The ten to learn first
1066Battle of Hastings
1215Magna Carta
1348Black Death
1588Spanish Armada defeated
1649Charles I executed
1707Act of Union: Great Britain
1801Ireland joins the union
1918Women over 30 vote; WWI ends
1928Equal voting age
1948NHS founded
Early Britain
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| About 6,000 years ago | First farmers arrive |
| 55 BC | Julius Caesar's invasion fails |
| AD 43 | Emperor Claudius invades successfully |
| AD 410 | The Romans leave |
| AD 789 | First Viking raids |
The Middle Ages
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1066 | Norman Conquest: the Battle of Hastings |
| 1215 | King John agrees to the Magna Carta |
| 1284 | Edward I brings Wales under English rule |
| 1314 | Battle of Bannockburn |
| 1348 | The Black Death |
| 1415 | Battle of Agincourt |
| 1455–1485 | Wars of the Roses, ending at Bosworth Field |
Tudors and Stuarts
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1588 | The Spanish Armada is defeated |
| 1603 | James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England |
| 1606 | The first Union Flag |
| 1642 | The English Civil War begins |
| 1649 | Charles I is executed |
| 1660 | The Restoration of Charles II |
| 1665–1666 | The plague, then the Great Fire of London |
| 1679 | Habeas Corpus Act |
| 1688–1689 | Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights |
The 18th and 19th centuries
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1707 | Act of Union creates the Kingdom of Great Britain |
| 1746 | Battle of Culloden |
| 1776 | American colonies declare independence |
| 1801 | Ireland united with Great Britain |
| 1805 | Battle of Trafalgar |
| 1807 | Slave trade abolished |
| 1815 | Battle of Waterloo |
| 1832 | The Reform Act |
| 1833 | Slavery abolished across the British Empire |
| 1837–1901 | Queen Victoria's reign |
| 1851 | The Great Exhibition |
The 20th century
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1914–1918 | The First World War |
| 1916 | Battle of the Somme; Easter Rising in Dublin |
| 1918 | Women over 30 get the vote |
| 1922 | Ireland splits in two; BBC radio begins |
| 1928 | Women vote at 21, the same as men |
| 1939–1945 | The Second World War |
| 1944 | D-Day; the "Butler Act" brings free secondary education |
| 1947 | India becomes independent |
| 1948 | The NHS is founded |
| 1979 | Margaret Thatcher becomes Prime Minister |
| 1998 | The Good Friday Agreement |
| 1999 | Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly begin |
Tip: learn dates in pairs that tell a story. 1606 and 1801 are both about the Union Flag. 1807 and 1833 are both about slavery. 1918 and 1928 are both about votes for women.
Common questions
Do I need to learn every date for the Life in the UK test?
No, but history is the biggest part of the test, so learn the main dates and the events linked to them. Start with the ten most common ones on this page.
What is the most important date in the Life in the UK test?
1066 is one of the best known, because the Norman Conquest was the last successful foreign invasion of England. Votes for women in 1918 and 1928 also come up often.