Events in English History
Hadrian's Wall
0122-09-13 Building begins on Hadrian's Wall, Northern England
- 0793-06-08 Vikings in long ships from modern-day Norway plunder St Cuthbert's monastery on Lindisfarne Island, off the northeast coast of England capturing and killing monks
- 0910-08-05 The last major Viking army to raid England is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and Earl Aethelred
Cnut Claims Throne
1016-11-30 Cnut the Great [Canute], King of Denmark, claims the English throne after the death of Edmund 'Ironside'
Battle of Stamford Bridge
1066-09-25 Battle of Stamford Bridge: English army under King Harold II defeat invading Norwegians led by King Harald Hardrada and Harold's brother Tostig, who were both killed
Norman Invasion of England
1066-09-27 William the Conqueror's troops set sail from Normandy to conquer England
Declaration of War
1066-09-28 William the Conqueror, then Duke of Normandy, lands at Pevensey Bay in Sussex, beginning the Norman conquest of England
- 1066-10-14 Battle of Hastings: William, Duke of Normandy and his Norman army defeat the English forces of Harold II who is killed in the battle
- 1066-12-25 William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England
Siege of Acre
1191-06-08 King Richard I of England arrives at Acre in modern day Israel to join the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade
Treaty of Jaffa
1192-09-02 Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign treaty over Jerusalem, at end of the Third Crusade
King John Signs Magna Carta
1215-06-15 English King John signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor in Surrey, places limits on royal authority and puts in writing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law
King John Loses the Crown Jewels
1216-10-12 King John of England loses his crown jewels in The Wash as the flood tide swamps his wagons, probably near Fosdyke, perhaps near Sutton Bridge
- 1265-01-20 First English Parliament summoned other than by royal command, in this instance by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Meets in Westminster Hall.
The Model Parliament
1295-11-27 English King Edward I calls what later became known as "The Model Parliament" extending the authorities of its representatives
Battle of Stirling Bridge
1297-09-11 Battle at Stirling Bridge, Scottish rebel William Wallace defeats the English
First Prince of Wales
1301-02-07 Edward of Caernarfon (later Edward II) becomes the first English Prince of Wales
William Wallace Captured
1305-08-05 William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution.
- 1305-08-23 Scottish patriot William Wallace is executed for high treason by Edward I of England at Smithfield, London
Battle of Old Byland
1322-10-14 Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence
Battle of Crécy
1346-08-26 Battle of Crécy, south of Calais in northern France; Edward III's English longbows defeat Philip VI's army, cannons used for first time in battle
Battle of Poitiers
1356-09-19 English forces under Edward the Black Prince defeat French at the Battle of Poitiers and capture the French King John II during the Hundred Years' War
Battle of Navarrete
1367-04-03 An alliance of King Peter of Castile, Edward the Black Prince and John of Gaunt of England, Aquitaine, Majorca and Navarra defeats Count Henry of Castile in the Battle of Navarrete, fought near Nájera in La Rioja, Castile
Peasants' Revolt
1381-06-14 Richard II in England meets leaders of the Peasants' Revolt on Blackheath. The Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance.
English History
1381-07-15 John Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, is hanged, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England
World's Oldest Treaty
1386-05-09 Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and England is ratified at Windsor cementing and strengthening ties between the two kingdoms. The treaty guarantees the mutual security of both nations and strengthens commercial ties. It is the oldest diplomatic alliance still in force. [1]
Siege of Orléans Broken
1429-05-07 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army
- 1431-01-09 Judges' investigations for the trial of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government
- 1431-05-30 Hundred Years' War: 19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake by an English-dominated tribunal in Rouen, France
- 1439-07-16 Kissing is banned in England to stop the spread of the Black Death
Battle of Wakefield
1460-12-30 Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield (Northern England), Duke of York killed and his forces soundly defeated by forces of King Henry VI
Battle of Tewkesbury
1471-05-04 Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York: Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster killed and King Edward IV returns to his throne, restoring political stability to England until his death in 1483
Earliest English Printed Book
1477-11-18 First English dated printed book "Dictes & Sayengis of the Phylosophers" by William Caxton at his press in London
Princes in the Tower
1483-04-09 Edward V (aged 12) succeeds his father Edward IV as king of England. He is never crowned, and disappears presumed murdered, after incarceration in the Tower of London with his younger brother Richard (the "Princes in the Tower")
Battle of Bosworth Field
1485-08-22 Battle of Bosworth Field: Henry Tudor's forces defeat English King Richard III during last battle in the Wars of the Roses. Richard is killed, the last English monarch to die in battle.
Henry VII Invades France
1492-10-02 King Henry VII of England invades France
Cabot Granted Commission
1496-03-05 English King Henry VII grants John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) a commission to explore for new lands
- 1497-06-24 John Cabot claims parts of North America (what is now Eastern Canada) for England believing he has found Asia in Newfoundland
Coronation of Henry VIII
1509-06-24 Henry VIII is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, London
- 1530-03-07 English King Henry VIII's divorce request is denied by Pope Clement VII
- 1531-03-08 King Henry VIII is recognized as the supreme head of the Church in England by the Convocation of Canterbury
- 1533-07-11 Pope Clement VII excommunicates England's King Henry VIII
- 1534-11-03 English parliament passes the Act of Supremacy making Henry VIII and all subsequent monarchs the Head of the Church of England
- 1535-01-15 King Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England
Anne Boleyn Executed
1536-05-19 Anne Boleyn, second wife of English King Henry VIII, is beheaded at the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest and treason
- 1537-10-04 1st printing in England of complete English-language Bible, the "Matthew's Bible", with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale (an update of the earlier "Coverdale Bible") [exact month/day unclear] [1]
- 1540-02-09 The first recorded race meet in England (Roodee Fields, Chester)
Book of Common Prayer
1549-06-09 Book of Common Prayer is adopted by the Church of England
Elizabeth I
1558-11-17 Elizabeth I aged 25, ascends the English throne upon death of her half sister, Queen "Bloody" Mary
- 1559-01-15 Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey
World’s First National State Lottery
1569-01-11 First recorded lottery in England is drawn in St Paul's Cathedral in London. First prize was £5,000, other prizes included silver plate, tapestries and high quality linen cloth.
- 1570-02-25 Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth I of England for heresy and persecution of English Catholics during her reign. Also absolves her subjects from allegiance to the crown.
Drake Sets Sail
1577-12-13 Francis Drake sets sail from England on an epic three year circumnavigation of the world aboard the 'Pelican' (later renamed the 'Golden Hind')
- 1578-05-31 Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England, to Frobisher Bay, Canada. Eventually mines fools gold, famously used to pave the streets of London.
- 1583-08-05 Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for the British crown, the first English colony in North America and the beginning of the British Empire
Tobacco Introduced to England
1586-07-27 Walter Raleigh brings the first tobacco to England from Virginia
- 1586-07-28 Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe on return to England
- 1586-12-03 Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England from Colombia
Mary Queen of Scots Death Warrant
1587-02-01 Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots
Spanish Armada Leaves Port
1588-05-28 King Philip II dispatches the Spanish Armada under the Duke of Medina-Sidonia from Lisbon, Portugal to invade England
Defeat of the Spanish Armada
1588-07-29 The "Invincible" Spanish Armada is sighted approaching England, several skirmishes follow forcing the invading fleet to make a long and costly retreat around Scotland and Ireland
- 1590-08-17 Governor of Roanoke Island colony, John White, returns from England to find no trace of the colonists he had left there 3 years earlier [or Aug 18, 1591]
The Merry Wives of Windsor
1597-04-23 William Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance
Union of the Crowns
1603-03-24 Scottish King James VI son of Mary Queen of Scots, becomes King James I of England in succession to Elizabeth I, thus joining the English and Scottish crowns
Hudson Explores Delaware Bay
1609-08-28 English explorer Henry Hudson is the first European to sail into Delaware Bay - names it South Bay
- 1618-10-29 English adventurer, writer and courtier Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against King James I of England
- 1619-08-20 Slavery begins in America: 1st known African Americans (approx. 20) land at Point Comfort (Fort Monroe), Virginia before being sold or traded into servitude
The First Thanksgiving
1619-12-04 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish, England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God. Considered by many the first Thanksgiving in the Americas.
- 1620-07-31 Pilgrim Fathers depart Leiden, Netherlands for England on their way to America
The Mayflower
1620-08-15 Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 Pilgrims
- 1620-09-16 The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World [O.S. Sep 6]
Nova Scotia's Charter
1621-09-21 King James I of England gives Sir William Alexander a royal charter for colonisation of Nova Scotia
King Charles I
1625-03-27 Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland ascends the English throne
- 1628-06-07 English King Charles I ratifies the Petition of Rights
- 1640-11-03 English Long Parliament forms
- 1642-08-22 English Civil War begins between Royalists and Parliament
- 1645-04-03 English Long Parliament passes the Self-Denying Ordinance, limiting regional armies, significant step toward New Model Army
Battle of Naseby
1645-06-14 Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament's New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeats the Royalist forces of English King Charles I
- 1649-01-06 The English Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial for treason and other "high crimes"
- 1649-05-19 England is declared a Commonwealth by an act of the Rump Parliament making England a republic for the next 11 years
- 1650-09-03 Battle of Dunbar; Oliver Cromwell's English New Model Army defeats Scottish force in surprise attack
- 1650-09-29 Henry Robinson opens 1st marriage bureau (England)
The Royal Oak
1651-09-06 King Charles II of England spends a day hiding in an oak tree during his escape after losing the Battle of Worcester
- 1653-12-16 Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland
- 1655-04-04 Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis: English fleet defeats Barbary pirates
- 1657-03-31 English Parliament makes the Humble Petition and Advice to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell offering him the crown: he declines
Samuel Pepys' Diary Begins
1660-01-01 1st entry in English civil servant Samuel Pepys' diary
- 1660-03-16 English Long Parliament disbands
- 1660-04-25 English Convention Parliament meets and votes to restore Charles II
- 1660-05-08 English Parliament proclaims Charles II, King of England and invites him to return
- 1660-05-29 On his 30th birthday Charles II returns to London from exile in the Netherlands to claim the English throne after the Puritan Commonwealth comes to an end
- 1661-01-30 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years
- 1662-08-24 Act of Uniformity requires English to accept Book of Common Prayer
- 1662-10-17 Charles II of Great Britain sells Dunkirk to France for 2.5 million livres (320,000 English pounds)
- 1664-09-08 Dutch surrender colony of New Netherlands (including New York) to 300 English soldiers
- 1664-09-20 Maryland passes 1st anti-amalgamation law to stop intermarriage of English women & black men
- 1665-06-12 New Amsterdam legally becomes an English colony and renamed New York after English Duke of York
- 1668-04-13 John Dryden, aged 36, appointed the first English Poet Laureate by King Charles II
- 1669-05-31 Citing poor eyesight, English civil servant Samuel Pepys records the last entry in his famous diary
- 1674-11-10 Dutch formally cede New Netherlands (New York) to the English
- 1675-06-22 Royal Greenwich Observatory established in England by King Charles II
- 1679-05-27 Habeas Corpus Act passes in England, strengthening a person's right to challenge unlawful arrest and imprisonment
Halley Observes his Comet
1682-08-26 English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes the comet named after him
William Penn Leaves England
1682-08-30 William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World
Principia Published
1687-07-05 Isaac Newton's great work Principia is published by the Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation
The Glorious Revolution
1688-09-26 City council of Amsterdam votes to support Prince William of Orange's invasion of England, which became known as 'The Glorious Revolution' in the Netherlands
- 1689-12-16 English Parliament passes Bill of Rights establishing limits on crown powers and requirement for regular elections
- 1705-04-16 Queen Anne of England knights scientist Isaac Newton at Trinity College, Cambridge
- 1707-05-01 Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain
- 1714-01-07 Typewriter patented by Englishman Henry Mill (built years later)
- 1715-11-25 First English patent granted to an American, for processing corn
Blackbeard Ransacks the Margaret
1717-12-05 English pirate Blackbeard ransacks the merchant sloop "Margaret" and keeps her captain, Henry Bostock prisoner for 8 hours before releasing him. Bostock later provides the first record of Blackbeard's appearance, and the source for his name.
- 1720-02-10 Edmond Halley appointed as the second Astronomer Royal at the Greenwich Observatory
- 1720-06-10 Mrs Clements of England markets first paste-style mustard
- 1739-04-07 Dick Turpin executed in England for horse stealing
- 1743-08-16 Champion of England titleholder Jack Broughton publishes 'Rules of the Ring' - earliest boxing code
Earth's Wobble Discovery
1744-12-31 English astronomer James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's nutation motion or wobble
Jacobite Army Invades
1745-11-11 Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army invades England, in attempt to restore House of Stuart to the British throne
- 1751-07-29 1st international world title prize fight: Jack Stack of England, beats challenger M. Petit of France in 29 mins in England
A Dictionary of the English Language
1755-04-15 Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" is published in London
Cook's First Voyage
1768-08-25 Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth, England, on his first voyage on board the Endeavour, bound for the Pacific Ocean
- 1772-06-22 Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement
The Discovery of Oxygen
1774-08-01 English chemist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen by isolating it in its gaseous state
- 1788-01-18 First elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to set up a penal colony
Jenner's Vaccine for Smallpox
1796-05-14 English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire
- 1797-02-26 Bank of England issues first £1 note
- 1804-08-25 Alicia Thornton becomes first female jockey in England riding at Knavesmire in Yorkshire
- 1809-04-18 First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England
- 1812-05-11 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms; some observers consider it disgusting and immoral
Stephenson's First Steam Locomotive
1814-07-25 English engineer George Stephenson introduces his first steam locomotive, a travelling engine designed for hauling coal on the Killingworth wagonway named Blücher
- 1818-10-08 Jack Broughton designed padded gloves first used in a competitive boxing match between 2 unnamed English boxers at Aix-la-Chapelle in France
- 1825-09-27 George Stephenson's "Locomotion No. 1" becomes the 1st steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in England
Reform Act Passed
1832-03-22 British Parliament, led by Charles Grey, passes the Reform Act, introducing wide-ranging changes to electoral system of England and Wales, increasing electorate from about 500,000 voters to 813,000
- 1834-03-18 Six farm labourers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England are sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union
- 1838-07-04 Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to the 1842 Mines Act, which bans women and children working underground. [1]
- 1838-11-03 The Times of India, world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce
- 1847-03-01 Michigan becomes 1st English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty (except for treason against the state)
- 1847-04-05 Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park, opens in Birkenhead, England, designed by Joseph Paxton
- 1854-10-23 English newspaper "The Times" gives precise British positions in Crimea during Crimean War
- 1855-02-08 The Devil's Footprints, hoof-like marks mysteriously appear for over 60km after a snowfall in southern Devon, England
Emperor Norton I
1859-09-17 Joshua Abraham Norton, English-born resident of San Francisco, proclaims himself his Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States of America
On the Origin of Species
1859-11-24 English naturalist Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species" radically changing the view of evolution and laying the foundation for evolutionary biology
- 1860-12-26 First ever inter-club football match between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England
- 1871-03-27 First international rugby union match - Scotland beats England, 1-0 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh
Captain Webb Conquers English Channel
1875-08-25 Captain Matthew Webb makes the 1st observed and unassisted swim across the English Channel in 21 hours and 45 minutes
Krakatoa: The World’s Mightiest Explosion
1883-08-29 Seismic sea waves created by Krakatoa eruption create a rise in English Channel 32 hrs after explosion
- 1884-02-01 1st volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, published
- 1894-03-13 J. L. Johnstone of England invents horse racing's starting gate
Queen Victoria's Funeral
1901-02-02 Queen Victoria's funeral takes place in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England
- 1907-12-02 Association of Football Players' and Trainers' Union (English Professional Football Players' Association) is formed by Charlie Roberts and Billy Meredith in Manchester, England
1st Night Flight
1910-04-28 First night air flight by Claude Grahame-White takes place in England
Stonehenge
1915-09-21 Cecil Chubb buys English prehistoric monument Stonehenge for £6,600
- 1920-07-27 American defender Resolute beats Thomas Lipton's British challenger Shamrock IV 3-2 in the 14th America's Cup
Tutankhamun's Tomb
1922-11-26 English archaeologist Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun's virtually intact tomb in Egypt
- 1922-12-19 Theresa Vaughn, 24, confesses in court in Sheffield, England, to being married 61 times over 5 years in 50 cities in three countries
1st Ryder Cup
1927-06-04 1st Ryder Cup Golf, Worcester CC: US beats Great Britain, 9½-2½; Walter Hagen first American captain; Ted Ray first GB skipper
Bradman's 1st Test Century
1929-01-03 Australian cricket icon Don Bradman follows up a 1st innings of 79 to score 112 in 3rd Test v England in Melbourne; his 1st of 29 Test centuries
- 1937-04-12 Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at Rugby, England.
'Hitler Will Have to Break Us or Lose the War'
1940-07-10 Battle of Britain begins as Nazi forces attack shipping convoys in the English Channel
Event of Interest
1942-02-13 Operation Sealion, Nazi Germany’s invasion of England, is cancelled by Adolf Hitler
- 1957-10-10 A fire at the Windscale nuclear plant in Cumbria, England becomes the world's first major nuclear accident
- 1958-04-04 First march against nuclear weapons is held, from London to Aldermaston in England, home of the Defence Ministry's Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE)
Enoch Powel's "Rivers of Blood"
1968-04-20 British politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech
- 1969-01-09 First trial flight of Concorde supersonic jetliner, Bristol, England
- 1980-02-29 Michael Bracey ends 59 h 55 m trapped in an elevator, England
- 1983-11-26 World's greatest robbery; 26 million pounds (sterling) worth of gold, diamonds and cash stolen from Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, England
- 1986-12-17 Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the 1st heart, lung and liver transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England
- 1989-04-15 Hillsborough disaster, 96 are crushed to death and 766 injured at the Hillsborough Football Stadium in Sheffield, England, during a FA semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest
Latest Wonder of the World
1990-12-01 British and French workers meet in the middle of the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel
- 1992-11-11 The Church of England approves the ordination of female priests
- 1993-06-21 English mathematician Andrew Wiles proves last theorem of French mathematician Pierre de Fermat after 356 years, the world's most difficult maths problem
- 1994-03-12 The Church of England ordains its first 32 female priests at the Bristol Cathedral in Bristol, England [1]
- 1994-11-14 1st public trains run through the Channel Tunnel linking England and France under the English Channel
- 1996-07-03 UK House of Commons announces that the Stone of Scone, aka the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish (and subsequently English and British monarchs), will be returned to Scotland after 700 years in Westminster Abbey
- 2012-04-30 Manchester City defeat Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in the English Premier League's history
- 2015-03-26 Richard III of England (1452-85) is reburied at Leicester Cathedral in England, after being discovered under a carpark in Leicester in 2012
- 2016-05-02 Leicester City win the English Premier League title after starting the season at 5,000-1 odds
- 2017-07-22 South African golfer Branden Grace records lowest round for a men's major championship - 62 in 3rd round at British Open, Royal Birkdale, England
A. A. Milne
A. J. P. Taylor
Adam Clayton
Adam Peaty
Adele
Agatha Christie