55 BC — The Roman general Julius Caesar lands in Britain, wins a battle and leaves. 43 AD — The Romans come to stay.
410 — The Romans leave Britain.
432 — St Patrick converts Ireland to Christianity.
1066 — The Battle of Hastings.
1275 — Llewellyn, a Welsh prince, refuses to submit to the authority of the English monarch.
1538 — An English language version of the Bible replaces Latin bibles in every church in the land.
1580 — Sir Francis Drake completes the first voyage round the world.
1642 — The Civil War begins.
1666 — The Great Fire of London destroys most of the city's old wooden buildings.
1783 — Britain recognizes the independence of the American colonies.
1788 — The first British settlers arrive in Australia.
1800 — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is formed.
1805 — A British fleet under the command of Admiral Nelson defeats Napoleon's French fleet at
the Battle of Trafalgar.
1870 — Free primary education is established.
1902 — Nationwide selective secondary education is introduced.
1920 — The British government partitions Ireland.
1922 — The Irish Free State is born.
1944 — Free compulsory secondary education is established and secondary modern schools are set up.
1953 — Coronation of Elizabeth II.
1973 — Britain joins the European Economic Community.
1994 — English Channel tunnel opens.
Some important dates in British History
