Life in the UK Test key dates
The main events of British history in the order they happened. Read it through often, so the sequence and the dates stick before your test.
Britain becomes an island
The land bridge to the continent floods and Britain is cut off.
Julius Caesar's raids
The Romans under Julius Caesar first attempt to invade Britain.
Roman conquest
Emperor Claudius leads a successful Roman invasion of Britain.
The Romans leave
Roman troops withdraw from Britain to defend other parts of the empire.
The Vikings arrive
Viking raids from Denmark and Norway begin on the coasts of Britain.
The Norman Conquest
William of Normandy defeats Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
The Domesday Book
William orders a great survey of who owned land across England.
Magna Carta
King John is forced to agree Magna Carta, which limits the king's power.
Battle of Bannockburn
The Scots under Robert the Bruce defeat the English.
The Black Death
A plague reaches Britain and kills a large part of the population.
Battle of Agincourt
Henry V's army defeats a larger French force in the Hundred Years War.
Wars of the Roses
A civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne.
The Tudors begin
Henry Tudor wins at Bosworth Field and becomes Henry VII.
The Church of England
Henry VIII breaks with Rome and becomes head of the Church of England.
The Spanish Armada
The English navy defeats the Spanish Armada under Elizabeth I.
Union of the Crowns
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England as well.
The Gunpowder Plot
Guy Fawkes and others fail to blow up Parliament on 5 November.
The Mayflower
The Pilgrim Fathers sail to America to settle.
The Civil War
War between the king's Cavaliers and Parliament's Roundheads.
Charles I is executed
Britain briefly becomes a republic after the king is executed.
The Restoration
Parliament invites Charles II back and the monarchy is restored.
The Great Plague
A serious outbreak of plague spreads through London.
The Great Fire of London
A huge fire destroys much of London.
The Glorious Revolution
William of Orange takes the throne, beginning a constitutional monarchy.
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights limits the monarch and strengthens Parliament.
Act of Union with Scotland
England and Scotland unite to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The first Prime Minister
Sir Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister.
Battle of Culloden
Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite rising is finally defeated.
American independence
The American colonies declare independence from Britain.
Act of Union with Ireland
Ireland joins to form the United Kingdom.
Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson defeats the French and Spanish fleets, and dies in the battle.
The slave trade abolished
Britain makes the slave trade illegal.
Battle of Waterloo
The Duke of Wellington defeats Napoleon.
Slavery abolished
Slavery is abolished across the British Empire.
The Victorian age
Queen Victoria reigns as the British Empire grows to its height.
The Great Exhibition
A celebration of industry and culture is held in the Crystal Palace.
The Crimean War
Britain fights Russia; Florence Nightingale improves nursing care.
The First World War
Britain and its allies fight the Central Powers.
Equal votes for women
Women win the right to vote at the same age as men, 21.
The Second World War
Britain and its allies fight Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.
D-Day
Allied forces land in Normandy on 6 June to free Europe.
The NHS is founded
The National Health Service begins, free at the point of use.
Voting age lowered to 18
The voting age is reduced from 21 to 18.
First woman Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister, serving until 1990.
Good Friday Agreement
A peace agreement is reached in Northern Ireland.
The UK leaves the EU
Following a 2016 referendum, the UK leaves the European Union.
King Charles III
Queen Elizabeth II dies and King Charles III becomes monarch.
Ready to test yourself on these? Head to the history chapter or try a mock test.