to 410 CE, is the earliest on this timeline.
Where do these dates come from?
Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.