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See other timeline - Return to "Timelines" 1701 - The Act of Settlement settles the Royal Succession on the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover. Death of the former King James II in exile in France. The French king recognizes James II's son as "King James III". King William forms a grand alliance between England, Holland and Austria to prevent the union of the Spanish and French crowns. The War of the Spanish Succession breaks out in Europe over the vacant throne 1702 - Death of King William III in a riding accident. He is succeeded by his sister-in-law, Queen Anne. England declares war on France as part of the War of the Spanish Succession 1704 - British, Dutch, German and Austrian troops, under the Duke of Marlborough, defeat the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. British, Bavarian and Austrian troops under Marlborough defeat the French at the Battle of Ramillies, and expel the French from the Netherlands. The British capture Gibraltar from Spain 1707 - The Act of Union unites the kingdoms of England and Scotland and transfers the seat of Scottish Government to London 1708 - The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Oudenarede. The French incur heavy losses. Queen Anne vetoes a parliamentary bill to recognise the Scottish militia. This is the last time a bill is vetoed by the sovereign 1709 - Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Malplaquet 1710 - A Tory ministry is formed, under Harley, with the impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell and the fall of the Whig government 1713 - The Treaty of Utrecht is signed by Britain and France, thus concluding the War of the Spanish Succession 1714 - Death of Queen Anne at Kensington Palace. She is succeeded by her distant cousin, the Elector George of Hanover, as King George I. A new parliament is elected with a strong Whig majority, led by Charles Townshend and Robert Walpole 1715 - The Jacobite Rebellion begins in Scotland with the aim of overthrowing the Hanovarian succession and placing the "Old Pretender" - James II's son - on the throne. The rebellion is easily defeated 1716 - The Septennial Act sets General Elections to be held every seven years 1717 - Townshend is dismissed from government by George I, causing Walpole to resign. The Whig party is split. Convocation is suspended 1719 - South Sea Bubble bursts, leaving many investors ruined after speculating with stock of the 'South Sea Company' 1721 - Sir Robert Walpole returns to government as First Lord of the Treasury. He remains in office until 1742 and effectively becomes Britain's first Prime Minister 1722 - Death of the Duke of Marlborough. The Jacobite 'Atterbury Plot' is hatched 1726 - First circulating library in Britain opens in Edinburgh. Jonathan Swift publishes his 'Gulliver's Travels' 1727 - Death of great British scientist, Sir Isaac Newton and of King George I (in Hanover). The latter is succeeded by his son as King George II 1729 - Alexander Pope publishes his ' Dunciad' 1730 - A split occurs between Walpole and Townshend 1732 - A royal charter is granted for the founding of Georgia in America 1733 - The 'Excise Crisis' occurs and Walpole is forced to abandon his plans to reorganise the customs and excise 1737 - Death of King George II's wife, Queen Caroline 1738 - John and Charles Wesley start the Methodist movement in Britain 1739 - Britain goes to war with Spain in the 'War of Jenkins' Ear'. The cause: Captain Jenkins' ear was claimed to have been cut off during a Naval Skirmish 1740 - Commencement of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe 1742 - Walpole resigns as Prime Minister 1743 - George II leads British troops into battle at Dettingen in Bavaria 1744 - Ministry of Pelham 1745 - Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland led by 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. There is a Scottish victory at Prestonpans 1746 - The Duke of Cumberland crushes the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden 1748 - The Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle brings the War of Austrian Succession to a close 1751 - Death of Frederick, Prince of Wales. His son, Prince George, becomes heir to the throne 1752 - Adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in Britain 1753 - Parliament passes the Jewish Naturalization Bill 1754 - The ministry of Newcastle 1756 - Britain, allied with Prussia, declares war against France and her allies, Austria and Russia. The Seven Years' War begins 1757 - The Pitt-Newcastle ministry. Robert Clive wins the Battle of Plassey and secures the Indian province of Bengal for Britain. William Pitt becomes Prime Minister 1759 - Wolfe captures Quebec and expels the French from Canada 1760 - Death of King George II. He is succeeded by his grandson as George III 1761 - Laurence Sterne publishes his 'Tristram Shandy' 1762 - The Earl of Bute is appointed Prime Minister. He becomes very unpopular and employs a bodyguard 1763 - Peace of Paris ends the Seven Years' War. Grenville ministry. 1765 - Rockingham ministry. The American Stamp Act raises taxes in the colonies in an attempt to make their defence self-financing 1766 - Chatham ministry. Repeal of the American Stamp Act 1768 - Grafton ministry. The Middlesex Election Crisis occurs 1769 - James Watt patents the Steam Engine 1769-70 - Captain James Cook's first voyage to explore the Pacific 1770 - Lord North begins service as Prime Minister. The Falkland Island Crisis occurs. Edmund Burke publishes his 'Thoughts on the Present Discontents' 1771 - The Encyclopedia Britannica is first published 1773 - American colonists protest at the East India Company's monopoly over tea exports to the colonies, at the so-called 'Boston Tea Party'. The World's first cast-iron bridge is constructed over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale 1774 - Parliament passes the Coercive Acts in retaliation for the 'Boston Tea Party' 1775 - American War of Independence begins when colonists fight British troops at Lexington. James Watt further develops his steam engine 1776 - On 4th July, the American Congress passes their Declaration of Independence from Britain. Edward Gibbons' publishes his 'Decline and Fall' and Adam Smith, his 'Wealth if Nations' 1779 - The rise of Wyvill's Association Movement 1780 - The Gordon Riots develop from a procession to petition parliament against the Catholic Relief Act 1781 - The Americans obtain a great victory of British troops at the surrender of Yorktown 1782 - End of Lord North's time as Prime Minister. He is succeeded by Rockingham in his second ministry. Ireland obtains short-lived parliament 1783 - Shelburne's ministry, followed by that of William Pitt the Younger. Britain recognises American independence at the Peace of Versailles. Fox-North coalition established 1784 - Parliament passes the East India Act 1785 - Pitt's motion for Parliamentary Reform is defeated 1786 - The Eden commercial treaty with France is drawn up 1788 - George III suffers his first attack of 'madness' (caused by porphyria) 1789 - Outbreak of the French Revolution 1790 - Edmund Burke publishes his 'Reflections on the Revolution in France' 1791 - James Boswell publishes his 'Life of Johnson' an Thomas Paine, his 'Rights of Man' 1792 - Coal gas is used for lighting for the first time. Mary Wollstonecraft publishes her 'Vindication of the Rights of Women' 1793 - Outbreak of War between Britain and France. The voluntary Board of Agriculture is set up. Commercial depression throughout Britain 1795 - The 'Speenhamland' system of outdoor relief is adopted, making wages up to equal the cost of subsistence 1796 - Vaccination against smallpox is introduced 1798 - Introduction of a tax of ten percent on incomes over £200. T.R. Malthus publishes his 'Essay on Population' 1799 - Trade Unions are suppressed. Napoleon is appointed First Consul in France 1799-1801 - Commercial boom in Britain 1800 - Act of Union with Ireland unites Parliaments of England and Ireland 1801 - Close of Pitt the Younger's Ministry. The first British Census is undertaken 1802 - Peace with France is established. Peel introduces the first factory legislation 1803 - Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. Britain declares war on France. Parliament passes the General Enclosure Act, simplifying the process of enclosing common land 1805 - Nelson destroys the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar, but is killed in the process 1808-14 - Peninsular War to drive the French out of Spain 1809-10 - Commercial boom in Britain 1810 - Final illness of George III begins 1811 - Depression caused by Orders of Council. There are Luddite disturbances in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. The King's illness leads to his son, the Prince of Wales, becoming Regent 1812 - Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated in the House of Commons by a disgruntled bankrupt 1813 - Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' is published. The monopolies of the East India Company are abolished 1815 - The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo marks the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Peace is established in Europe at the Congress of Vienna. The Corn Laws are passed by Parliament to protect British agriculture from cheap imports 1815-17 - Commercial boom in Britain 1817- Economic slimp in Britain leads to the 'Blanketeers' March' and other disturbances 1818 - Death of the King's wife, Queen Caroline. Mary Shelley's publishes her 'Frankenstein' 1819 - Troops intervene at a mass political reform meeting in Manchester, killing and wounding four hundred people at the 'Peterloo Massacre' 1820 - Death of the blind and deranged King George III. He is succeeded by his son, the Prince Regent, who becomes King George IV. A radical plot to murder the Cabinet, known as the Cato Street Conspiracy, fails. Trial of Queen Caroline, in which George IV attempts to divorce her for adultery 1821 - Queen Caroline is excluded from the coronation 1821-23 - Famine in Ireland 1823 - The Royal Academy of Music is established in London. The British Museum is extended and extensively rebuilt to house an expanding collection 1824 - The National Gallery is established. Commercial boom in Britain 1825 - Nash reconstructs Buckingham Palace. The World's first railway service, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opens. Trade Unions are legalized. Commercial depression in Britain 1828 - The Duke of Wellington becomes British Prime Minister 1829 - The Metropolitan Police Force is set up by Robert Peel. Parliament passes the Catholic Relief Act, ending most restrictions on Catholic Civil Rights. They are allowed to own property and run for public office, including parliament 1830 - Death of King George IV at Windsor. He is succeeded by his brother, William IV. Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Rise of the Whigs, under Grey 1830-32 - First major cholera epidemic in Britain 1831 - 'Swing' Riots in rural areas against the mechanization of agricultural activities. The new London Bridge is opened over the River Thames 1832 - The first or great Reform Act is passed. This climax of a period of political reform extends the vote to a further 500,000 people and redistributes Parliamentary seats on a more equitable basis 1833 - Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Empire. Parliament passes the Factory Act, prohibiting children aged less than nine from working in factories, and reducing the working hours of women and older children. Start of the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church 1834 - Parliament passes the Poor Law Act, establishing workhouses for the poor. Robert Owen founds the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union. The government acts against 'illegal oaths' in such unionism, rsulting in the Tolpuddle Martyrs being transported to Australia. Fire destroys the Palace of Westminster 1835 - Parliament passes the Municipal Reform Act, requiring members of town councils to be elected by ratepayers and councils to publish their financial accounts 1835-36 - Commercial boom with 'little' railway mania across Britain 1837 - Death of King William IV at Windsor. He is succeeded by his niece, Victoria. Births, deaths and marriages must be registered by law. Charles Dickens publishes 'Oliver Twist,' drawing attention to Britain's poor. 1838 - The Anti-Corn Law League is established. Publication of the People's Charter. The start of Chartism 1839 - Chartist Riots take place 1840 - Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The penny post is instituted 1841 - The first British Census recording the names of the populace is undertaken. The Tories come to power. Sir Robert Peel becomes Prime Minister 1844 - Parliament passes the Bank Charter Act. Foundation of the Rochdale Co-Operative Society and the Royal Commission on the Health of Towns 1844-45 - Railways mania explodes across Britain. Massive investment and speculation leads to the laying of 5,000 miles of track 1845-49 - Irish Potato Famine kills more than a million people 1846 - End of Sir Robert Peel's Ministry. Whigs come to Power. Repeal of the Corn Laws 1848 - Major Chartist demonstration in London. Revolutions in Europe. Parliament passes the Public Health Act 1851 - The Great Exhibition is staged in Hyde Park. Thanks to Prince Albert, it is a great success 1852 - Death of the Duke of Wellington. Derby's first minority Conservative government. Aberdeen's coalition government is established 1853 - Vaccination against smallpox is made compulsory. Queen Victoria uses chloroform during birth of Prince Leopold. Gladstone presents his first budget 1854 - The Northcote-Trevelyan civil service report is published The Crimean War begins, as Britain and France attempt to defend European interests in the Middle East against Russia 1855 - End of Aberdeen's coalition government. Palmerston's first government comes to power 1856 - Crimean War comes to an end. The Victoria Cross is instituted for military bravery 1857-58 - The Second Opium War opens China to European trade. The Indian Mutiny erupts against British Rule on the sub-continent 1858 - Derby establishes his second minority government. Parliament passes the India Act 1859 - End of Derby's second minority government. Palmerston brings his second Liberal government to power. Charles Darwin publishes his 'The Origin of the Species' 1860 - Gladstone's budget and the Anglo-French Cobden Treaty codifies and extends the principles of free trade 1861 - Death of Prince Albert, Prince Consort 1862 - Parliament passes the Limited Liability Act in order to provide vital stimulus to accumulation of capital in shares 1863 - Edward, Prince of Wales, marries Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The Salvation Army is founded 1865 - Death of Palmerston. Russell establishes his second Liberal government 1866 - Russell and Gladstone fail to have their moderate Reform Bill passed in parliament. Derby takes power in his third minority Conservative government 1867 - Derby and Disraeli's Second Reform Bill doubles the franchise to two million. Canada becomes the first independent dominion in the British Empire under the Dominion of Canada Act 1868 - Disraeli succeeds Derby as Prime Minister. Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the first time 1869 - The Irish Church is disestablished. The Suez Canal is opened 1870 - Primary education becomes compulsory in Britain through the Forster-Ripon English Elementary Education Act. Parliament also passes the Women's Property Act, extending the rights of married women, and the Irish Land Act 1871 - Trade Unions are legalized 1872 - Secret voting is introduced for elections. Parliament passes the Scottish Education Act 1873 - Gladstone's government resigns after the defeat of their Irish Universities Bill. Disraeli declines to take up office instead 1874 - Disraeli becomes Conservative Prime Minister for the second time 1875 - Disraeli purchases a controlling interest for Britain in the Suez Canal. Agricultural depression increases 1875-76 - Parliament passes R.A. Cross's Conservative social reforms 1876 - Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India. The massacre of Christians in Turkish Bulgaria leads to anti-Turkish campaigns in Britain, led by Gladstone 1877 - Confederation of British and Boer states established in South Africa 1878 - The Congress of Berlin is held. Disraeli announces 'peace with honour' 1879 - A trade depression emerges in Britain. The Zulu War is fought in South Africa. The British are defeated at Isandhlwana, but are victorious at Ulundi 1879-80 - Gladstone's Midlothian campaign denounces imperialism in South Africa and Afghanistan 1880 - Gladstone establishes his second Liberal government 1880-81 - The first Anglo-Boer War is fought 1881 - Parliament passes the Irish Land and Coercion Acts 1882 - Britain occupies Egypt. A triple alliance is established between Germany, Austria and Italy 1884 - Parliament passes the third Reform Act which further extends the franchise 1885 - Death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Burma is annexed. Salisbury succeeds Gladstone with his first minority Conservative government. Parliament passes the Redistribution Act 1886 - Gladstone's third Liberal government fails to pass its first Irish Home Rule Bill through the House of Commons. Gladstone resigns as Prime Minister. Split in the Liberal Party. Salisbury establishes his second Conservative-Liberal-Unionist government. The Royal Niger Company is chartered. Gold is discovered in the Transvaal 1887 - Queen Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee. The Independent Labour Party is founded. The British East Africa Company is chartered 1888 - The County Councils' Act establishes representative county based authorities 1889 - London Dockers' Strike. The British South Africa Company is chartered 1892 - Gladstone forms his fourth Liberal government 1893 - Second Irish Home Rule Bill fails to pass the House of Lords 1894 - Rosebery takes power with his minority Liberal government 1895 - Salisbury forms his third Unionist ministry 1896 - The British conquest of the Sudan begins 1897 - Queen Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee 1898 - British rule over Sudan fully established. German Naval expansion begins 1899 - British disasters in South Africa 1899-1902 - Boer War in South Africa 1900 - Salisbury wins the Khaki election. The Labour Representation Committee is formed. Parliament passes the Commonwealth of Australia Act 1901 - Death of Queen Victoria. She is succeeded by her son, Prince Albert, as King Edward VII |
