History of United Kingdom
The first industrialised country and, for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the world's foremost power.. 4 eras, 927 CE to today.
Kingdom of England, 927 CE–1707 Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 927, when all of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united under the rule of Æthelstan, until 1 May 1707. The Norman Conquest in 1066 led to the transfer of the English capital city and chief royal residence from Winchester to Westminster. Henry VIII oversaw the English Reformation, and his daughter Elizabeth I the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, while establishing England as a great power. Under the Stuarts, England plunged into civil war, which culminated in the execution of Charles I in 1649, and the monarchy returned in 1660.
Seat of power: London
Rulers
- Æthelred the Unready, Monarch of England, 978 CE–1016
- Edward the Confessor, Monarch of England, 1042–1066
- Henry I of England, Monarch of England, 1100–1135
- Henry II of England, Monarch of England, 1154–1189
- Henry III of England, Monarch of England, 1216–1272
- Edward I of England, Monarch of England, 1272–1307
- Edward III of England, Monarch of England, 1327–1377
- Richard II of England, Monarch of England, 1377–1399
- Henry VI of England, Monarch of England, 1422–1461
- Edward IV of England, Monarch of England, 1461–1483
- Henry VII of England, Monarch of England, 1485–1509
- Henry VIII of England, Monarch of England, 1509–1547
- Elizabeth I of England, Monarch of England, 1558–1603
- Charles I of England, Monarch of England, 1625–1649
- Charles II of England, Monarch of England, 1660–1685
Kingdom of Great Britain, 1707–1801 Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Great Britain was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. It was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single kingdom, governed by a single parliament at the Palace of Westminster. The early years were marked by Jacobite risings, particularly the Jacobite rising of 1715, and the campaigns of Jacobitism ended in defeat for the Stuarts' cause in 1746. Victory in the Seven Years' War led to the dominance of the British Empire, and on 1 January 1801 Great Britain was merged into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Seat of power: London
Rulers
- Anne of Great Britain, Monarch of Great Britain, 1707–1714
- George I of Great Britain, Monarch of Great Britain, 1714–1727
- George II of Great Britain, Monarch of Great Britain, 1727–1760
- George III of Great Britain, Monarch of Great Britain, 1760–1801
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1801–1927 Draft, not yet reviewed
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established by the Acts of Union in 1801 that united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one unitary and sovereign state. The 19th century was an era of Industrial Revolution and growth of trade and finance, in which Britain largely dominated the world economy. The Great Irish Famine, exacerbated by government inaction in the mid-19th century, led to demographic collapse in much of Ireland and increased calls for Irish land reform. Growing desire for Irish self-governance led to the Irish War of Independence, which resulted in British recognition of the Irish Free State in 1922.
Seat of power: London
Rulers
- George III of Great Britain, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1801–1820
- George IV of the United Kingdom, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1820–1830
- William IV, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1830–1837
- Victoria, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1837–1901
- Edward VII, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1901–1910
- George V, monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1910–1927
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1801 to today Draft, not yet reviewed
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 as the Irish Free State, and the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 created the present United Kingdom. Its involvement in the First World War and in the Second World War damaged Britain's economic power, and a global wave of decolonisation led to the independence of most British colonies. The UK is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with three distinct jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Seat of power: London
Rulers
- George V, Monarch of the United Kingdom, 1927–1936
- George VI, Monarch of the United Kingdom, 1936–1952
- Elizabeth II, Monarch of the United Kingdom, 1952–2022
- Charles III, Monarch of the United Kingdom, 2022 to today
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.