World History Timeline

Timeline

46 events

11th century

  1. 1086★★★★★

    Domesday Book compiled

    William I orders a great survey of land and property across England, recorded in the Domesday Book.

    PoliticsEconomy· United Kingdom

13th century

  1. June 15, 1215★★★★★

    Magna Carta

    King John of England seals Magna Carta at Runnymede, subjecting royal power to the law.

    Politics· United Kingdom

16th century

  2. December 31, 1600★★★★★

    English East India Company chartered

    Queen Elizabeth I grants a royal charter to the East India Company, which later comes to rule much of the Indian subcontinent.

    EconomyPolitics· United Kingdom, India

17th century

  1. May 1607★★★★★

    Founding of Jamestown

    English colonists establish Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

    ExplorationPolitics· United States, United Kingdom
  2. January 30, 1649★★★★★

    Execution of Charles I

    Convicted of high treason, King Charles I is beheaded at Whitehall, London, and England becomes a republic.

    PoliticsDeathRevolution· United Kingdom
  3. May 29, 1660★★★★★

    Stuart Restoration

    The monarchy is restored in England, Scotland and Ireland as Charles II returns to London to take the throne.

    PoliticsDynasty· United Kingdom
  4. 1688 – 1689★★★★★

    Glorious Revolution

    James II is deposed and William III and Mary II take the throne; the Bill of Rights of 1689 limits royal power and strengthens Parliament.

    RevolutionPolitics· United Kingdom, Netherlands

18th century

  2. March 5, 1770★★★★★

    Boston Massacre

    British soldiers fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five people and heightening tensions between the colonies and Britain.

    Politics· United States, United Kingdom
  3. December 16, 1773★★★★★

    Boston Tea Party

    Colonists protesting British taxation dump an entire shipment of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor.

    PoliticsRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  4. July 4, 1776★★★★★

    United States Declaration of Independence

    The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the 13 colonies free from Britain.

    PoliticsRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  5. January 26, 1788★★★★★

    The First Fleet arrives at Sydney Cove

    Arthur Phillip's eleven-ship convict fleet arrived at Sydney Cove and founded the penal colony of New South Wales, the first permanent European settlement in Australia.

    PoliticsExploration· Australia, United Kingdom
  6. 1793★★★★★

    Macartney Embassy to China

    A British embassy led by Lord Macartney meets the Qianlong Emperor but fails to secure expanded trade.

    PoliticsEconomy· China, United Kingdom

19th century

  1. 1814 – June 9, 1815★★★★★

    Congress of Vienna

    The European powers meet in Vienna to reorder the continent after the Napoleonic Wars, redrawing the map of Europe and establishing a balance of power.

    TreatyPolitics· Austria, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France
  2. 1819★★★★★

    Founding of modern Singapore

    Stamford Raffles signs a treaty establishing a British East India Company trading post at Singapore, beginning the modern port city.

    PoliticsEconomy· Singapore, United Kingdom
  3. June 20, 1837★★★★★

    Accession of Queen Victoria

    Victoria succeeds to the British throne; her reign of more than 63 years coincides with the height of the British Empire.

    DynastyPolitics· United Kingdom
  4. February 6, 1840★★★★★

    Treaty of Waitangi

    Representatives of the British Crown and many Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document; differences between its English and Māori texts remain debated.

    TreatyPolitics· New Zealand, United Kingdom
  5. February 1848★★★★★

    The Communist Manifesto is published

    Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish in London a pamphlet setting out the theory of class struggle, one of the most influential political texts ever written.

    PoliticsCulture· United Kingdom, Germany
  6. 1858 – 1947★★★★★

    Beginning of the British Raj

    After the 1857 rebellion, the Government of India Act transfers rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; the Mughal Empire formally ends.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, United Kingdom
  7. July 1, 1867★★★★★

    Canadian Confederation

    The colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick unite as the Dominion of Canada, the beginning of the modern Canadian state.

    Politics· Canada, United Kingdom
  8. June 1878 – July 1878★★★★★

    Congress of Berlin

    The European powers reorganise the Balkans after the Russo-Turkish War, recognising the independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania.

    TreatyPolitics· Germany, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Austria, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, Bulgaria
  9. November 15, 1884 – February 26, 1885★★★★★

    Berlin Conference on Africa

    European powers met in Berlin to set rules for colonial claims in Africa, accelerating the "Scramble for Africa" without any African representation.

    PoliticsTreaty· Germany, United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Belgium
  10. 1885★★★★★

    Third Anglo-Burmese War

    Britain takes Mandalay and deposes King Thibaw, ending the Konbaung dynasty and annexing all of Burma to British India.

    WarPolitics· Myanmar, United Kingdom

20th century

  1. November 2, 1917★★★★★

    Balfour Declaration

    The British government declares support for a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine, while stating that the civil and religious rights of non-Jewish communities should not be prejudiced.

    Politics· Israel, Palestine, United Kingdom
  2. April 13, 1919★★★★★

    Jallianwala Bagh massacre

    Troops under General Reginald Dyer fire on an unarmed crowd in Amritsar, killing hundreds and fuelling anti-colonial sentiment.

    Politics· India, United Kingdom
  3. December 6, 1922★★★★★

    Irish Free State established

    Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State is established as a self-governing dominion of the British Commonwealth.

    Politics· Ireland, United Kingdom
  4. September 30, 1938★★★★★

    Munich Agreement

    Britain, France, Italy and Germany agree to Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, the high point of the appeasement of Hitler.

    TreatyPolitics· Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Czechia
  5. February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945★★★★★

    Yalta Conference

    Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the world.

    PoliticsTreaty· Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Russia
  6. November 20, 1945 – October 1, 1946★★★★★

    Nuremberg trials

    An international military tribunal tries leading Nazi figures for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Politics· Germany, United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia
  7. March 5, 1946★★★★★

    Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech

    At Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill declares that an "iron curtain" has descended across Europe, a symbolic marker of the early Cold War.

    Politics· United Kingdom, United States
  8. August 15, 1947★★★★★

    Independence of India

    British India is partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, United Kingdom
  9. January 4, 1948★★★★★

    Independence of Burma

    The Union of Burma becomes independent from Britain, choosing not to join the Commonwealth.

    Politics· Myanmar, United Kingdom
  10. February 4, 1948★★★★★

    Independence of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

    Ceylon becomes an independent dominion within the Commonwealth, ending British colonial rule.

    Politics· Sri Lanka, United Kingdom
  11. April 3, 1948★★★★★

    Marshall Plan

    The United States enacts a large-scale economic aid programme to rebuild Western European economies after the Second World War.

    EconomyPolitics· United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands
  12. June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949★★★★★

    Berlin Blockade and Airlift

    The Soviet Union blocks road and rail access to West Berlin; the Western Allies respond by supplying the city through an airlift for almost a year.

    Politics· Germany, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, France
  13. April 4, 1949★★★★★

    NATO founded

    Twelve North American and Western European countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, creating the NATO collective defence alliance.

    TreatyPolitics· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Iceland
  14. October 29, 1956 – November 7, 1956★★★★★

    Suez Crisis

    After Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal, Israel, Britain and France attack Egypt but withdraw under US and Soviet pressure.

    WarPolitics· Egypt, Israel, United Kingdom, France
  15. March 6, 1957★★★★★

    Ghana gains independence

    The British Gold Coast became independent Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah, the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence after World War II.

    Politics· Ghana, United Kingdom
  16. August 31, 1957★★★★★

    Independence of the Federation of Malaya

    Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaims the Federation of Malaya's independence from Britain at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

    Politics· Malaysia, United Kingdom
  17. December 12, 1963★★★★★

    Kenya gains independence

    Kenya became independent from Britain following the Mau Mau uprising, with Jomo Kenyatta as its first prime minister and later president.

    Politics· Kenya, United Kingdom
  18. April 18, 1980★★★★★

    Zimbabwe gains independence

    After a guerrilla war and the Lancaster House Agreement, Rhodesia became the internationally recognised independent state of Zimbabwe, with Robert Mugabe as prime minister.

    Politics· Zimbabwe, United Kingdom
  19. November 1, 1993★★★★★

    European Union established by the Maastricht Treaty

    The Maastricht Treaty enters into force, formally establishing the European Union and laying the groundwork for a single currency.

    TreatyPolitics· Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal
  20. July 1, 1997★★★★★

    Handover of Hong Kong

    Britain transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to China under the 'one country, two systems' principle.

    PoliticsTreaty· Hong Kong, China, United Kingdom

21st century

  1. June 23, 2016★★★★★

    Brexit referendum

    Voters in the United Kingdom choose, by about 52 per cent, to leave the European Union.

    Politics· United Kingdom
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