World History Timeline

Timeline

40 events

1st century

  1. 43★★★★★

    Roman conquest of Britain begins

    Under Emperor Claudius, Roman forces invade Britain, gradually making much of the island a province of the empire.

    War· United Kingdom

2nd century

8th century

  1. June 8, 793★★★★★

    Viking raid on Lindisfarne

    Vikings plunder the monastery on Lindisfarne in England, an event often taken as the start of the Viking Age.

    War· United Kingdom, Norway

9th century

  1. 878★★★★★

    Battle of Edington

    Alfred the Great of Wessex defeats the Viking Great Army under Guthrum, securing the survival of Anglo-Saxon England.

    War· United Kingdom

11th century

  1. October 14, 1066★★★★★

    Battle of Hastings

    William of Normandy defeats King Harold II, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

    War· United Kingdom

14th century

  1. June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314★★★★★

    Battle of Bannockburn

    Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats the army of Edward II of England, a key victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

    War· United Kingdom
  2. 1337 – 1453★★★★★

    Hundred Years' War

    A series of conflicts between England and France over the French throne ends with England losing nearly all its continental lands.

    War· France, United Kingdom

15th century

  1. August 22, 1485★★★★★

    Battle of Bosworth Field

    Henry Tudor defeats and kills Richard III, taking the throne as Henry VII and founding the Tudor dynasty, effectively ending the Wars of the Roses.

    WarDynasty· United Kingdom

16th century

  1. August 8, 1588★★★★★

    Defeat of the Spanish Armada

    The Armada sent by Philip II to invade England is defeated by the English navy at the Battle of Gravelines and scattered during its retreat.

    War· United Kingdom, Spain

17th century

  1. 1642 – 1651★★★★★

    English Civil War

    A series of conflicts between the Royalists of Charles I and the Parliamentarians, ending in victory for Parliament under Oliver Cromwell.

    WarRevolution· United Kingdom, Ireland

18th century

  1. 1701 – 1714★★★★★

    War of the Spanish Succession

    European powers fight over the succession to the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II; the war ends with the treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt.

    WarDynasty· Spain, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands
  2. 1754 – 1763★★★★★

    French and Indian War

    Britain and France, with their Indigenous allies, fight for control of North America; France is defeated and loses most of its territory on the continent.

    War· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France
  3. 1756 – 1763★★★★★

    Seven Years' War

    A global conflict among the European powers fought in Europe, North America and India; Britain gains colonial supremacy and Prussia confirms its great-power status.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Spain, United States, Canada, India
  4. June 23, 1757★★★★★

    Battle of Plassey

    The East India Company under Robert Clive defeats Siraj ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, beginning British dominance in India.

    War· India, United Kingdom
  5. April 19, 1775★★★★★

    Battles of Lexington and Concord

    The first clashes between colonial militia and British troops in Massachusetts begin the American Revolutionary War.

    WarRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  6. October 17, 1777★★★★★

    British surrender at Saratoga

    British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the Continental Army at Saratoga, a victory that helps bring France into an alliance with the Americans.

    War· United States, United Kingdom
  7. October 19, 1781★★★★★

    British surrender at Yorktown

    General Cornwallis surrenders to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending major fighting in the American Revolutionary War.

    War· United States, United Kingdom, France

19th century

  1. October 21, 1805★★★★★

    Battle of Trafalgar

    The British fleet under Admiral Nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleets, securing British naval supremacy; Nelson is killed in the battle.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Spain
  2. June 18, 1812 – 1815★★★★★

    War of 1812

    The United States declares war on Britain; fighting in North America and at sea ends with the Treaty of Ghent and no change in borders.

    War· United States, United Kingdom, Canada
  3. June 18, 1815★★★★★

    Battle of Waterloo

    British and Prussian forces defeat Napoleon Bonaparte, ending the Hundred Days and the Napoleonic Wars.

    War· Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Germany
  4. 1824 – 1826★★★★★

    First Anglo-Burmese War

    Britain defeats Konbaung Burma, which cedes Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim under the Treaty of Yandabo.

    War· Myanmar, India, United Kingdom
  5. 1839 – 1842★★★★★

    First Opium War

    Britain wars with Qing China after it cracks down on the opium trade; the defeat opens what China calls the 'century of humiliation'.

    WarEconomy· China, United Kingdom
  6. 1845 – 1872★★★★★

    The New Zealand Wars

    A series of armed conflicts between the colonial government and Māori iwi, chiefly over land and sovereignty, which led to large confiscations of Māori land.

    War· New Zealand, United Kingdom
  7. 1853 – 1856★★★★★

    Crimean War

    An alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia defeats Russia, with fighting centred on the siege of Sevastopol in Crimea.

    War· Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine
  8. 1856 – 1860★★★★★

    Second Opium War

    Britain and France fight Qing China, occupy Beijing and burn the Old Summer Palace in 1860, forcing further unequal treaties.

    War· China, United Kingdom, France
  9. May 10, 1857 – 1858★★★★★

    Indian Rebellion of 1857

    Sepoys mutiny at Meerut, sparking a widespread uprising against East India Company rule across northern and central India.

    WarRevolution· India, United Kingdom
  10. January 22, 1879★★★★★

    Battle of Isandlwana

    In the Anglo-Zulu War, a Zulu army defeated a British column at Isandlwana, one of the worst defeats of the British army by an indigenous force.

    War· South Africa, United Kingdom
  11. December 16, 1880 – March 23, 1881★★★★★

    First Boer War

    Boers of the Transvaal rose against British annexation and regained self-government after their victory at Majuba Hill.

    War· South Africa, United Kingdom
  12. 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
  13. October 11, 1899 – May 31, 1902★★★★★

    Second Boer War

    The British Empire fought the Boer republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State; the war ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging, after tens of thousands of civilians died in concentration camps.

    War· South Africa, United Kingdom

20th century

  1. July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918★★★★★

    World War I

    Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, drawing Europe's powers into a global war that lasts until the armistice of 11 November 1918.

    War· Austria, Serbia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia
  2. April 25, 1915★★★★★

    ANZAC landing at Gallipoli

    The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Allies' unsuccessful campaign against the Ottoman Empire; 25 April is now commemorated as Anzac Day.

    War· Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, United Kingdom
  3. September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945★★★★★

    World War II

    Germany invades Poland, starting the deadliest conflict in human history, which ends with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.

    War· Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Russia, United States, Japan, China
  4. July 10, 1940 – October 31, 1940★★★★★

    Battle of Britain

    The Royal Air Force repels a large-scale air campaign by the Luftwaffe, forcing Hitler to postpone his planned invasion of Britain.

    War· United Kingdom, Germany
  5. February 15, 1942★★★★★

    Fall of Singapore

    British forces in Singapore surrender to Japan, the largest capitulation in British military history, beginning the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

    War· Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan
  6. June 6, 1944★★★★★

    D-Day: the Normandy landings

    Allied forces carry out the largest seaborne invasion in history on the Normandy coast, opening a Western Front to liberate Western Europe.

    War· France, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany
  7. May 8, 1945★★★★★

    Victory in Europe Day

    The Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe.

    War· Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia
  8. 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
  9. April 2, 1982 – June 14, 1982★★★★★

    Falklands War

    Argentina seizes the Falkland Islands; Britain dispatches a task force and retakes the islands after a 74-day conflict.

    War· Argentina, United Kingdom

21st century

  1. March 20, 2003 – December 2011★★★★★

    Iraq War

    A US-led coalition invades Iraq and topples Saddam Hussein, beginning a long period of occupation and conflict.

    War· Iraq, United States, United Kingdom
Timeline · World History Timeline