The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the history of the British Isles:
History of the British Isles – history of the European island group known as the British Isles.
Political entities
Throughout history, various political entities have inhabited the British Isles, with varying degrees of power and independence over one another.
Existing political entities
- History of Ireland
- History of the United Kingdom - The United Kingdom is a union of different nations:
The British Isles also includes three Crown dependencies of the United Kingdom.
Former political entities
The following political entities all at one time existed within the British Isles.
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
Anglo-Saxons inhabited England from the 5th Century, and formed their own kingdoms.
- Kingdom of East Anglia
- Kingdom of Essex
- Kingdom of Kent
- Kingdom of Mercia
- Kingdom of Northumbria
- Kingdom of Sussex
- Kingdom of Wessex
Irish kingdoms
Prior to the Norman invasion of Ireland many Irish Kingdoms existed. Some of the larger ones were:
Kingdoms in Scotland
The following kingdoms all existed in what is now recognised as Scotland:
Welsh kingdoms
During the medieval era several kingdoms existed in Wales.
- Brycheiniog
- Kingdom of Ceredigion
- Dogfeiling
- Dunoding
- Kingdom of Dyfed
- Glywysing
- Kingdom of Gwent
- Kingdom of Gwynedd
- Meirionnydd
- Pengwern
- Kingdom of Powys
- Rhos (North Wales)
Modern period
During the modern period the following entities have all existed, but no longer do so.
- Kingdom of England
- Kingdom of Ireland
- Kingdom of Scotland
- Confederate Ireland
- Commonwealth of England
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Time periods
Prehistoric
Classical period
The history of the British Isles in the classical era was characterised by the attempts of the Roman Empire to conquer the islands.
Medieval period
- England in the Middle Ages
- History of Ireland (800–1169)
- History of Ireland (1169–1536)
- Scotland in the Middle Ages
- Wales in the Middle Ages
Early modern period
19th Century
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - State as it existed from 1801 to 1922.
20th Century to present
Major events
Throughout history, there have been several events that had a lasting impact on the British Isles as a whole.
Conflicts
Conflicts within the British Isles
For a more comprehensive list, see List of wars in Great Britain and List of conflicts in Ireland.Historically, there have been many conflicts between the people inhabiting the British Isles which led to a lasting impact on the history of the islands.
- Wars of Scottish Independence - A series of conflicts between Scotland and England from 1296 to 1357.
- Wars of the Three Kingdoms - A series of interconnected conflicts within the British Isles from 1639 to 1653.
- Jacobite risings - A series of conflicts over the succession of the British throne from 1689 to 1745.
- Irish War of Independence - A conflict fought between the Irish Republican Army and British forces over the independence of Ireland.
Invasions from outside the British Isles
For a more comprehensive list, see Invasions of the British Isles.There have been several invasions of the British Isles by outside entities, some of which had a lasting impact on the history of the islands.
- Roman conquest of Britain - Roman invasion of Britain starting in 43 AD and largely completed by 87 AD.
- Norman conquest of England - 1066.
- German occupation of the Channel Islands - Occupation of Jersey and Guernsey by German forces from 1940 to 1945.
Political events
The following events had a lasting impact on the political shape of the British Isles.
- Union of the Crowns - Led to the union of England and Scotland in 1603.
- Acts of Union 1707 - Formed the Parliament of Great Britain by merging the Parliament of Scotland with the Parliament of England.
- Acts of Union 1800 - Formed the Parliament of the United Kingdom by merging the Parliament of Ireland into the Parliament of Great Britain.
- Anglo-Irish Treaty - Formally created the Irish Free State as an independent dominion of the British Empire.
Persons influential in the history of the British Isles
National leaders
Monarchs
- List of English monarchs - List of English monarchs before the Acts of Union 1707.
- List of Scottish monarchs - List of Scottish monarchs before the Acts of Union 1707.
- List of British monarchs - List of British monarchs following the Acts of Union 1707.
Elected leaders
Timeline
The following is a timeline showing the major nations within the British Isles, or which controlled parts of the islands, over time.
Miscellaneous
See also
External links
- British History
- British History at Spartacus Educational
- British History at the BBC
- Eyewitness accounts at mytimemachine.co.uk
| British Isles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politics |
| ||||||||||||
| Geography |
| ||||||||||||
| History (outline) |
| ||||||||||||
| Society |
| ||||||||||||
| Misplaced Pages outlines | |
|---|---|