Timeline of the British Empire
From the Act of Union to the Great War
Foundation of Empire (18th century)
Height of Empire (19th century)
Ireland
Canada
Australia and New Zealand
India and Asia
Colonial Africa
The Great War (20th century)
Foundation of Empire (1707 to 1815)
The Act of Union, to the Battle of Waterloo
Date | Event |
1707 | England and Scotland unite to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. |
1714 | George I appointed first Hanoverian King; Walpole becomes Prime Minister. |
1715 | Old Pretender precipitates first Jacobite rising in Scotland. |
1739-1748 | War of Austrian Succession begins—Britain allies with Austria to fight France. |
1745 | —Young Pretender incites second Jacobite rising in Scotland. |
1748 | —Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of Austrian Succession, but brings no important changes. |
1756-1763 | Seven Years War (a.k.a French and Indian War in America, and Carnatic War in India) results in colonial conquests for Britain. |
1757 | —Clive's victory at Plassey wins Bengal for Britain. |
1759 | —Wolfe's capture of Quebec wins Canada for Britain. |
1759 | —Hawke's victory at Quiberon Bay destroys French Sea Power. |
1755 | Samuel Johnson publishes Dictionary of English Language. |
1766 | William Pitt the Elder becomes Prime Minister of England. |
1764 | James Hargreaves invents the Spinning Jenny. |
1771 | Captain James Cook discovers Australia, New Zealand. |
1776 | Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations which revolutionizes ideas about commerce, taxes, and economics. |
1776 | Declaration of Independence precipitates the American Revolutionary War. |
1783 | Lord Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown; Britain loses most of New World colonies. |
1782 | William Pitt the Younger becomes Prime Minster of England. |
1784 | James Watt invents the Steam Engine—ushers in the industrial revolution. |
1793-1802 | French Revolutionary Wars ends in a stalemate. |
1797 | —Battles of St. Vincent and Camperdown give Britain control of the sea. |
1798 | —Battle of the Nile destroys Napoleon's plans to take over Egypt. |
1801 | —Battle of Copenhagen destroys French naval power in the North Sea. |
1798 | Irish Rebellion is put down by Britain. |
1801 | Irish Parliament dissolved;—Ireland, unwillingly, joins the United Kingdom. |
1804 | Napoleon Bonaparte makes himself emperor of France. |
1802-1914 | Napoleonic Wars drag all of Europe into turmoil. |
1805 | —British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar under Lord Nelson destroys French naval power. |
1808 | —Start of Peninsular War in Spain—Duke of Wellington helps drive the French out of Spain. |
1812-1814 | —War of 1812 with the United States. |
1815 | —Wellington and Blucher defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. |
Height of Empire (1815 to 1902)
Aftermath of Napoleonic Wars, to the Second Boer War
Date | Event |
1821 | George Stephenson invents the locomotive; ushers in age of railways. |
1829 | Catholic Emancipation in Ireland—Catholics allowed to vote. |
1832 | First Reform Act—Whigs take control of Parliament. |
1833 | Abolition of Slavery in British colonies. |
1837 | Queen Victoria ascends to the throne of England. |
1842 | Massacre at Kyber Pass—British army retreats from Afghanistan |
1846 | Potato Famine, Repeal of the Corn Laws, Free Trade |
1851 | Great Exhibition opens in the Crystal Palace in London |
1852 | David Livingstone begins his first expedition into Africa |
1854-1856 | Crimean War—Britain allies itself with Ottomans to oppose Russian expansion. |
1857 | Indian Mutiny—rebellion of Sepoys put down with great slaughter. |
1859 | Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species. |
1865 | Henry Bessemer process greatly improves production of steel. |
1858 | First Transatlantic Cable laid. |
1868-1874 | First Ministry of William Gladstone—promotes a liberal reform agenda. |
1874-1880 | Second Ministry of Benjamin Disraeli—promotes a conservative imperial agenda. |
1879 | Anglo-Zulu War—British prevail over Zulus after suffering a massacre at Isandhlwana |
1880 | First Boer War—British concede to Boer demands after suffering serious defeats. |
1875 | Egyptian Share of Suez canal sold to Britain. |
1882 | British put down Arabi's Rebellion at the Battle of Tel-al-Kebar. |
1870 | Death of Charles Dickens, British novelist. |
1885 | Death of Charles Gordon at the Siege of Khartoum—British relieving force fails to arrive in time. |
1887 | Fiftieth year Jubilee of Queen Victoria. |
1898 | Horatio Kitchener defeats the rebel Mahdists of Sudan at the Battle of Omdurman. |
1899-1902 | Second Boer War—Hard fought British victory forces the Boers to submit to British rule. |
1901 | Death of Queen Victoria |
Ireland (450 to 1922)
St. Patrick brings Christianity to Ireland, to Irish Independence
Date | Event |
450 | Saint Patrick converts Ireland to Christianity. |
850 | Brian Boru drives Vikings out of Ireland, and briefly unites tribes. |
1169 | Norman Invasion puts Ireland under nominal English control. |
1315 | Edward Bruce, brother of Robert I of Scotland, attempts to drive English out of Ireland. |
1497 | Lambert Simnel, pretender to English throne, lands in Dublin. |
1536 | Henry VIII begins reconquest of Ireland under Protestant rule. |
1594-1603 | Nine Years War—English conquer Northern Ireland and assume control of Ulster. |
1641 | Catholic Uprisings during English Civil War; massacre of Protestants in Ulster. |
1649 | Oliver Cromwell invades Ireland—infamous Siege of Drogheda. |
1688-1691 | Williamite War in Ireland, following the "Glorious Revolution" in Britain. |
1688 | —Siege of Londonderry is relieved by Protestant army. |
1690 | —James II returns to France after the Battle of Boyne. |
1691 | Penal laws enforced which oppress, dispossess Irish Catholics. |
1782 | Henry Grattan establishes independent Irish Parliament. |
1798 | Irish rebellion. |
1801 | Ireland (unwillingly) merged into the "United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland"; |
1829 | Catholics allowed to vote. |
1845-1849 | Irish potato famine. |
1869 | Disestablishment of the Anglican Irish State Church |
1882 | Murder of Cavendish in Ireland. |
1893 | Parnell's Home Rule Bill defeated by small majority. |
1916 | Easter Rising in Dublin raises sympathy for Irish Rebels. |
1919-1921 | Irish War of Independence. |
1922 | Partition of Ireland: Formation of Irish Free State. |
Canada (1497 to 1949)
Cabot's first voyage to North America, to Union of Canada and Newfoundland
Date | Event |
1497 | John Cabot claims Newfoundland for England. |
1576 | Sir Martin Frobisher searches for the Northwest Passage. |
1583 | Sir Humphrey Gilbert attempts to found colony in Newfoundland. |
1608 | Samuel de Champlain establishes Quebec. |
1611 | Henry Hudson is left adrift by a mutinous crew in Hudson Bay. |
1670 | Hudson Bay Trading Company chartered by Charles II. |
1688-1713 | First and Second French & Indian Wars. |
1744-1763 | Third and Forth French & Indian Wars. |
1755 | Defeat of General Braddock at Battle of Fort Duquesne. |
1755 | Acadians from Nova Scotia forced to relocate. |
1759 | At the Battle of Quebec General Wolfe delivers most of New France to the British. |
1789 | Alexander Mackenzie discovers his river and the Arctic Ocean. |
1791 | French Quebec partitioned into Lower and Upper Canada. |
1792 | George Vancouver discovers British Columbia. |
1837 | Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada against British rule. |
1840 | Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada. |
1867 | New Brunswick and Nova Scotia join Canadian Federation. |
1870 | Manitoba and British Columbia join Canadian Federation. |
1885 | Completion of Canadian Pacific Rail, Montreal to Vancouver. |
1905 | Saskatchewan and Alberta join Canadian Federation. |
1931 | Statute of Westminster grants British provinces self-government. |
1949 | Newfoundland joins Canadian Federation. |
Australia and New Zealand (1770 to 1931)
First Voyage of Captain Cook, to the Statute of Westminster
Date | Event |
1642 | Abel Janszoon Tasman discovers Tasmania, New Zealand and the Fiji islands. |
1770 | Captain James Cook rediscovers Australia and New Zealand for Britain. |
1788 | First settlement in Australia, a Penal Colony, established at Botany Bay. |
1801 | George Bass and Matthew Flinders first expedition around the coast of Australia. |
1839 | New Zealand annexed to the British empire. |
1850 | Discovery of gold in Australia. |
1845-1872 | Maori Wars between British settlers and natives of New Zealand |
1888 | New Guinea becomes a crown colony. |
British India and China (1600 to 1901)
First Charter of British East India Company, to Boxer Rebellion in China
Date | Event |
1526 | Baber founds the Moghul empire in India. |
1600 | British East India Company granted a charter. |
1612 | First British trading post established at Surat. |
1650 | Trading posts established at Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. |
1618-1707 | Reign of Great Mogul Aurangzeb—strict adherence to Islamic law alienates Hindu subjects. |
1674 | Shivaji founds the Maratha empire in the Deccan as the Moghul empire began to collapse. |
1746 | Beginning of Carnatic Wars in India; British fight French with Indian allies. |
1751 | —Siege of Arcot is Clive's first great success in India. |
1756 | —Over a hundred British citizens perish in the "Black Hole of Calcutta". |
1757 | —With the help of a traitor, Clive wins Bengal for Britain at the Battle of Plassey. |
1773 | Warren Hastings appointed first Governor of India. Later, tried in Britain for corruption. |
1775-1803 | Mahratta Wars—British victories in the Deccan increase Britain's influence in central India. |
1799 | Death of Tipu Sultan ends the Mysore Wars in southern India. |
1839-1842 | First Opium War with China—Hong Kong ceded to Britain. |
1842 | First Anglo-Afghan War—Massacre at Khyber Pass. |
1845 | Anglo-Sikh Wars results in the annexation of Punjab. |
1852 | Burma is annexed to British territory. |
1857 | Indian Mutiny—worst rebellion in history of the British empire. |
1858 | East India Company is dissolved—India made colony of the British Empire. |
1856-1860 | Second Opium War with China—destruction of Summer Palace |
1860 | General Charles Gordon aids the Chinese Government against Taipings. |
1899-1901 | Boxer Rebellion in China. |
Colonial Africa (1770 to 1910)
James Bruce discovers the Blue Nile, to Union of South Africa
Date | Event |
1770 | James Bruce discovers the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia. |
1795 | British take control of South Africa during French Revolutionary Wars. |
1796 | Mungo Park discovers source of the Niger and explores the Niger basin. |
1807 | Prohibition of slave trade enforced by British navy. |
1815-1835 | The Zulus, under Chaka, become the predominant tribe in Southeast Africa. |
1833 | Slavery prohibited in English colonies |
1835-1845 | Great Boer Trek, from Cape Colony to Natal and then Transvaal |
1837 | Zulus, under Dingan, murder 400 Boers but were later defeated at the Battle of Blood River. |
1843 | First British settlement in Natal. |
1852 | Livingstone's first journey across southern Africa. |
1855 | Paul du Chaillu embarks on his first independent journey into Gabon and Congo. |
1858 | John Hanning Speke and Richard Burton discover Lake Victoria. |
1859 | Livingstone's Zambezi Expedition. |
1864 | Third Anglo-Ashanti War, for control of trade in the Gold Coast. |
1867 | Discovery of diamond mines in Kimberly. |
1874 | H. M. Stanley starts his expedition down the Congo River. |
1879 | After suffering a horrendous massacre at Isandhlwana, the British subdue the Zulus. |
1880 | First Boer War ends in victory for the Boers. |
1880 | Cecil Rhodes opens De Beers mining company and corners the diamond market. |
1885 | Discovery of gold in the Transvaal. |
1885 | Rhodes establishes a British Protectorate for Bechuanaland. |
1896 | Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War. |
1899-1902 | Second Boer War—hard fought struggle ends in a British victory and loss of the Boer republics. |
1910 | Union of South Africa. |
The Great War (1900 to 1922)
Prelude to Aftermath of the Great War
Date | Event |
June 1914 | Murder of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. |
Aug 3, 1914 | Germany declares War on France. |
Aug 20, 1914 | Germans enter Brussels. |
Sept 6, 1914 | First Battle of Marne—French Victory. |
Dec 24, 1914 | First German Air-raid on Britain. |
April 17, 1915 | Battle of Ypres—First use of Poison Gas. |
Apr 25, 1915 | Allied troops land on Gallipoli |
May 7, 1915 | British Passenger Liner Lusitania sunk by the Germans. |
May 23, 1915 | Italy enters war on the side of the allies. |
Oct 13, 1915 | Germans execute Edith Cavell, a British nurse |
Oct 14, 1915 | Bulgaria enters the war. |
Dec 19, 1915 | Withdrawal from Gallipoli. |
Feb 21-July, 1916 | Battle of Verdun. |
May 31, 1916 | Naval battle of Jutland. |
July 1-Nov, 1916 | Battle of Somme. |
Aug 29, 1916 | Hindenburg takes supreme command of German armies. |
Mar 11, 1917 | Baghdad captured by British. |
Apr 6, 1917 | America declares War on Germany. |
July 20, 1917 | Kerensky succeeds as premier of Russia |
Nov 7, 1917 | Overthrow of Kerensky by the Bolsheviks—Russia withdraws from the war. |
Apr 9, 1918 | German offensive between Ypres and Arras. |
May 27, 1918 | German offensive near Chateau-Thierry and Marne River. |
June 11, 1918 | American offensive in Belleau Wood. |
July 18, 1918 | Second Battle of Marne—Allied Victory. |
Sept 22, 1918 | British victory over the Ottomans in Palestine. |
Oct 1, 1918 | Hindenburg Line taken by the French. |
Oct 1918 | German Losses at Laon, Ostend, Lille, Aleppo. |
Nov 11 1918 | Armistice signed between Allies and German powers. |
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