History of Great Britain
7th – 1st century BC – arrival of Celtic tribes
43 – 48 – Roman invasion of Britain, Britannia – the province – created
450 – 9th century – Raids on Britain by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
871 – Alfred, king of Wessex, halted the advance of Danes in England.
1066 – Norman conquest of England. The Saxon King Harold II was defeated at Hastings by William Duke of Normandy, who became William I (the Conqueror). William initiated the Domesday survey of property in England, which was completed in 1086.
1172 – Henry II began the English conquest of Ireland; effective English power was largely limited to the Irish Pale, around Dublin, until the 14th century.
1215 – King John conceded to the demands of powerful English barons and signed Magna Carta.
1338 – Beginning of Hundred Years’ War between England and France. Final defeat of English at the Battle of Castillon in 1453 saw the end of this conflict.
1455-1485 – The Wars of the Roses; the conflict between the Houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne. Edward IV became the first of the rulers of the House of York in 1461.
1485 – The Battle of Bosworth Field established Henry VII, the first of the Tudors, on the English throne. Henry VII began the process of establishing English supremacy over Ireland.
1534 – Henry VIII of England broke with Rome; by the Act of Supremacy he exerted control over the English Church. In 1541 he declared himself king of Ireland.
1558 – 1603 – Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne.
